Happy Holidays!

While I encourage getting your children outdoors, even in winter and even in the rain for some puddle jumping, earthworm exploring, fallen-leaf hunting, etc. I have to admit there are days “when the weather outside is frightful, and inside is so delightful” (to quote the line from the “Let it Snow” song), and hanging out in a nice heated house seems a lot more enjoyable than getting everyone bundled up to go outside. On those days, you could try to get some nature indoors and perhaps work on some of those crafts you never seemed to find time to do at other times of the year. Especially at this time of year during the holiday season when many of us are bringing nature into the home anyway to celebrate the season (i.e., Christmas trees, evergreen boughs and wreaths, poinsettias, and pinecones, just to name a few), it is a lot of fun for little ones to participate in this decorating by making their own crafts. Some ideas include:

• Decorate pinecones with glitter glue or glitter added to paint, and tie a ribbon on them to hang from a Christmas tree or elsewhere around the house.

• Make miniature wreaths from tiny hemlock cones glued to cardboard shapes.

• Tie together bundles of cinnamon sticks and sprigs of dried herbs with velvet ribbon.

• Make orange or lime pomanders.

• Make “snow”-covered pinecone ornaments. Wind some wire around the cones and dip them into wallpaper paste (parents need to supervise this step). When the paste feels tacky, dip the cones into white laundry powder. Shake off the excess. Let dry before you decorate them with some ribbon.

• Make nature-inspired candle holders. Glue a candle onto a flat piece of wood and glue on small pinecones, small pieces of evergreen, and red berries around the candle. This can be made even more child-friendly by adding a “fake” (battery-operated) candle that can be found at craft stores.

I’d love to hear your ideas as well! If you have any good ones to share, please email me at stephanie@naturetots.org. In the meantime, have a wonderful holiday season and a happy New Year!

Thanks, and hope to see you outdoors!

Stephanie Derammelaere

During this holiday season, give your backyard feathered friends a gift by making some birdseed biscuit ornaments! One recipe makes two 3-inch biscuits or a single 4-inch biscuit. Mix together 3/4 cup of birdseed, 1 tablespoon of flour, and 2 tablespoons of water. Spray or wipe a metal cookie cutter with oil and place it on a foil covered cookie sheet. Pack the mixture into the cutter, inserting half a straw near the top to create a hole for hanging. Bake the biscuit (with the straw) in a 170-degree oven until the biscuit is hard, about one hour. Let it cool. Remove the straw, thread a ribbon through the hole, and hang it outside in a sheltered spot. This could also be a cute gift idea that your children can help you make for bird-loving friends and family.

During this time of year, getting a hot chocolate for the children while getting a coffee to-go for the adults seems to be a regular occurrence in our household. It recently occurred to me that, while my husband and I have stainless steel travel mugs for coffee or tea on-the-go, the children don’t and we end up throwing away more paper cups then I’d like to admit to. That gave me the idea to get little travel mugs for them when we make a special trip to get a hot cocoa. This could be a fun stocking stuffer too – not only do they get to be “just like Mom or Dad” with their own mug, but they’re also learning valuable lessons in wasting less and being environmentally-savvy!

Speaking of stocking stuffers, I am also trying to be more eco-friendly in my stocking stuffing this year by choosing gifts and trinkets that I know will be used and cherished. It’s tempting to just load up on dollar store finds that look cute for five minutes but will inevitably end up in landfill shortly after Christmas. Therefore, I am veering towards stocking stuffers such as art and craft supplies, little books, and stickers that I know will be used, not break easily, and bring enjoyment for some time to come.