A terrific resource with 40 step-by-step craft projects for kids using objects found in nature. Gorgeous color photos with simple to follow instructions makes this a slam dunk ... easy peasy great fun for families to do together. 5 of 5 stars.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. Opinions are mine. Pub Date 14 Aug 2018. #NatureCraft #NetGalley

I love doing crafts and have shown the kids how much fun creating can be. This book is filled with 40 easy to follow crafts and the best part is most of the items can be found in the back yard. The craft supplies come in the form of rocks, pine cones, leaves, twigs, and other natural things. Each project has easy to follow written and illustrated step by step directions. These crafts are great for kids of all ages. Even us adults will have fun with them.



Thanks netgalley for letting me read this book.

Loved reading through this book. My children really enjoyed it too which is just the age group it’s aimed at. Good source of information

This book has a lot of great and fun craft ideas for children and families to make. Not all the ideas are a winner, but there are enough included to make this worthwhile to browse through to consider purchasing the book.

This is a quick read with inspiring crafts kids can create using things found in nature. The audience is definitely young. The projects would be enjoyed best by young, school-aged kids.

This book is full of 4o fun projects for kids. The projects incorporate natural found items and some store bought craft supplies. I can imagine summer camp craft projects, as well as projects for scouts and active families. Teachers may also find these projects fun to do with their students. These were cute and seem fairly straightforward to make. Very cute - my favorite is the snail!

I received a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I absolutely loved this book! This is one of the easiest craft books I have seen. The directions, illustrations and materials list is complete and even I, who am artistically challenged, could complete these projects. Being a grandma and Sunday School teacher, I have plans to use several of these ideas. With step by step instructions accompanied by step by step illustrations and photos of the final project this is the type of book that families should take advantage of. There are also templates included for the shapes you need to cut out at the end of the book. I love that the basics of each project come from nature so there’s a built in excuse to wander outside and rummage for an assortment of items including feathers, twigs and seashells. None of the crafts includes expensive materials but there are some things you will need to buy to use for all projects such as a glue gun, paint, paint brushes, felt-tip pens or markers, pencils, and scissors. The animal projects in this book are adorable with sweet little faces and googly eyes. I can definitely see me spending time with my grandchildren making some of these projects, and if they don't look like the ones in the book, that is okay, mine will just have my own spin on it. The publisher, QEB Publishing. generously provided me with a copy of this book upon request. The rating, ideas and opinions are my own.

Beautiful ideas and pictures are found in this book. There are many creative ideas bringing new like to nature supplies. I love these ideas and the instructions are very well written. So many cute ideas that are easy to create. It is a fun family activity for families with little one and older children or even as a hobby if you don't have little ones in the family. It is a nice activity to add to a nice walk or hike to add something special to that time if you are looking for something different or want to enjoy nature items outside in your yard too.

Both preschool and elementary school aged kids will love the projects in Nature Craft. The instructions are very well illustrated in a step by step fashion, making them fun and easy to follow. The supplies for making the crafts are either free or inexpensive and easy to find either in nature or at most stores.

This book has cute projects geared toward younger children, with clear instructions and lots of photos. Some items used aren't things that will be easy to find locally, however, or legal to take if you do find them, at least in the U.S. The edition of this book I saw was published in the U.K., where I'm guessing this isn't an issue, so I don't know if the laws are covered for U.S. editions. I'm sure the materials are purchasable, so the crafts would still be doable. Just be aware of local laws before you gather natural materials with the kiddos! I'm giving 3.5 stars for not including a legal warning; the projects themselves are cute and fun.

This book has great nature craft ideas. Affordable ideas for gathering natures supplies and reusing to make cute crafts. Easy to follow instructions with colorful illustrations. I will definitely be using these ideas with my Girl Scout troop and for projects for my children and their friends.

I love nature crafts and recycleable crafts. This book did not disappoint. The creativity in this book is amazing. There is something for everyone and beginner to advanced. I especially liked the flowerpot with snails, tortise, dragonfly, mice, crab, and hedgehog. Beautiful photos, this book has detailed instructions to do each of the crafts. This is a great book for campers, scouts and anyone who is into nature. I am sure I and my Granddaughter will build lots of memories with this book.
I received this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Nature craft is full of fantastic ideas to make with things found outside such as pine cones, feathers, twigs and shells. Perfect for a rainy day inside doing crafts and plenty of ideas to choose from.

I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Nature Craft has step by step instructions for over 40 crafts inspired by nature and created using materials found in nature. The crafts are really cute, and while they aren't suited to a large group craft (such as a library program), they're great for an at home craft day. I am concerned about the use of feathers in some of the crafts, as collecting and possessing feathers are in violation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918,

A wonderful resource that can help children create with nature. The book was well illustrated with a variety of different projects varying in difficulty. A great book for parents, teachers and afterschool care!
My daughter is always making and she will love flipping through this and then going on a hunt for the objects she can use to make some of the projects.

This is a simple, colorful book that offers a variety of nature crafts that fit a basic formula of gluing natural elements and store bought elements together and painting them to make animals, insects, flowers and other creations.

Most of the projects involve using a styrofoam circle or egg, along with natural materials like pine cones, rocks, sticks and feathers. Colored felt and paper are sometimes added, as well. The projects are geared towards elementary aged children.

One important note for anybody doing these projects in America (particularly as part of a school or organization) is that the book recommends collecting feathers and uses them for some of the projects, but the use of most found feathers is illegal in the United States under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act. It does not matter if you find them or not (most people would just lie and say they found the feathers if that was the case). The ban on collecting feathers was passed after some bird species went extinct in the US because of the hunting of birds for their feathers, especially for use in hats. Entire colonies of birds were often wiped out for their feathers.

The book never gives this warning. The first project is a bird mask, for instance, and the author says, "At the end of summer, birds lose their feathers and then grow new ones. Look out for feathers on the ground at this time."

The US Fish and Wildlife Service says:

"Feathers are beautiful and remarkable objects. If you find feathers in nature, appreciate, study, and photograph them, but leave them where you found them. It is illegal to take them home.

The possession of feathers and other parts of native North American birds without a permit is prohibited by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA). This protects wild birds by preventing their killing by collectors and the commercial trade in their feathers, and extends to all feathers, regardless of how they were obtained. There is no exemption for molted feathers or those taken from road- or window-killed birds. More information on the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and the list of MBTA-protected species can be found at: http://www.fws.gov/migratorybirds/reg....

Exceptions do exist for the feathers of legally-hunted waterfowl or other migratory gamebirds, and for the use of feathers by Native Americans. For more information, see the FAQ page (http://www.fws.gov/lab/featheratlas/f...).

Individuals or institutions wishing to use bird feathers, bones, or whole specimens for educational or research purposes must apply for permits from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and their state wildlife or natural resource agency. See: http://www.fws.gov/migratorybirds/mbp...."

The book seems to have been published in the UK, where this is probably not an issue. And most of the feathers in the book seem to be purchased feathers that are legal to use in the US such as pheasant and peacock feathers.

This site has great information about which feathers are legal to have: http://www.featherfolio.com/blog/guid...

There are many feathers that are legal to use and you can purchase feathers if you wish to, although it's not as much of a nature craft if you're buying most of it and there are some ethical issues in the treatment of some birds for their feathers.

Obviously, families can make their own decisions about how closely to follow the law when their kids want to craft with some seagull feathers they found on the beach (yes, even those are illegal to collect). But especially for organizations, if you don't want to deal with a $15,000 fine then I'd take it seriously.

All that said, the book is also just one-note. There are so many whimsical things you can do with natural materials, such as rolling fall leaves into roses and rose buds, making leaf prints or mushroom spore prints, dyeing with natural materials, making seashell mobiles and wind chimes, painting walking sticks, and so on . I would have liked to have seen more of this type of craft as opposed to the same basic project the whole book -- gluing nuts, feathers, rocks, shells or sticks to styrofoam, paper and/or felt and sometimes painting it.

I viewed a digital ARC of this book for the purpose of review.

Clear and simple step by step instructions. Interesting animals to make. Templates at the end.

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for the eARC

I work with children in a recreation program for K-5th grade. We do crafts on a daily basis as it is a before and after school program. This book has given me some great new ideas of crafts I can do with my kids and I am looking forward to using it. Thank you for the opportunity to read this book and keep up the great work. I know that my kids will have fun making these crafts!

I have two creative daughters. When we're outside, they're always picking up feathers, pine cones, helicopter seeds, sticks, acorns, and special rocks. I try to keep most of their treasures outside in a special place for them, although some rocks get washed and end up in their inside collection. However, beyond that, I'm at a loss for what to do with them. Enter Nature Craft, a new title by Fiona Hayes.

Hayes takes found items from nature and alters them to create whimsical new creations -- nests, flowers, owls, bunnies, coral reefs, and more. There are a couple masks, but most of the projects are meant for display. The cover doesn't accurately convey the contents, as I feel the most winsome projects didn't make the cut on the front.

The snail project, using clay, sticks, and seashells, is darling, and the tortoise was another favorite of mine. The birds and koala just make me want to squeal from their cuteness! The trees and snowflake would make charming Christmas ornaments. And the uses for helicopter seeds are brilliant, as we have no shortage of those in our yard and neighborhood.

These projects seem accessible to my girls, currently 4 and 8, although depending on glue needs, I might need to intervene if a glue gun is necessary (I burn my fingers enough with that as it is so I won't expect my daughters to manipulate that on their own). I have a digital copy of this book, but I want to add a physical copy to our home library -- it's the sort of book that invites page flipping and I want to facilitate ways for my girls to sprawl with a copy and be inspired. Some of the projects have natural items that we won't happen upon (sheep fleece, for instance, although as a knitter that aspires to be a spinner, I do have roving on hand), but substitutions could easily be made.

I know I will be referencing this book throughout the year to make use of my daughters' found treasures. And these creations are so charming that you better believe I'll be crafting right alongside them!

(I received a digital ARC from NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group in exchange for my honest review.)

This is a beautiful and clever book, lots of brilliant and colourful ideas for adults and children to make from the bounty of nature. We chose not to use polystyrene balls and found alternatives. The Nut Mice were a firm favourite here, and the templates at the back were very useful. So many ways to enjoy a woodland or beach walk and collect items to use for a craft project later - perhaps when it's raining... x