Pinecone Animals
Pinecone Animals
Projects and Activities to Last All Day
When it comes to art projects, I am always inspired by natural elements. There is something so beautiful about finding treasure on a walk and transforming it in a whole new way. Right now, with social distancing, a big highlight for everyone is going on walks and seeing what we can find. We were able to collect several different shaped pinecones and brought them back home. Here is a fun project that spans over multiple subjects to make homeschooling fun and engaging.
Pinecone Animals
Ages: 3 and up
Subjects: Art, Science, Math, geography
Instructions: Take a walk and be explorers. Bring along a bucket and any explorer material you may have (binoculars, walkie talkie, magnifying glass) and go on a pinecone quest. While you are looking, bring up the differences between the trees you spot. Which tree is taller? What aspects are different and the same between the pine tree and other surrounding trees? What do the pinecones look like? Are they closed or open? What are pinecones used for? If you don’t know some of the answers to these questions, you can always pose them, then watch a short clip on Youtube with your kids about pinecones (we did this!).
Once you have collected your pinecones, bring them home have the kids give them a pinecone bath and dry them off. While the pinecones are finished trying now is a good time to answer any of the pinecone questions with either a pinecone book you may have or watching a few kid-friendly videos by a simple Youtube search. Next, gather some inspiration on how you and your kids will transform your pinecones by looking at some ideas on Pinterest. Talk about some of the ways people have decorated their pinecones and find out which one they would like to try and make. Once they have come up with their ideas, it is time to make a list of some items needed to make this happen. For example, if you will be making a pinecone spider, you will need something to make eight legs and eyes. If you are making a unicorn pinecone, you will need something to make it colorful. The next step is to pick the color your pinecone animal will be and to paint it. Once the pinecones are dried, they can then be decorated with whatever craft supplies you have gathered to complete your look (glitter, sequins, beads, pipe cleaners, paper, etc.).
Supplies:
Bucket for collecting
Explorer gear; magnifying glass, binoculars, walk talkie, etc. (optional)
Sponge and soap for cleaning
Paintbrush
Paint
Glue
Craft supplies; beads, sequins, pipe cleaners, felt, paper, glitter
Pinecone books (optional)
Art: Using imagination and creative spirit by taking an object and transforming it into something new with a little motivation and creative thought.
Science: Learning all about pinecones, what their purpose is, how they benefit the pine tree and the difference between an open and closed pinecone.
Math: Observing the shapes and design of the pinecones collected. Comparing and contrasting the pinecones, the pine trees, and surrounding trees. Point out the order of size and have your child organize the pinecones by smallest to largest.
Geography: Talk about what climate the pine trees grow in and find places on a map where you can find pine trees.
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