Nature Collection Can & Leaf Rubbings

Our daughter loves to collect rocks, leaves, fallen acorns and pinecones on our walks. The result is a stroller filled with a variety of items, none of which belong there. But to Liv, they are treasures so of course I can’t throw them away (at least not when she’s looking). To give her a special place for her collection, we made a nature collection can. I must admit, I totally ripped off this idea from a variety of sources, namely Plum Pudding, but here’s our version. It’s a great project for fall because of all the pretty leaves and nuts on the ground. (See the retro-activity at the bottom of this post.) AND it’s a wonderful way for you to express some of your own creativity, as well as get out into the fresh air with your child. Take your camera and snap some pictures while you’re at it!

Nature Collection Can
(no nap rating necessary because you can make this with your toddler!)

Tools & Materials

• One empty can of some sort. We used a formula can. (Or recycle several formula cans to make more of these for other kids)
• Decorative paper
• Clip art images
• Color printer
• Scissors
• Ribbon
• Decoupage medium
• Foam brush
• Newspaper

Steps

1. Clean out the formula can and remove its label.
2. Use the label you just removed as a template for the covering. Trace the shape onto the decorative paper, then cut out.
3. Working on a newspaper-covered surface, cover the surface of the can with decoupage medium and adhere the decorative paper to completely cover the sides of the can.
4. Find some copyright-free clip art images on the internet or use the ones provided by Microsoft Word. Print them out in color. We used images of butterflies, bugs, nuts, leaves and clouds.
5. Cut the images out and adhere them randomly to the can.
6. Cover the entire surface of the can again with decoupage medium. Let dry completely.
7. Poke two holes in the can on opposite sides, about 1″ from the top.
8. To make a handle, thread ribbon through the holes and knot each end so it won’t come back through. I just used some leftover ribbon I had from another project, but made sure it was long enough for Liv to carry over her shoulder. And here she is with it!

Make sure to leave the lid off, though, if your son or daughter puts anything damp in the can. We collected some leaves and buckeyes that were a bit wet one day, put the lid on, and forgot about it for a few days. When we opened it up…mold!

Retro-Activity:
It’s so fun to rediscover activities I used to delight in as a kid. Remember leaf rubbings? Liv thought it was nothing short of magical watching the leaf patterns emerge as we rubbed our crayons over the page. So, make sure you collect lots of beautiful leaves on your nature walk!

Leaf Rubbings
(no nap rating)

Tools & Materials

• blank white paper
• crayons
• leaves that are still pliable (the dead and crunchy ones don’t work!)

Steps

1. Sandwich a leaf vein-side up between 2 sheets of paper.
2. Remove the paper wrapping from some crayons–let your child select the colors!
3. Rub the crayon length-wise over the paper until the shape and texture of the leaf underneath shows up.