Nature-Inspired Summer crafts for Preschool
- Jungle Flowers
- Jul 19
- 5 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
Summer is a wonderful season to slow down, step outside, and discover the beauty
of the natural world together. At Jungle Flowers Preschool, we believe some of the most
meaningful learning happens through simple, hands-on experiences that encourage
children to explore, create, and connect with nature. Whether you're spending the
afternoon in your backyard, visiting one of Florida's beautiful beaches, or taking a family
nature walk; these are some of our favorite nature-inspired summer crafts for preschoolers.
Each activity encourages creativity, curiosity, and an appreciation for the world around us while making lasting memories.
Check out Jungle Flowers Favorite Nature-Inspired Summer Crafts for Preschool
Nature Weaving
Nature weaving is a beautiful invitation for children to create with materials they
discover outdoors. Using grasses, leaves flowers and other natural treasures, children can weave colorful designs while practicing patience, creativity, and fine motor skills.
What You'll Need...
A simple weaving frame (cardboard, popsicle sticks, or twigs)
Yarn or String, Fallen Flowers
Leaves, Grasses, Flexible stems.
How To Maintain It...
Create a simple weaving frame using cardboard, stretch yarn
across the frame. Head outside and collect fallen flowers, grasses
and leaves. Weave the natural materials between the strands of yarn.
Display your finished weaving indoors or photograph it to remember your creation.
Florida's native plants offer wonderful opportunities for nature weaving. Encourage
children to notice the different colors, textures, and shapes they discover while
exploring your garden or local nature trail. Remember to collect only naturally fallen materials or plants from your own garden.
Beach Land Art
One of our favorite Florida- inspired activities is creating beautiful artwork directly in the sand using natural treasures collected along the shore. Beach land art encourages imagination, creativity, and an appreciation for the simple beauty found in nature.
What You''ll Need...
Sand, Seashells, Smooth Stones, Small Sticks, Driftwood, Fallen flowers or leaves (optional).
How To Make It...
Find a smooth area of sand and collect natural treasures from your surroundings.
Arrange your materials into circles, spirals, flowers hearts or any design your child imagines. Explore different patterns and textures. Take a photograph before returning the materials to nature.
Every Florida beach is unique. Encourage children to notice the different shells, stones, and natural treasures they discover while creating their artwork.
Wildflower Discovery Board
Exploring Florida's wildflowers is a wonderful way to combine art, science, and outdoor learning. Creating a discovery board helps children observe nature more carefully, while learning the names of the beautiful flowers growing around them.
What you'll need...
Cardboard or poster board
Tape or small clips, Marker
Fresh flowers from your garden or where gathering is permitted.
How To Make It...
Visit a local garden, park, or nature area where collecting flowers is permitted.
Gather a few different flowers, attach each flower to the board. Label each flower
with its name. Compare the different colors, petals and shapes together.
Florida is home to many beautiful native wildflowers, including coreopsis, our state wildflower. Take time to notice the many colors and blooms that appear throughout the summer season.
Nature Woodland Collage
Turn treasures gathered outdoors into a
little woodland scene of your own. Children
can use leaves, flowers, twigs, bark, petals,
and other natural finds to create a cottage,
garden, forest, or whatever their imagination dreams up. Theres no right way to make it, the fun is in seeing what ordinary pieces of nature can become.
What You'll Need...
White cardstock or sturdy paper, small twigs and pieces of bark. Fresh or dried leaves, flowers and flower petals. Moss, seed pods, or other nature finds. Child safe craft glue.
How To Make It...
Head outdoors and gather a small collection of natural materials. Look for fallen twigs, interesting leaves, flowers, petals, bark, seed pods, and other little treasures. Spread everything out and let your child experiment with arranging the pieces on the paper. They might create a woodland cottage, a tree, a garden, or invent something completely different. Once they're happy with their picture glue each piece into place. Leave the collage lying flat until the glue has completely dried.
Encourage children to explore different colors, shapes, and textures as they turn nature's treasures into their own woodland scene.
Nature Sun Dial
Turn sunshine into a simple lesson about time! A nature sundial lets children observe how the sun creates shadows move throughout the day. Using a stick and natural markers, children can create their own outdoor clock while exploring the connection between sunlight, shadows, and time.
What You'll Need...
A sturdy stick, 12 seashells or smooth
stones. Washable markers or paint. A
sunny outdoor spot.
How To Make It...
Write the numbers 1-12 on the shells or
stones. Place the stick firmly upright in
the ground. Arrange the numbered shells
around the stick like the numbers on a
clock. Visit the sundial at different times
throughout the day and watch how the
sticks shadow changes as the sun moves
across the sky.
Sundials are one of the oldest ways telling time. Encourage children
to revisit theirs throughout the day and notice how sunlight changes the
direction of the shadow.
Nature Shadow Tracing
Turn a sunny day into a simple nature art experience. Children can observe the shadows made by flowers, leaves and stems, then trace their shapes onto paper.
It's a beautiful way to combine creativity with an early exploration of sunlight and
shadows.
What You'll Need...
White paper, pencil, crayon, or washable marker. Flowers, Leafy branches or other nature finds. A sunny outdoor spot, tape if needed.
How to make it...
Place the paper in a sunny spot and secure the corners if needed. Arrange flowers, leaves
or branches so their shadows fall across the paper. Trace around the shapes and details of the shadows. Try this activity again later in the day and notice how the shadows have changed.
Native Florida Leaf Paintings
Leaf rubbings help children discover the hidden textures and patterns
found in nature. Exploring leaves from Florida native trees and plants turns a simple art activity into an exciting nature investigation.
What You'll Need
Paper, Crayons
A variety of fallen Florida leaves
How to make it...
Place a leaf underneath a sheet of paper and hold the paper steady.
Gently rub the side of a crayon across the paper, watch the leaves
veins and texture appear. Compare different leaves to see how each one is unique.
Look for fallen leaves from native Florida trees and plants during your next
nature walks. Every leaf tells a story through its shape and texture.
Florida Citrus Painting
Celebrate one of Florida's most famous crops by turning fresh citrus into
beautiful works of art, science, and sensory exploration while introducing children to different shapes and patterns.
What You'll Need...
Oranges, lemons, or limes, washable paint
thick paper or cardstock, paint tray.
How to make it...
Slice the citrus fruit in half with adult assistance, dip the fruit into washable paint. Press it onto the paper to create colorful prints. Experiment with different citrus fruits and colors,
let the artwork dry before displaying it.
Florida is famous for its citrus groves. This activity is a fun
opportunity to explore the unique patterns hidden inside oranges. lemons,
and limes while celebrating one of our states most recognizable crops. Summer is filled with opportunities to slow down, explore and create together. Whether you're weaving with flowers, making nature art at the beach, building a bird feeder, or discovering the beauty of Florida's native plants, each activity encourages children to connect with the natural world through creativity and wonder.
We love to hear from you! Did one of these nature-inspired crafts inspire your next activity? Or do you have a favorite nature craft that you enjoy making with your children at home or in the classroom? Share your ideas and photos in the comments below I can't wait to see your creativity and celebrate the joy of learning through nature together! I hope these nature inspired summer crafts inspire joyful moments with your family and encourage many adventures outdoors. Happy crafting from all of us! Visit JungleFlowers.org learn more and explore our latest nature-inspired resources for families.
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