DIY Nature weaving frames for fine motor fun

All mothers know when their child is tired.

Really tired.

We’ve been watching those cues since they were born.

It’s not always obvious. Remember the times when we’d missed those subtle eye rubs or blank stares and the whole world caved in around our child and then around us?

We’re pretty good at preempting an overwhelmed child, or worse one that’s right on the edge of a melt down.

Now that my children are a little older, it usually always starts with irritability.

We may be good at predicting overwhelm in our kids, but we’re not always great at addressing it. We often forget that what they need is to slow down and to let their mind and body rest.

One wonderful tool we’ve been using is our nature weaving frames.

My youngest uses them after very busy days at school. She enjoys quiet time and her mind focuses entirely on weaving the stands of grass through the holes and over and under each other. It’s been so helpful to her.

The best part is, all you need is a photo frame, and some nature of course!

What you’ll need to make nature weaving frames

• Wooden photo Frame
• Drill
• Ruler
• Pencil
• Pliers

For the full instructions on how to make the frames click here.

The only thing I did differently from the instructions above was that I didn’t buy unfinished frames. Instead, I just bought some wooden frames from the shop. They were really easy to make and the best part about them is that they can be used over and over again!

What you’ll need for nature weaving:

I collected a basket full of nature for the girls to weave with. Then it’s easy to fill your beautiful nature weaving frames.

Our basket was filled with:

• Lomandra Leaves or grass
• Gumnuts with holes drilled through them
• Leaves
• Flowers
• Long, thin sticks

I had to show the girls how to use the frames as they had never weaved before but it didn’t take long for them to get the hang of it. Giving them lots of  materials meant that they used an array of nature in their weave creations.

We weaved the lomandra leaves together and looked at it through the sunlight. It was beautiful.

Then, we threaded nature into the weaved lomandras.

 

The nature weaving frames were really easy to make (I made them during their nap time) and it was a lovely, relaxing activity that they really enjoyed after they woke. We’ll be weaving a lot, I’m sure!

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