Nature Based Loose Parts!
My favorite! Between going on walks with your children to find these treasures to watching how children reconnect with nature, nothing beats this. (Not to mention FREE!)
Pinecones and sweet gum balls picked up from walk.
Wood cookies cut from fallen tree branches.
Sticks and rocks found on a walk in the woods.
Seashells donated from a girl who went to the ocean.
Acorns picked up on a nature walk.
Dried wild flowers found in the field.
Dehydrated oranges and grapefruit.
Leaves found on the ground fallen from the trees.
Dirt! Yes! Great outdoor loose part or fabulous for sensory table and containers inside!
Dried sunflower makes for several loose parts within.
List of Nature Based Loose Parts
- Acorns
- Sticks
- Dirt
- Dried Flowers
- Rocks
- Leaves
- Seeds
- Sand
- Pinecones
- Wood Cookies
- Wood Chips
- Moss
- Shells
- Pods
- Logs
- Peach Pits
- Feathers
- Squash
- Sweet Gum Ball
- Anise Stars
- Cinnamon Sticks
- Nutmeg
Explorations: Nature Based Loose Parts
Leaf Collage
Home Creations
Mortar and Pestle Collages
Investigating and Sketching on Light Table
Number Invitation
Share your favorite Nature Based Loose Parts in the Comments Below!
Be on the lookout for the rest of the 7 types of Loose Parts in our series of Loose Parts posts this month.
I can’t wait to explore and use these amazing ideas with my students!
It’s so exciting to see the children explore these materials! It’s amazing to watch the children create endless ideas with these beautiful and limitless resources.
I brought in leaves and acorns today they were not interested. I also put out glue and paper. They chose to use only the paper to draw color and pretend to cursive write..
Children definitely let us know what they’re into and not. One way to spark interest into something new is how we set how the materials in an inviting way, building excitement around it by having group meeting and exploring the new item. More than anything take your children on a nature walk to collect their treasures or encourage to bring them from home, this encourages ownership of the materials. Change up the provocations: painting with leaves, gluing, coloring, etc. One thing, keep trying. It might be new to them and they just need exposure!
Looking forward to exploring these ideas with children
We did a leaf mobile today. Made with waxed leaves and willow branches from a nature walk and white string. Loved all parts of creating it!
Oh, how fun! What a great way to connect children to nature!
great ideas
I can’t wait to see how the children respond! Keep us posted.
Excited to use these ideas in my classroom.
We are very happy you found this exiting and helpful. Share the results with us please.
Do you have suggestions for using leaves? They are lovely the “day of”, but is there a trick to making them last a little longer without crumbling?
When we collect leaves we let the children use some as is. The rest we put between two pieces of paper with heavy books on top. It takes a while for them to dry but they will keep their color better and not be as crumbly. BTW crumbly leaves are great for working on scissor skills. Even the children who typically struggle with this work will be successful.