As part of our celebration of quality kids’ time spent in the great outdoors, we made a set of origami nature boxes – perfect for collecting and keeping all your outdoor finds – flowers, rocks, leaves, shells…bugs…! The best part? It only takes three pieces of paper! That’s it!
There are some easy folds and some more challenging folds throughout this process, so we recommend adult supervision or help for this one.
Once finished, the box is amazingly sturdy – making it the perfect small collector to throw in a backpack or carry along for a hike. But there are SO many ways for kids to use this (and we’ve included lots of ideas for inspiration below!).
For more simple and fun kids’ paper folding crafts, visit our collection of cute kids’ origami ideas.
To make your own nature collection origami box you’ll need:
Note: We prefer to shop locally or use what we have at home, but this list contains Woodpeckers Crafts, Etsy, Blick Art Materials, Bookshop.org and/or Amazon affiliate links for reference. As affiliates (and Amazon Associates), we make a small commission on qualifying purchases.*
BASIC SUPPLIES:
- 3 square pieces of paper (we used colorful 8.5 x 11 cardstock, trimmed to a square)
OPTIONAL SUPPLIES:
- You could also use origami paper in solid colors or fun patterned origami paper
We found an amazing video tutorial below that will take you through each fold step-by-step. If you’d like a sturdier box that can be tossed into a backpack or mucked up a bit, we recommend using cardstock instead of traditional origami paper.
And don’t worry about making perfect folds or creases or lining everything up. We didn’t, and the final product still works great and looks fantastic.
Can I also add that knowing I can make a sturdy box out of paper anywhere, anytime in 5 minutes is oddly liberating and reassuring…!
20 More Creative Ways Kids Can Use Their Origami Boxes
- Origami Display Case: Use it to hold and display smaller origami creations.
- Travel Souvenir Box: Each compartment can hold a tiny souvenir from different places visited.
- Dollhouse Furniture: The box can serve as a wardrobe or storage cabinet in a dollhouse.
- Time Capsule: Have the child place small items or notes in each compartment to open at a later date, like a personal time capsule.
- Craft Supply Storage: Store beads, buttons, sequins, or other small crafting supplies.
- Pet House for Toy Animals: Create a small pet house for toy animals or insects.
- Advent Calendar: Fill each compartment with a tiny treat or a note leading to a surprise.
- Chore Organizer: Write chores on pieces of paper and place them in each compartment for a fun way to distribute tasks.
- Homemade Board Game: Use it as a game board for a homemade game, with each compartment representing a different space or action.
- Fossil Box: Keep and display small “fossil” finds, like shells or interesting rocks.
- Miniature Library: Fill with tiny books made from folded paper or cardstock.
- Treasure Hunt Map: Hide clues in each compartment that lead to a treasure.
- Desk Organizer: Use it to store paperclips, rubber bands, or other small office supplies.
- Fairy Garden: Decorate and use as a home for toy fairies, complete with different ‘rooms’.
- Story Box: Each compartment contains a character or item, and the child must make a story using them all.
- Memory Box: Use each compartment to hold small mementos or photos.
- Lego Sorting: Small Lego pieces can be sorted into different compartments by color, size, or type.
- Hair Accessory Holder: It’s a great place to store hair ties, clips, and small bows.
- Homemade Candy Box: Fill each compartment with different homemade candies or chocolates as a gift.
- Matchbox Car Garage: Each compartment can hold a different tiny car for storage or display.
We’d love to see your collections! Tag @barleyandbirch / #barleyandbirch to share with us, and if you have any questions along the way, be sure to leave them in the comments below. We made quite a few practice boxes before we got the hang of it, so we may have some tips that will help you out.
More Nature Collection Activities for Kids
Find another easy idea for an outdoor scavenger hunt, or see how we made fairy forests out of paper straws, play dough, and nature clippings. Or grab a hammer for a super fun nature art project! And little ones will love working on their scissor skills with our simple mouse mail fine motor skill activity.
Want to take outdoor nature investigation to the next level? See how we recycled a shoebox and other scrap items to make our own upcycled nature explorer’s kit!
*A note about affiliate links: We strive to use simple, earth-friendly supplies that can be purchased locally whenever we can, but sometimes we find the best universally available options, a rare eco-friendly find, or a niche product only available on Blick Art Materials, Amazon, Etsy, or Woodpeckers Crafts. When included in our supply list, these products are affiliate links, and if you click through to make a purchase we receive a small commission that helps us re-order these supplies!
GETTING READY TO TRY this?
I love seeing all the ways people make these ideas their own! If you're sharing the results of one of our projects, mention or tag me with @barleyandbirch, or share it in the comments of one of our Pinterest project pins.
