Learn. Play. Create. Connect. Rewild.
Learn. Play. Create. Connect. Rewild.
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Garden Play Scene

Create an enchanting, interacting garden scene for play and incorporating with pollinator lessons. 




Materials

  • Cardboard box cut in half
  • Gum nuts (you could use walnut shells or other round seed pods if you don't have gumnuts)
  • Brown kraft paper
  • Florist wire
  • Burlap
  • Fray Stoppa
  • Wooden buttons
  • White felt 
  • Stick pieces
  • Dried Sun Flowers
  • Tumbled mix gemstone
  • Paint
  • Pebbles
  • Dried leaves, bark and other flowers you'd like to add
  • Dried flower mix
  • Twine
  • Cinnamon stick 
  • Bamboo sticks 
  • Small dowel rods
  • Glue (and glue gun for attaching heavier items to the base, dowels on the butterflies and twine to bees)
  • Scissors and paint brushes
  • Any extras you would like

 

Method

  1. Paint your gum nut bees, allow to dry. Cut out wings from the white felt and glue them onto your bees, then tie a double knot at the end of some twine, trim excess and glue onto your bees for a flying handle.
  2. Cut a cardboard box in half so you have a base and wall for your scene. On the wall, draw lines for the path your butterflies can take during play. Cut the lines big enough to fit the dowels through.
  3. Cut out your butterflies from cardboard first, then burlap. Use Fray Stoppa around the edge of your burlap butterflies and allow to dry, then glue them onto the cardboard butterflies. Decorate however you wish. We used Natural Earth Paints black, white and orange as well as some wooden buttons. Twist a florist wire for the body and antennae, gluing to the middle of your butterfly wings.
  4. Once your butterflies are done cut your dowel rods to size (about 12cm) and glue to the back of the butterflies, in the center.
  5. Now it is time to put your garden together. Cut a strip of burlap to line the base and glue it on. You can use any items you wish to decorate your garden with. We created a bamboo fence with tall flowers made from sticks and dried sun flowers. The cinnamon stick is our edge for the garden bed as are pebbles. Twist some brown paper to create a tree, roll some around the florist wire for branches and glue dried leaves on. 
  6. Once you have your big items in, put glue along the ground and sprinkle over dried flower mix then add in your extras such as seed pods that may have a flower shape, star anise and small tumbled gems.

Time to play!