string a few dangling nut head people

Nut head dolls, strung seed bodies
by kathy grimm.

Brief Description: These dangling nut head dolls were made from natural materials. I loved to spend time with my children gathering from the wooded areas during a Fall walks. This craft brings back to mind fond memories. Natalie helped me collect the acorns yesterday and then I strung these dolls together on my own. Had she still been a little girl, this activity would have elicited much excitement. I think that should she ever have little ones of her own, she will enjoy the project again someday.

Supply List:

• a handful of small wooden beads
• two acorns, include their caps
• dental floss
• an embroidery needle, not too large (some of these have blunt ends more suitably designed for young crafters)
• wood glue as needed
• soft bristle tooth-brush

Directions:

1.  Clean and dry all to the seeds and nuts that you have collected in advance with a soft tooth brush. I have already included directions in an earlier project that explain how to string pumpkin seeds.
2. I decided to string together my selection in a pattern. This reinforces important concepts about design to small students. You can also talk to them about simple math during this activity as well.
3. Thread your needle with dental floss and string together the bodies.
4. I attached the acorn heads with wood glue after stringing the bodies. Parents may decide that this requires a bit of patience. They may wish to hot glue the acorns to the seed bodies instead so that there is less drying time needed before the project is finished. Sometimes little folk get very anxious about playing with these nut head dolls so, parents may hurry the craft along in order to please their interests.
5. A word of warning. Do not give these little dolls to infants who may choke on the nuts! This project is appropriate for five year old children and up.

Additional Suggestions: Sometimes parents get interested in crafts that they intend for their children. This is often the case in the making of nut head dolls! So harvest enough seeds and nuts to make a few for yourself. I enjoy hanging my own samples on the Christmas tree every year. This is, in fact, a very old folksy tradition. Craft artists living in the Appalachian mountains used to make this kind of folk doll to sell to tourists. It was a popular craft around 1910. I still can find nut head dolls in flee markets on a rare occasion.

The nut head people finally rest after I have spent an
hour in the park looking for their heads.

I chose to string these dangling nut people with a
variety of pumpkin seeds, wooden beads, and acorns.

string a necklace made from seeds

Brief Description: Stringing seeds to create jewelry and garlands is done by many different cultures of peoples. The seed necklace pictured here is from Mexico. However, native peoples in North America and many tribal peoples from Africa create similar crafts that also use the same methods. Seed necklaces are actually best strung while the seeds have not yet fully dried. This method makes it much easier for children to prick holes into the seed shells.

Supply List:

•  A variety of seeds
•  strong thin cord or dental floss for stringing

  

  The seed necklace above is from Mexico.

•  An embroidery needle with a sharp tip
•  one bar of ivory soap
•  a soft terry cloth towel
•  masking tape
•  one small pumpkin
•  one large metal spoon
•  access to a wash basin or a large bucket of water
•  knife to cut open the pumpkin
•  liquid dish soap

Directions:

1. Cut your pumpkin in half and hollow out it's interior with a large metal spoon.
2. The seeds are easy to clean. Just soak them for a few minutes in the bucket of water and the pumpkin pulp with separate from the seeds with a little plucking on your part.
3. Wash the seeds with a little liquid soap and then pat them down with a soft terry cloth towel.
4. Wrap the dull end of your embroidery needle with a little masking tape, so that it will be easier to handle.
5. Pierce each soft, pumpkin seed with a threaded needle.
6. Use a bar of Ivory soap underneath your needle to keep it sharp and to avoid contact with surfaces or flesh.

A fresh pumpkin will provide ample seeds for a necklace or garland.

The best way to prevent cuts and pricks is to use a bar of ivory soap
to buffer the entire process of piercing seeds. Ivory soap is best because
it contains fewer of the dyes and perfumes that little ones could
possibly be allergic to.

Links to more projects that include the use of seeds:

• Indian Corn and Pumpkin Seed Necklaces Gone Astray!
• Pumpkin Seed Necklace from Martha Stewart
• Organic Seed Necklaces
• Melon Seed Necklaces
• Seeds of Beauty
• Make a Mimosa Seed Necklace

Children love to paint rock pets

Left to right, a blue horse, 
a fanciful peacock and a purple mouse.

Brief Description: Pet rocks come in all shapes and sizes. The creator is only limited by his or her imagination. My youngest made these at camp when she was very small.

Supply List:

• a variety of rocks
• a variety of shells
• decorative feathers
• twine
• several colors of acrylic paint
• small scrap pieces of cardboard
• plastic eyes and beads
• wood glue
• hot glue gun (the adults must have one at hand)

Directions:

1.  First you must hunt for your rock pet and this could take an entire day at the beach. People might think that this is an easy thing to do, but it is quite difficult. Not every rock is destined to be a pet. 
2.  After finding your future pet, you must turn the rock over and over in your hands and decide what kind of pet that the rock is ment to be. Observe the rock from different angles, eat lunch, perhaps take a nap in the sun. This is a long arduous process when a person is away at camp because most rock pets are made at camp. Didn't I mention this fact?
3.  When you have decided "what" your pet rock shall become, select with care his or her features. It is important to remember that if your rock pet is a girl, it should be painted in girl colors. I'm not going to say what "girl" colors are but most rock pet artists instinctively know what these are. You don't want to embarrass your pet rock by making a mistake like that.
4.  Arrange the features of your pet and glue these on. This can be a bit tricky but there is usually some big person present with a hot glue gun who will make sure that those features do adhere in time.
5.  Now it is about time to return to the beach and play until sunset.
6.  After the features of your pet have dried, (this could take a day) you may paint your pet with acrylic paints. 
7.  Let your new pet dry again over night and then take him away to hide under your pillow or display him on your dresser. Rock pets like to ride in the car just underneath the front seats.

Additional Suggestions: Although rock pets need no food, they do need much attention. These critters will listen to anyone talk for hours and they will never expect a fee for it. Parents should be forewarned that rock pets do have feelings and should never be randomly tossed away. I've had to keep several of these for over twenty years! If this were not the case then I wouldn't be able to blog an entry such as this, so my teenager has spoken.

In front is a large, pink, trumpeting elephant
with giant sea shell ears. In the background is 
a very sleepy black mouse.

photographs and written craft pages copyrighted by Grimm 2017