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Arts & Crafts

Get your creative juices flowing with these craft projects, many of which can be made with materials you may find around your house.

Arts and Crafts
clothespin craft emerald ash borers crawling around on firewood
Build a Beetle
Be on the lookout for invasive emerald ash borers. 
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underwater photo of a backyard pond showing the undersides of water lilies and other water plants by Joshua Sera (CC BY 2.0)
Build an Underwater Scope
Get up close and personal with underwater plants and critters.
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photo of a vermicomposting container with worms and vegetable scraps
Build Your Own Vermicomposting Box
Get started composting with worms!
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Black bat hanging upside down
Cool Critters
Bats, owls, and mice, oh my!
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photo of black walnuts taken by BlueRidgeKitties (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
Dyes from Nature
You can make natural dyes out of plants in your
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Hands out catching water
Edible Aquifer
Did you ever wonder where all of the water you use comes from?
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Bunch of gourds
From Gourd to Birdhouse
Build a different kind of birdhouse!
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Eagle soaring in the sky
High Rising Eagles Mobile
Easy-to-make mobile to hang in your room.
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Women checking ingredients on the back of a milk jug.
Holiday Luminary
Instructions for creating a recycled milk jug luminary!
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A tree standing alone in a prairie
I Know a Tree...
Nature has been a source of inspiration for artists throughout history.
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Folding an origami frog
Jumping Frog Origami
Step-by-step instructions on how to create this fun toy.
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Pile of fallen leaves
Leaf Printing
Learn how to print leaf shapes on a shirt or other fabrics.
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Icy trees light up by the sunlight
Light up the Winter Nights! Make an Ice Luminary
Light up winter nights with this beautiful ice luminary.
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Pine cone wreath hanging on a door
Make a Cone Wreath
How to create a fun and festive pine cone wreath!
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Milkweed in the forest
Make a Milkweed Bracelet
Cool craft using the versatile plant Milkweed.
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A Robin perched on a snowy tree
Make an Ice Wreath
This wreath looks excellent, and provides birds with a snack!
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photo of a pile of nature magazines
Make Recycled Paper Beads
Great way to use old magazines on a rainy day.
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Sample of paper made at home
Make Your Own Paper
How to reuse your old newspaper, office and wrapping paper!
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Maple syrup and cookies
Maple Syrup Treats
Simple recipes for sweet treats using maple syrup.
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Collection of mushrooms
Mushroom Prints
Great art project using mushrooms you can find or buy.
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Mushrooms growing on a log
Nature's Recyclers Coloring Book
Fun coloring pages of nature's own clean-up crew!
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Young girl holding pine cones
Pine Cone Bird Feeder and Suet Feeder
Simple ways to feed your neighborhood birds!
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Feild of sunflowers
Preserving Flowers
An alternative to pressing flowers for keepsake.
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A bird resting
Recycle for the Birds
Read our ideas for reusing materials to create birdhouses and feeders.
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photo of insects made with colorful fall leaves and flower petals by Beth Mittermaier
Start with a leaf!
Fall is a good time to get creative with leaves. Collect a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes. 
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Kid making art
Student Art Gallery
Look at the cool art that students sent in!
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Pinecone on forest floor among twigs
Twig Frame and Vase
Creative ideas to make art from nature!
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