With the coming of warm summer air, mornings have become an excellent time for nature walks of discovery. Armed with baskets, we adore finding a new stick, stone, or leaf. There are many places to take nature walks: the forest, a park, the beach, or even a suburban neighborhood.
Your child will find beauty and savor the treasures found and stowed away. One way to maintain these little treasures is to create a necklace. Each necklace can be from one trip or several trips to different places. They can also be used as souvenirs to hold memories from places you have traveled.
Materials
Bits of nature
Jewelry wire (found at a local craft store)
Yarn
Beads (optional)
Please note that this necklace is for older children who no longer mouth objects.
Start by gathering and organizing your bits of nature. You can let your little one choose the ones that are special to them.
Next, take the wire and wrap around your bits of nature. If it is a stick or stone only, then you can wrap a simple design that includes and loop at the top to string the yarn through. If you have several bits you will need to wrap a few times around each spot to enforce the pieces to one another without fear of it falling off. Be sure to always wrap to include a loop on top.
When you are done make sure to bend the wire away or push them down so that there are no ends that are sharp or pointy.
After you have created your charm, take a piece of yarn and loop it through (I double loop it because I think it is the best way to make it lay flat).
Finally measure and tie a knot at the top of your yarn. We made ours big enough so the children can take them on and off on their own.
My daughter Camille says hers holds fairy dust in the shell. What a fun way to remember a few trips and some very special finds.
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Erin Wallace is married to a loving husband and is the mother of two wee ones. She’s currently enjoying life with her sweet family in Virginia. She blogs at Tiny Twist Creative.