Autumn is the ideal time to get creative and use nature's materials for various craft projects. Crafting with natural materials is a popular activity, especially among children, and is perfect for schools and kindergartens. Since the chestnuts are currently falling from their trees, we have collected a few ideas in this article on how you can make a hedgehog with children!
Make a simple hedgehog using a chestnut and a white pencil
During a walk in the park or in the forest you can collect lots of great materials and use them for interesting craft projects. Chestnuts are one of the little ones' favorite natural materials because they look like little balls and offer many variations for fun. Alsofor craftingthe small, brown balls are perfect!
A super cute and very simple idea would be to turn the chestnut into a pretty hedgehog by drawing a face and spines with pens. Paint the face on the lighter area with black pencil and the spines on the brown part with white pencil. Alternatively, you can also use a thin brush and white and black acrylic paint. You can make a whole family of hedgehogs from several chestnuts of different sizes.
Autumn craft ideas for kindergarten
The following ideas are perfect for children ages 3 and up! The most important feature of a hedgehog is its spines and what better way to use spines than some toothpicks? You can simply pierce these into the chestnut or attach them with superglue. Since every chestnut is different, you should first place it on the table so that it stays standing and then determine the front and back.
If you are looking for craft ideas only from natural materials, you can use needles from a coniferous tree instead of toothpicks. However, these cannot be attached to the chestnut as easily as the wood, but they can replicate the spines just as well.
Another idea the little ones will love is this tiny hedgehog with googly eyes and fluffy spikes made from pipe cleaners. Easy toocrafting and funto play with, the little hedgehog will awaken your child's imagination and provide long hours of fun.
Make hedgehogs out of chestnuts, play dough and spaghetti
If there are some broken spaghetti left at the bottom of the bag, don't throw them away, save them for fun craft projects! If your child enjoys playing with playdough, you can use the craft materials to make a hedgehog like the picture above. This project is also good for toddlers because it is very easy and fun. The child should simply take a piece of play dough and wrap it around the chestnut. One part should be left open to paint the face. Then comes the fun part: The child sticks the broken spaghetti into the playdough to make the spikes.
Use chestnut and shell for crafts
The dried chestnut shell is also great for making hedgehog spines. You can simply glue half of the shell onto the chestnut and the task is half-finished. Use some modeling clay to create the hedgehog's pointy nose and finally add the eyes and mouth. You can decorate the windowsill in the children's room or kindergarten with these cute animals.
You can also find more craft ideas for kindergarten with chestnuts in our article“Crafts with chestnuts, acorns and other natural materials: 5 cute animals and figures!”
Craft template for hedgehogs made from cardboard and natural materials
To help your child practice their cutting and gluing skills, try this fall hedgehog craft project. You will need cardboard, glue and chestnuts, as well as a craft template that we have provided for free below. In this craft, the chestnuts represent the spines of the hedgehog and can be replaced with walnuts, cones or another material of your choice.
Print out the template and cut it out. Place the paper hedgehog on a piece of cardboard and trace it. Cut the hedgehog out of cardboard and paint the face. Then glue the chestnuts onto the cardboard to finish making the hedgehog.
A craft project for school children: Large hedgehog made from decorative pumpkins and chestnuts
If your school child needs to make a fall project using natural materials, then you can be inspired by this cute hedgehog! For this project you will need a small decorative pumpkin with a pointed end, 20 - 30 chestnuts, wooden skewers and other natural materials for decorating such as: B. a small apple and sea buckthorn berries. To stick the chestnuts to the pumpkin, you can also use superglue or normal craft glue. Also don't forget to glue eyes and paint a mouth.
Would you like to decorate your apartment with the chestnuts you collected? Then take a look at ours tooDIY projects for adultsand conjure up a beautiful autumn decoration yourself from natural materials!
