While walking back from our forest picnic last week we found some beautiful big seed pods scattered on the ground.
I couldn’t help but pick some up, look at them with the my daughters and then put them in bag for later.
I just knew
they’d make a simple nature craft activity.
I love activities that don’t take much time to prepare and don’t cost a lot of money to make.
The seed pods were free and our craft box is always stocked with acrylic paint and  brushes. That’s all we needed for this activity!
What you’ll need:
- seed pods
- paint brushes
- acrylic paint
- art smocks
Painting seed pods
Place all your materials out on the table so that your child can see all that’s available to them. Then, let them go for it. They will love the tactile experience of this activity. It’s completely different to painting on a flat surface.
The girls all sat down and enjoyed 30 minutes painting the pods. Â They loved it. So simple, yet so much fun and they learnt about seeds, seed pods and nature at the same time!
We hope your children enjoy painting seed pods as much as our kids did.
Did you know that another inexpensive activity is to paint on leaves? Make this leaf garland. So stunning!
Extend their learning
- Discuss seeds and how a pod helps the seeds to stay safe
- Look at the seed pods and discuss the texture
- Get your child to close their eyes and run their hands over the seed pod.
- Talk about what would happen if we put the seeds in the ground
- Discuss what a seed needs to germinate
Ooh those seed pods are awesome!!!
Did they have anything inside them?
What a lovely art project… I love it when we paint or draw on different things!
I can also see those seed pods being used in lots of imaginative play!
I think so too Kate. I’m so searching for more on our next bush walk… which will probably be this weekend!
They are so beautiful!! Love!
Thanks Kelly, we loved it. Off to find some more this week I think.
So cute,
Would never have thought of it.
They are great big seed pods, look like they could be fun little boats for peg people too. And great idea to put them in the oven! Such a good experiment (even if unplanned).
I thought the same thing Kelly, great canoe for peg people… or for the millions of little ponies floating around my house!
Wow – they turned out beautifully. It’s official – we are moving to a forest and I know we’ll be able to find some cool seed pods – we’ll definitely be trying this!
Jody, stay right where you are! You have just as much nature in your backyard if not more. Perhaps once a year we can swap houses and get the best out of both awesome environments! :p
How brilliant. I pinned this as soon as I saw it then noticed it was yours! I should have known, great work. I loved reading about how the pods surprisingly opened. What a great opportunity for discussion. Thanks for posting.
Thanks Kate! Somehow I suspect they might open if I put them in the oven but Kind of hoped they didn’t. When it did happen I was pleasently surprised because the inside looked lovely. We will be using them in the bath for sure!
Ok, those pods have piqued my interest. Do they float? They look like little kayaks to me so I wondered if you could put little toys in them and float them around. (I’m just a kid at heart)
I haven’t tried them yet Carmody but I’m going to. This weekend I’m off to find more. I think they’ll be used a lot!
I just picked some seed pods from our back yard for another project. This is a great idea too 🙂
Ooo, let me know when you’ve done it Kylie (if I don’t see if myself) and I’ll add a link in here.
Ooh, what kind of seed pods are those? They look great! We love this style of activity too 😀
Can I tell you a secret? I’m not great with plant identification. I know a few (mainly to do with wildlife diet) but other than that I’m hopeless. Not a horticulturist that’s for sure. shhh! 😉
What a cool idea! We don’t have seed pods that big where I live (Florida) but I might try something similar with elephant ear pods that grow locally. My little guy loves nature and art — a perfect way to combine them.
I just found your site, and I’m going to have a lot of fun going through older posts. This seems like my kind of place!
xo
Lu
Elephant ear pods?! Those sound very interesting. I’d love to see one if you do it.
Oh, and thanks so much for your lovely comment about WF4K, you made my day Lu! xx
These look so beautiful! We’ve painted rocks and branches before but I’ve never thought to paint seed pods. Just lovely Penny.