April is Earth Month, with Earth day coming up on the 22nd April. It’s a great time to think about the little things we can do as a family to develop good habits in the kids for the future – whether that’s recycling, spending time in nature, or helping them to learn about environmental and green issues.
Upcycling and Nature Crafts with Sticks
A really easy way to recycle is to re-use items that you have gathered to make crafts and toys. My boys are always gathering sticks on their walk to and from school each day, or while playing outside. There is something about sticks that is just so appealing to young children – mine always manage to spot them!
We often have fun painting our sticks, or gluing and sticking to create something else out of them so here are just a few of the ideas that you could use for your ever growing pile of sticks collected by the kids.
Painted Sticks to help with early literacy skills
Read more about this activity here.
Scrunched Tissue Blossom Tree Craft
Real sticks are great to use as the base for making all kinds of tree pictures for the different seasons of the year. See more about this craft here.
Here’s another kind of tree, using real sticks as the base. A bubble wrap handprint tree for Autumn.
See more about this craft here
Using Sticks as Loose Parts in Sensory Play
Sticks also make a fun addition to any sensory doughs or other play materials. They are perfect for mark making, building and of course for making a snow man!
Get the recipe for this cloud dough here.
Witches Broomstick
We made this simple craft at Halloween time. One stick, plus a piece of tassle from old clothing, or an old curtain tie or whatever you have spare, will make a quick and effective witches broomstick. We didn’t write this one up as a full blog post – but all you need to do is tape the two pieces together and you’re done.
Using Sticks to Make Giant Bubbles
We’ve been meaning to use some of our sticks to make nature bubble wands. I’m sure we will get these done and share them with you soon, but while looking around to see if there was anything similar out there I came across these sticks used to make giant bubbles! How cool. You can see the directions over on 101 things to do with kids.
There are so many fun and pretty ways to make a fairy wand from your gathered sticks, and here is just one idea to get you started.
See the directions here on Where Imagination Grows
I hope you enjoyed these ideas on how to play and get creative with sticks. What we love about these simple materials is that the only limit is your imagination! I’m sure we will be bringing you more crafty stick ideas soon.
More Nature Crafts and Activities
You might also like these
- Dried Pressed Flowers Suncatcher
- Feathers, Flowers and Leaves
- Painting Rocks
- Autumn Leaf Peg Dolls
- Garden Collage Leaf Craft
Anna Marikar, mum of four and seasoned blogger, has spent over a decade sharing her parenting journey and passion for kid-friendly crafts and free printables.
Her easy-to-follow craft ideas and practical parenting advice have transformed In The Playroom into a cherished resource for parents.
I absolutely love these creative and eco-friendly craft ideas! Using sticks for various projects is not only a fantastic way to upcycle and recycle but also a fun way for kids to connect with nature. These activities are perfect for Earth Month and will surely inspire families to appreciate and protect our environment. Thank you for sharing these wonderful ideas! 🌿🌎