Set up an open invitation to play and encourage your child to create crafts with tree bark and a few other nature items. Also, look at my page Famous and Historic Trees Fun Nature and History Homeschool Unit Study for more ideas.
As you have wandered on nature walks you have likely brought home plenty of finds like pieces of tree bark, unique shaped stones, and other bits.
These natural items make a wonderful free craft resource.
Tree bark animals are a fun and easy way to get kids interested in nature.
All you need is a few pieces of tree bark and a little imagination.
You can either leave the pieces as loose parts to build and rebuild or add glue to your supplies.
And let your child attach everything together permanently.
I really wanted to challenge kids’ creativity by using all found nature items for this craft.
But we couldn’t resist adding google eyes to the tray to finish off the animals.
We also decided a few pom poms could help define our animals a bit more as well.
As they create, use the time to talk about the characteristics of the animals, their habitats, if they are herbivore or carnivore?
Of if they’re nocturnal or diurnal? Did you see any of these creatures on your walk today?
Books About Trees for Kids
Next, look at some of these beautiful books about trees to add to your home library.
I prefer living books when I can find them.
Then I add reference books to our reading list.
9 Tree Books & Resources for Kids Who Love Reading and Being Read To
You'll love using one of these books as a science reference or to use for art to inspire life science lessons.
Some trees have lived many lifetimes, standing as silent witnesses to history. Some are remarkable for their age and stature; others for their usefulness. A bristlecone pine tree in California has outlived man by almost 4,000 years; a baobab tree in Australia served as a prison for Aboriginal prisoners at the turn of the twentieth century; and a major oak in England was used as a hiding place for Robin Hood and his men (or so the story goes…).
The fourteen trees in this book have earned the title "Celebritrees" for their global fame and significance. Both in fact and in legend, these fascinating trees remind us not only how much pleasure trees bring, but what they can tell us about history.
Spectacular illustrations rendered in oil paint, and a rhyming text that describes a tree’s activities from its roots to its branches, introduce young readers to the amazing activities that go on in a tree. Acorns nibbled by chipmunks, ants scurrying across a trunk, a spider spinning a web, leaves “breathing out air for all to breathe in”—everything adds up to a “busy tree” for all to “come and see.”
This is a fantastic reference book to have on hand for tree studies.
It has great illustrations and covers everything from how a tree “eats and drinks” to types of trees, seeds, how they change in the seasons, why we need them and more
Acclaimed illustrator Julia Rothman combines art and science in this exciting and educational guide to the structure, function, and personality of the natural world.
An introduction to the world of insects, caterpillars, and butterflies including identification information, educational activities, and fun facts.Invites young naturalists to spot wildlife.
Tree Full of Wonder is a vibrant, rhyming, educational and unique picture book showing the unbreakable bond between people and trees. For children ages 3-8. Kids will fall in love with nature and will become Protectors of the Trees.
From the highest branch and leaf down to the complex “wood wide web” of roots, it’s no wonder every part of a tree plays an important role in its own growth and the habitat of the whole forest or woodland. The Magic & Mystery of Trees is a nature book that takes children on a fascinating journey of exploration, showing them just how special these mighty organisms are.
Learn and Play: These figurines provide a fun and educational way to learn about different tree species, promoting environmental awareness and appreciation.
Bringing the world of TREES to your fingertips, FANDEX presents a foolproof field guide. Four visual keys--die-cut leaf, bark pattern, flower, nut or seed, and photo of the full tree--plus descriptions of habitat and more combine to give a complete picture of North America's forest and backyard trees.
In addition, TREES is a cultural history--of the mighty White Oak, California Redwood, Aillanthus, the tree that grows in Brooklyn, and the stately White Ash, as important for the bows of early Native Americans as for the baseball bats of today.
If that is not enough bark crafting for you I found 8 more awesome crafts.
I have tree bark ideas for kids from preschoolers to highschoolers so not a bit of it goes to waste.
8 Unique Crafts With Tree Bark
This creative way to use nature items like leaves and bark –How to Make a DIY Nature Crown for Kids is absolutely photo worthy.
Did you know that you could learn How To Turn Birch Bark Into Paper to write on, much more interesting than plain old notebook paper.
Get creative and make DIY Tree Bark Flower Vases to hold wildflowers or flowers from your garden that they bring you.
You’ll love this fun Hands-On Literature Nature Study: Simple Tree Craft.
Preschoolers will enjoy learning How to Make a Tree Bark Rubbing and noticing the different textures of the bark from different trees along the way.
I love the look of these DIY Tree Bark Lanterns with their natural unique appearance highlighting the gentle glow and they are pretty easy and inexpensive to create.
Make Simple Tree Bark Boats to get creative and learn about buoyancy and other simple STEM topics or just for the sake of creating from found objects.
Learn How to Make an Appalachian Berry Bucket from Tree Bark for the adventurous older child who enjoys working with their hands.
Along the lines of today’s bark crafts is this tutorial for How to Make Bark Owls.
Now onto my bark craft idea.
Essentially what you are going to create is a very open-ended invitation for your child to use their found objects.
You want your child to imagine woodland (or any type) of creatures from moss, rocks, sticks, and of course bark.
Encourage them to create raccoons, owls, bears, rabbits, foxes, birds, turtles, frogs, hedgehogs, or even made-up fantastical animals.
The greater variety of natural objects you have the more elaborate their creations can be.
I highly recommend pairing this activity with a good book like Nature Anatomy for them to use for reference.
It’s also a great way to give little bits of information as they create.
You will also find information on the bark as well.
Animal Crafts With Tree Bark
You will need:
- Tree bark
- Leaves, twigs, moss, etc.
- Googly eyes
- Large tray
- Optional: glue
First, start by gathering different sizes and shapes of bark.
While you are at it fill your basket with small sticks, moss, green leaves, dried leaves, acorns, or any other interesting natural items you find on your nature walk.
Collect pieces of tree bark from the ground.
Make sure the bark is dry and free of bugs.
To sterilize the bark, you can put it on a cookie sheet and bake it at 350*F.
The length of time will depend on how thick the wood is.
Lay all your nature finds out on a tray.
I keep a couple different types on hand for just such activities because it creates such an inviting area.
I added google eyes because I just knew that they would be fun and really add some personality to the woodland creatures.
Lay out bark pieces and try to determine what animal each piece might be.
A piece of felt makes a great background and helps keep everything from moving around.
Start building creatures using twigs for legs, leaves for wings, ears, tails, whatever your child’s imagination sees.
Talk about different animals and their characteristics as they create them.
See how the pom poms just helped this adorable bear come to life?
Leaves make wonderful wings.
Small sticks and twigs help define the antlers on this deer…or is it an elk?
Tree bark is like nature’s own art supply, and it’s perfect for all kinds of creative projects.
Crafting with tree bark is a fantastic way to connect with nature and let your creativity run wild.
