Make a Nature Mobile

Art/Science

Children will collect nature objects and use them to make mobiles.

What You Need

• String or yarn
• Scissors
• Glue
• Craft wire
• Objects collected from nature walks (small branches, pine cones, leaves, fossils, shells, bark, feathers, flower petals, seeds, stems)

What To Do

1. Divide the class into small groups. Explain that group members will work together to make nature mobiles. Ask children to bring in an assortment of objects they've collected on nature walks around their neighborhoods, in parks, or on other outdoor excursions. (Alternatively, take a field trip to a local park to enable children to collect nature objects.) Each group's collection should include two small tree branches, about two feet long and 1/2" to 1" thick.
2. Have the groups use string or yarn to tie the two branches together to form the shape of an X. Also tell them to make a large loop of string or yarn at the point where the branches cross, to serve as a hanger for the mobile.
3. Then have each group choose nature objects to hang on their mobile. If they wish, children can use their nature objects to create more elaborate sculptures or collages of wild animals, plants, or other things found in natural settings. (For example, children might wire or glue objects together to make a field mouse, using a seed or nut for the head, a pine cone for the body, twigs or leaves for the legs and feet, and a long stem for a tail.)
4. Help children as needed as they assemble their mobiles, using string or yarn to hang their nature objects from the mobile's crossed branches. Remind children to handle fragile nature objects gently.
5. Display the completed mobiles around the classroom.