This fun kid’s nature craft really lets kids experiment with all the things that you find outside in Autumn.  First have the kids go to the yard and collect an assortment of leaves, seedpods, sticks, feathers, etc. Then experiment with trying to spell their names with their collection.  If you do not have access to a yard or park, you can supplement your findings with a bag of potpourri, rope-covered wire, or dried flowers from your local craft store.  

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What you'll need:

• Yard collection: Sticks, feathers, seedpods, cones.  Supplement if needed with a bag of potpourri, rope-covered wire, cinnamon sticks, or dried flowers from the craft store (Tip:  make sure you do not choose any item from your yard that is muddy, wet, or extremely dirty.)

• Scissors

• Wooden Craft round (These look like a slice of tree trunk and come in various sizes.  You can find them at most craft stores) If you can’t find the wooden rounds you can use scrap wood that has been sanded of sharp edges, wooden plaques, or even a piece of card stock.

• White glue or Hot Glue

 

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How to make it

1. Layout all that you have collected from the yard and craft store on a large flat surface.   Since all yards will yield different collections of leaves, twigs, etc., each sign will be different. 

2. Decide if you want your letters to be uppercase, lower case, or a combination.  There is no “right way” to do your name, so experiment with your letters to see what works best.  For younger kids, capital letters can be easier because lower case letters have more curves.

3. For extremely curvy letters like e, g, s & j, rope covered wire or autumn leaf covered wire is a nice solution.  Have an adult cut the wire and make sure there are no sharp edges.

4. Once you have laid out your name with your collection just how you like it, start gluing the letters onto your wood round.  If you are using white glue, glue each letter one at a time and set your sign on a flat surface to dry.

5. If you are using hot glue to secure your name, have an adult help with the gluing of the letters.  Use care when operating a glue gun to avoid burns.

The fun part about this project is that no two signs turn out the same.  Kids are so proud of the finished products.  Prop up your Nature Name or, use two eye hooks and some ribbon to hang up.