DIY Family Nature Display

I came up with this family-friendly DIY while I was thinking about how the summer has flown by and how quickly fall is approaching!  During the autumn season I love looking for pretty leaves and interesting seed pods, so I wanted to come up with a way to display some of the items I find.  Of course, you can use it to display things year round.

This is an inexpensive project that you can easily make with your children and use to display their nature treasures from around the yard, walks in the park, or hikes in the woods.  Time spent together outdoors is fun and good exercise, too : )

You will need an empty wood frame (any size or shape, I found mine at a thrift store for $3), some type of string (crochet thread, yarn, or twine would all work great), paint (optional), some thumbtacks or small nails, and a hammer.  

If you're making this project with children here is the part you need to do: On the back of your frame space the thumbtacks or nails every 3 inches.  Hammer them in securely, leaving enough of the tops exposed to wrap your string around.  

Next, go crazy with your paint and decorate the frame however you like.  I simply painted mine white, but let your children choose their favorite colors, add their names, drizzle different paints, or whatever their imaginations come up with.

Then, cut long lengths of string, tie one end to a nail, and start wrapping it from one nail to the next.  I started out methodically zig-zagging, then started wrapping it randomly until I covered all the areas.  It's kind of like a big, messy spider web!  This is where your child can really go wild, adding as much string as they want and wrapping it in all different directions.

Last, choose a convenient spot to hang your frame (I put mine right on the inside of my door, so I can deposit my treasures whenever I return from a nature walk) and start filling it with leaves, acorns, and whatever else you find.  You don't have to fill it all at once, it's fun to watch it grow and evolve throughout the season!  You could even add small nature sketches if you children like to draw - let them take a little notebook into the yard or to the park and do a little sketching.

Let me know if you  make one : )