Merge the wonders of nature with tactile play using our fun-filled nature playdough activities designed to ignite your child’s imagination and curiousity.
There is something SO calming about working with playdough – even as an adult I find making and manipulating it incredibly satisfying. It’s always been one of my favorite rainy day go-to’s.
Inspired by a rain-drenched afternoon in the backyard and a friend’s “feather forest” Instagram post, we gathered the things we needed for this paper straw and play dough fairy forest play invitation.
It’s a wonderful combination of natural sensory learning, creative nature play, and fine motor skill practice for young kiddos, and the end result looks like a perfectly fairy-sized mini-forest – just magical!
You can combine this activity with our shoebox nature explorer’s kit DIY for a day packed with outdoor investigation and little lessons in ecology.
After a long cold winter, and a chilly spring we had a warm weekend and EVERYTHING in the yard just popped! We had a beautiful Saturday, with major plans to spend a full summer Sunday outside, but Mother Nature surprised us with an hours-long rainstorm.
I’m all for throwing on slickers and boots and heading out in the rain, but the chill in the air had us feeling like staying cozy inside instead. So as a compromise, we ran outside and collected some plants from our own garden, then came back in to experiment with this natural playdough project…
Looking for more fun ways to get creative outside? Grab one of our fairy-inspired scavenger hunts. Recycle your into hammered nature art (a crazy fun process!) or make your own DIY sidewalk paint potions for a downright *magical* sidewalk art experience. Or visit our epic collection of outdoor summer play ideas!
To create your own fairy forest nature playdough invitation you’ll need:
BASIC SUPPLIES:
- Playdough (we used this recipe to make our own)
- Paper straws or rolled-up paper scraps/brown bags
- Clippings from the garden and other collected nature supplies
OPTIONAL SUPPLIES:
- Feathers or similar fairy-like craft supplies to add to your forests
Playdough Fairy Forest Nature Play Instructions:
Gather nature supplies from outside.
The flowers, pinecones, leaves and other natural items used for this nature play invitation are the stars of the show! Take some quality time outside to gather up a variety of lovely cuttings and finds from outside that you can incorporate into your fairy forest play.
The wider the variety of natural items collected from the garden, the more interesting and sensory-filled this invitation will be. We cut lilacs, ferns, soft willow sprigs, pinecones, and more for a playdough garden forest full of texture, color, and scents.
Layout garden finds along with playdough and paper straws.
There really isn’t much set up for this beyond laying out the supplies. If you don’t have paper straws, you can do what we did and roll your own using white scrap paper and cut paper bags.
Play!
The process of pushing the paper straws into the playdough and filling them with foliage comes so naturally to kids.
We included some white feathers in our invitation to add even more interest and something super-soft to the touch. We thought they gave our garden forests a lovely, enchanted quality.
I was so pleased with the way our little fairy forests looked, but the win of the day was keeping a little munchkin busy with building these forests all on her own.
I could see the calming effects of quiet, focused, independent play as she carefully picked out her favorite flowers & plants and concentrated on where to put each.
Whether saving this activity for a rainy day, or taking it outside to enjoy some time in the garden, this one’s a keeper for sure!
Ten More Nature Playdough Play Ideas
1. Make Playdough Fairy Gardens
Using the play dough, paper straws, flowers, and foliage, children can create a whimsical fairy garden. They can mold the playdough into fairy houses, use the straws for creating doors and windows, and decorate with flowers and foliage.
Double the magic with a set of whimsical DIY peg doll fairies! They’ll add a dash of enchantment to your playdough forests, turning every twig and pebble into a scene from a fairy tale.
Imagine them dancing in a leafy glade or whispering secrets to the woodland critters – pure delight! I love the small accessories that have been added to this fairy garden playdough activity.
2. Play with Playdough Nature Stampers and Impressions
Kids can roll out their playdough and press the collected flowers and foliage into it, creating beautiful imprints. Once the playdough dries, they’ll have a natural fossil-like keepsake to remember their play.
You can also use a set of nature stampers with your playdough – I love this open-ended process! It’s as if we’re pressing a little piece of the great outdoors right into the playdough. Each imprint leaves a story, a memory of walks in the park, or the intricate designs of a leaf, shell, or acorn.
3. Make Nature Playdough Forest Creatures
Using the straws along with other natural materials or household objects, invite kids to shape playdough into miniature forest animals to inhabit their playdough forests. Flowers and foliage can be used to give their creatures a natural camouflage effect.
4. Build Nature Playdough Nests
How about sculpting some simple and snug nests from playdough using basic nature supplies? We’re talking about the coziest homes for our feathered friends. Or, you can try the wonderfully tactile ‘build a nest’ playdough activity. Feel the squish and squeeze as you mold the perfect nest – it’s afternoon sensory fun that will have your little ones whistling their own happy tunes!
5. Create Garden Playdough Play Setups
Turn your mystical fairy forests into playdough marshes with this mud playdough and flowers invitation. Take it a step further and construct a playdough garden center or or flower garden playdough activity for dramatic play. Little pots filled with “dirt” playdough and vibrant florals…how cu-ute is that?!
These free printable garden playdough mats are a fantastic resource to pair with this activity.
6. Encourage Nature-based Storytelling
Children can use their supplies to tell a story. For instance, they might create characters out of the playdough, use the flowers and foliage as props, and the paper straws as trees or totems. This can stimulate their creativity and narrative skills.
7. Make Playdough Landscapes
Encourage children to create a variety of forest landscapes. They can craft mountains out of play dough, create rivers using straws, and use the flowers and foliage to mimic forests, meadows, or jungles.
Kids can use playdough to create small caves, using straws to create the structure or the entrance, and foliage or flowers to adorn it.
Looking for a tropical variation to use with some lush green plants? This jungle playdough will be right up your alley!
8. Explore the Seasons With Nature Playdough
Kids can depict different seasons using their playdough and natural materials. For instance, they can use red and orange leaves for autumn, blossoms for spring, bare straws for winter, and bright green foliage for summer.
9. Make Scented Nature Playdough
Use nature’s aromas to inspire a sensory-filled afternoon of nature playdough play. Here are a few ideas for tate-safe recipes…
- Lavender-Scented Playdough: You can add a few drops of food-grade lavender oil to your playdough for a calming, nature-inspired aroma. Alternatively, finely ground, dried lavender flowers can also be mixed into the dough. Lavender has a lovely floral scent that can have a calming effect.
- Minty Fresh Playdough: Adding a few drops of food-grade peppermint or spearmint oil can give your playdough a refreshing and invigorating scent. For a different twist, you could also steep fresh mint leaves in hot water, strain the liquid, and then use this mint-infused water when making your playdough.
- Citrus-Scented Playdough: Citrus is always a hit with kids, and it’s easy to add a citrus scent to playdough using food-grade citrus oils like orange or lemon. Alternatively, you can zest a lemon or an orange and mix that zest directly into your playdough for a refreshing and energizing scent.
- Cinnamon-Spiced Playdough: This can bring a warm, comforting aroma to playtime. Just mix in some ground cinnamon to your playdough. For an added twist, you can also incorporate other warm spices, such as nutmeg or cloves. This can be a particularly nice scent in the fall or winter.
- Rosemary-Scented Playdough: Adding finely chopped fresh rosemary or a few drops of food-grade rosemary oil to your playdough can create an uplifting, nature-inspired aroma. It’s a unique scent that can help connect kids with the smells of a herb garden.
**Remember, it’s important to keep in mind the age of the children playing with the playdough and their individual needs. For younger children who may try to eat the playdough, ensure all ingredients are non-toxic and safe to consume. For children with allergies, avoid any allergenic substances, and always supervise children while playing with taste-safe scented playdoughs to monitor for reactions if eaten.**
10. Sculpt Playdough Fairy Crowns
Kids can make rings with their playdough, then decorate the playdough “crowns” with the straws, feathers, and flowers to create patterns fit for a fairy princess or prince.
More Nature Play Ideas for Kids
For more nature-inspired activities and play ideas, visit our backyard safari activity or try making your own enchanting DIY fairy greenhouses – whimsical, dressed-up egg carton seed starters for kids!
For nature playdough play in every season, learn how to preserve nature items like pinecones, acorns, and sticks with our comprehensive tutorial.
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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.
