Forage for natural decorations
Explore outdoors to collect leaves, pinecones, acorns, and flowers with adult permission; clean and arrange them into seasonal decorations like garlands, wreaths, or nature displays.
About this activity
Explore outdoors to collect leaves, pinecones, acorns, and flowers with adult permission; clean and arrange them into seasonal decorations like garlands, wreaths, or nature displays.
What you need
Step by step
- 1
Step 1
Ask an adult for permission to explore outside and tell them where you will go.
- 2
Step 2
Gather your basket or bag scissors soft cloth string craft glue cardboard or wreath frame and tape.
- 3
Step 3
Put on weather-appropriate clothes and closed-toe shoes.
- 4
Step 4
Walk with your adult to a safe outdoor area like a park yard or garden.
- 5
Step 5
Pick up fallen leaves pinecones acorns and flowers from the ground and place them in your basket.
- 6
Step 6
Shake each item gently over the basket to remove loose dirt or tiny bugs.
- 7
Step 7
Use your soft cloth to wipe any stubborn dirt off the items.
- 8
Step 8
Sort the clean items into groups by type color or size on a table or tray.
- 9
Step 9
Choose the project you want to make a garland a wreath or a nature display.
- 10
Step 10
Prepare the base for your choice by cutting a length of string making a cardboard ring or setting out a tray.
- 11
Step 11
Attach your natural items to the base by tying threading or gluing them in a pattern until it looks full.
- 12
Step 12
Let any glue dry completely and put away your tools and extra materials.
- 13
Step 13
Share your finished creation on DIY.org
Fun facts
How do we forage and make seasonal decorations from leaves, pinecones, acorns, and flowers?
Plan a nearby, permitted outdoor spot and get adult permission. Bring a bag, gloves, and scissors. Collect a variety—fallen leaves, dry pinecones, acorns, and already‑dropped flowers—avoiding live plants and protected areas. Clean items by shaking, brushing, and rinsing; dry completely. Arrange on string for garlands, bend wire into a wreath base, or glue items onto a display board (adult helps with hot glue or hot tools). Finish with a sealer or ribbon for hanging.
What materials do I need for a nature-foraging decoration activity?
You’ll need a sturdy bag or basket, gloves, small pruning shears or scissors, a soft brush, bowl and towels for cleaning, string or twine, floral wire and a wreath base, craft glue or a hot glue gun (adult use only), scissors, ribbon for accents, and optional spray sealer. Also bring hand sanitizer, a small first‑aid kit, and paper bags or newspaper to dry and store collected items before crafting.
What ages is this foraging and decorating activity suitable for?
This activity suits many ages with supervision: toddlers (2–4) can collect large items and sort by color, preschoolers (3–5) can help arrange and glue with close help, school‑age kids (6–9) can make simple garlands and wreaths with adult tool supervision, and 10+ can plan and assemble more complex displays. Adapt tasks for motor skills and always supervise tool, oven, or hot‑glue use.
What safety tips should I follow when foraging for natural decorations?
Always get adult permission and check local rules. Teach children to avoid unknown plants and never eat wild items. Wear gloves, long sleeves, and check for ticks after outings. Supervise pruning tools, oven heating (for drying pinecones) and hot glue. Wash hands after handling materials and before snacks. Don’t remove items from protected areas, and be mindful of allergies—test a small sample or avoid risky species if anyone has sensitivities.
Watch & Learn
Need help?
What can we use if we don't have a basket, craft glue, or a wreath frame?
Use a reusable tote or paper bag instead of a basket, a glue stick or double-sided tape if craft glue is missing, and cut a cardboard ring from a cereal box to replace a wreath frame.
My leaves and pinecones keep falling off the string or cardboard—how do I fix that?
Wrap string tightly around stems and knot after each item, anchor pieces with small strips of tape or a dab of craft glue where items overlap, and press glued areas firmly until completely dry per the instructions.
How can I adapt this activity for a toddler or a teenager?
For toddlers, focus on supervised collecting, gentle shaking over the basket and sorting on a tray with tape or pre-cut cardboard rings so they can stick items without scissors or hot glue, while teenagers can cut string with scissors, design complex patterns, and use a wreath frame or hot glue with adult permission for heavier pieces.
How can we extend or personalize our finished garland, wreath, or nature display?
Press and preserve colorful leaves between cardboard in a heavy book before attaching, add paint or ribbons to pinecones, label items with collection location and date, and photograph the result to share on DIY.org.