Nature Box for Kids

by Lisa Truesdell

Whenever we go on walks or to the park, my boys tend to fill their pockets with things they find along the way. We spent an afternoon making these nature boxes together, and now all of their treasures will have a home. Older kids will be full of ideas to make their own boxes, but the preschool and younger set may need more help. Here's two examples to get you and your kids started!

Tools used

I created this box for my 2 year old. I put most of it together while he napped, and he added the buttons and picked out the letters that spell his name.

  1. Color the top of the lid of the box with blue spray mist. This product is great for crafting with kids because there's minimal dry time, and older kids will love spraying it!

  2. Cut the trunk of the tree from brown patterned paper.

  3. Cut a large circle from green patterned paper.

  4. Position on the top of your box and trim away the excess.

  5. Use your Deckle Tear Edger on a strip of green patterned paper and attach it to the bottom of the lid.

Fiskars Nature Box Kids 02

  1. Stamp a bee on the box lid using black ink. Stamp the same bee on yellow and white patterned paper, and cut out the bee's body and wings using your MicroTip Scissors. Attach them over the stamped image on your box.

  2. Stamp flowers on the box lid using black ink. Use a black marker to draw in stems. Stamp the flowers on pink patterned paper and cut out, then attach the flowers over the stamped image on the box.

  3. Use glue dots to attach red buttons to your tree.

  4. Spell out the child's name using chipboard letters.

Fiskars Nature Box Kids 03

Nature box :

My seven and nine year olds worked together to decorate the lid of this box. They needed a little help here and there, but did most of the work themselves. I loved seeing them pick through my tools and find ways to use them to make the shapes that they wanted!

Fiskars Nature Box Kids 04

  1. Divide your lid into fourths using masking tape. Spray green mist over the box lid, then remove the tape.

  2. Stamp the words in each section using black ink.

  3. Use your Medium and Large Round n Round Squeeze Punches to make circles from brown and white patterned paper. We sprayed the white "rocks" with grey spray mist. Attach them in the "rocks" section.

  4. Cut several sizes of leaves from patterned paper. We also created some leaf shapes by punching circles and then cutting off sections of the circle. Add them to the "leaf" section.

  5. Punch several colors of flowers using your Small and Medium Flower Lever Punches. Add them to the "flowers" section.

  6. Have your kids draw pinecones, and then cut them out of brown patterned paper using your MicroTip Scissors. We made one acorn with a template, and another using shapes trimmed from a punched circle.

Fiskars Nature Box Kids 05

Now head out and see what treasures you can find to fill your new nature box!