Autumn is upon us and our lush green parks are changing, producing a wonderful array of colours in deep burgundy reds and russets, mustard yellows and chocolate browns. Children love this time of year for their favourite pastimes of pine cone, leaf and conker collecting.
Autumn projects can keep both you and the children busy for hours. So pull on those wellies and dash down to your nearest woodland or local park and start gathering some materials. You will need leaves, grass, conkers, acorns (both in and out of their shells), pine cones, prickly grass, feathers and twigs. They're all out there, but best to get them while they're dry but undecayed.
Camouflage nature masks
You will need
* collection of natural goodies (as above) l plain plastic masks l PVA glue
* stapler l string l hole punch Step 1 Plain white masks can be purchased from art supplies shops or departments, varying in price from 50p to 1.50. These are sturdier and will take the weight of the materials better than other dressing-up masks which you might be tempted to use because you will see so many of them in the shops now around Halloween, too.
Before you do anything else with a mask, punch a hole into each side of it and thread some string of appropriate length through so children can tie it around their heads when it's finished.
Step 2 Begin to build up a nature mask, using the grass or feathers you have collected as a base. Paste small areas of the mask with PVA glue and place the feathers on top. Gradually build it up so as to cover the white mask underneath. Be careful to go around the eye and mouth holes rather than over them.
Step 3 Once the mask is covered you can start thinking about features such as hair. Will it be long or short, will you use colourful large leaves for wacky hair or prefer the grassy natural look? You could even plait some long grass in the style of hair. Choose your materials and glue or staple into place. Larger flat leaves can be glued on around the edge. If you're using long bundles of grass, you might find it easier to staple them in place in bundles approximately an inch thick, if possible.
Step 4 Now for some facial features. Prickly grass is great for eyebrows, and an acorn shell might be fun for a nose. Glue them all into place and leave to dry. As a final touch, how about some pine cone earrings?
Once the masks are dry and wearable, put your wellies back on and let the children go back out to the park to play hide and seek and have fun seeing how well camouflaged they are in a natural setting!
Conker shell hedgehogs
You will need
* strong quick-drying glue l one conker shell l one acorn l brown paint l three black peppercorns or three small black beads l PVA glue (Carefully supervise younger children with small objects) Step 1 Gently open a prickly conker shell, being careful not to crack it. Remove the conker. Use a half-shell so that it sits flat on a surface. You should have a small arch where the shell has been opened.
Step 2 Next, find your acorn and take it out of its shell. Using a strong quick-drying glue (adult use only), position it just half-in and half-out of the arch of the conker shell, creating the hedgehog's snout. Hold (or fix something to hold it) in place until dry.
Step 3 You could choose to paint your hedgehog. If so, mix poster paint with equal amounts of PVA glue, which acts as a fixative and holds the paint on better. However, once it is off the tree for a few days, the conker shell will discolour and go brown.
Step 4 To finish the hedgehog you will need to give it some eyes and a nose, using the black peppercorns or small black beads. This part is unavoidably fiddly. Fix the eyes and nose into place with the strong glue. PVA can be used instead, but it will take much longer to dry and you will have to hold everything in place.
Once the conker shell hedgehog is complete, why not try making a few more of different sizes, and have fun assembling a whole hedgehog family? You could even make them a winter hibernating den out of an old shoebox, with a comfy nest of leaves, grass and twigs, decorated on the outside and perhaps with a sign 'Hedgehogs - do not disturb'.
Remember that these natural materials will follow the course of nature and eventually rot or dry up - warn the children, so they won't be disappointed, and use it as a lesson in observation. Avoid radiators and fires, and don't leave your projects sitting in a corner of a room where you forget about them.
Johanna Burkett is a nanny in north London
