Pine Cone Animals To Make With The Kids

Finding a way to keep the kids occupied during the holidays is not an easy task, especially after 2 months of creative activities outdoors or at home. If you liked our summer decoration made from pine cones, the summer DIY ideas that we have found for you may appeal to your whole family and especially the little ones! Hedgehog, rabbit, elf, owl … our pine cone animals come to your rescue to keep your children occupied for the last two weeks before the start of the school year.

9 DIY ideas to test with the little ones to make pine cone animals a success

Infinitely customizable and with great decorative potential, pine cones are loved by small and large DIYers. Mistakenly reserved for Christmas crafts, these gifts from nature are perfect for decorating the house in the summer or keeping the children occupied during the summer holidays. A few pine cones found in the garden and a little glue are enough to make a bunny, a hedgehog, an owl and all kinds of cute animals. But just before you dive into the creative workshop of Deavita.fr, a little reminder on the best ways to clean and disinfect your finds before using them.

3 ways to clean pine cones before giving them to children

The first way to make your pine cones clean is to soak them in lukewarm water mixed with vinegar for 30 minutes. With a brush, scrub them to remove dirt, then dry them in a dry place for a few days. Otherwise, you can cover them with aluminum foil and let them rest on a baking sheet preheated to 180 ° C for 1 hour. The heat will do the rest. Finally, if you do not plan to put your pine cones on the table or in the bedroom, there is no point in opting for a deep disinfection. You can simply get rid of their dust with a hair dryer.

Pine cone transformed into a cute little bunny

To make pine cone animals with children, nothing could be easier and more fun, especially during the holidays. Take advantage of the end of summer to improvise a small creative workshop with the whole family!

Materials needed:

• 1 pine cone
• 1 wooden bead
• 1 pair of movable eyes stickers
• pieces of raffia (for the mustaches)
• felt scraps (in brown and pink)
• DIY glue
• 1 small wool pompom

Manufacturing:

Obtain the materials listed and roll up your sleeves. For best results, choose a pinecone that is spherical rather than elongated. The wooden bead, on the other hand, needs to be the right size in order to successfully mimic a rabbit's nose. Add wiggly eyes and a few pieces of raffia or natural fiber rope to recreate the whiskers. Insert them into the hole in the bead and secure them in place with a drop or two of glue. Do not forget to glue the small woolen pompom which will play the role of the tail. Finally, crown your little bunny with a pair of felt ears as shown in the example above.

DIY hedgehog with pine cone

For this next easy DIY, you need to source almost the same materials you used to make the bunny.

Materials needed:

• several pine cones
• scraps of felt (different colors)
• DIY glue
• acrylic paints
• small black pompoms
• adhesive eyes or black marker

Manufacturing:

Paint your pine cones and let them dry for 1 hour. Meanwhile, cut out the ears and face of each hedgehog from the felt. Draw the eyes with the marker or opt for adhesive eyes. Then glue the felt face and ears on the narrowest part of the pine cone and voila! In addition to occupying the children, these colorful creations guarantee a 100% good mood decor. With that in mind, they will make excellent place cards and plate gifts.

Felt foxes and pine cones

If we have to define the easiest DIY in our DIY selection today, this is undoubtedly this one! To succeed, you only need the following materials:

• scissors
• scraps of felt (in black, white and orange)
• DIY glue
• cones

Manufacturing:

Use the example above for a successful cutout of the felt head, ears and paws. Glue the different parts of the fox's body to the pine cone and let the glue dry. To make the eyes and nose, you can swap the felt for a black marker. The end effect will be the same.

Halloween pine cone spider

Although October 31st is still a long way off in the calendar, there's nothing stopping you from starting to heal the Halloween decor right now. And that's where the pine cones come in! So, roll up your sleeves and start crafting a giant spooky tentacle spider. Here are the materials to get:

• 1 large spherical pine cone
• soft chenille yarn
• moving eyes stickers

Supple and soft, chenille yarn is a favorite craft material for children. They can twist it practically in any direction and shape it into various shapes. So, combine it with a few pine cones and get ready for some surprising results! To make this spider, you only need to glue the pipe cleaner legs on both sides of the cone body. Finally, do not forget about the movable eyes stickers. To be realistic and not to give children false ideas, keep in mind that spiders have 4 pairs of eyes.

DIY pine cone owl

Does your little one love birds? So, why not recycle the pine cones lying around your house by turning them into cute little owls? It's really easy! You will just need some leftover felt or fabric in different colors (preferably a thick, relatively stiff fabric). Using a pair of scissors, cut out the wings, beak, eyes and dark circles around them. Superimpose the elements in alternating contrasting colors, fix them with glue and voila! To complete your interior decoration, get yourself some oak leaves and arrange them around your little birds!

DIY Pine Cone Turkey For Thanksgiving Feast

Keenly celebrated by the Spaniards and by our friends across the Atlantic, the Thanksgiving feast is less marked here. However, that doesn't have to stop you from realizing our next DIY pine cone idea. High in color and super easy to make, this super realistic little turkey is a great way to keep your kids waiting until early October.

Materials needed:

• matt acrylic paints (in red, orange and yellow)
• sponge brushes
• felt scraps (in orange and red)
• small beige pompom for the face
• moving eyes stickers
• DIY glue

Manufacturing:

Dress the scales of each pine cone in yellow, red and orange and let them dry. Use a different brush for each color. Cut the turkey's beak and neck out of the orange and red felt. Glue the small pompom on the pine cone and add the felt elements. Finish by installing the wiggly eyes. Your little turkey is ready!

Another DIY idea with pine cones to make with your monsters

Ladybugs in pine cones for Valentine's Day

Felt, pine cones and glue to make these cute little bears

Image sources: kidslovewhat.com

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