These nature weavings not only look beautiful but they smell gorgeous too. Made from natural materials they're also a neat activity to share on a camping trip or nature walk.
We recently had a tidy of our garden & were left with several fresh rowan tree branches. These were so thin & pliable & perfect to bend into our simple fish shapes.
To make our fish frames we made sure we used the most flexible thin branches & removed any leaves. We then carefully bent each branch over to form a fish shape, & secured with a pipe cleaner. You could use string or twine to secure the ends of the stick, but for children the pipe cleaner was easier & quicker to use. To make sure the stick holds its shape wind the pipe cleaner around in a crisscross pattern.
We threaded a length of string through the sticks to complete our frame, making sure we wound it around each stick twice so it would stay in place. To secure we simply knotted the ends.
Younger children may find it easier to use a pipe cleaner to create a slightly simpler weaving frame.
We used a selection of herbs from the garden, but you could use any grasses, flowers or leaves to weave with.
We started threading each herb through our frame & it slowly started to take shape. The beauty of this is that you can add as much or as little as you like. It's a great activity for young children to practice manipulation & fine motor skills, as well as create their own pattern & design with nature.
The different herbs offer a multisensory aspect to the activity too, as each herb is threaded its delicate scent is released. If children are unfamiliar with herbs & their properties this is a neat, hands-on way to introduce them.
When each design is complete they can be hung indoors or outside by a length of string. We decorated a tree in our garden with a few of these & we now have one hanging on our kitchen wall. As the herbs dry they still retain their scent which is a wonderful addition to my kitchen.
Simple & relaxing to create, these woven fish make a fun outdoor activity for all ages to share together.
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