Kids Easter Crafts: Walnut Nests

I am so excited to share this week’s Kids Craft – our little walnut nests. Walnut crafts are just something I am rather partial too – they really remind me of my childhood and I love the “frugal ness” of saving the shell from walnuts you eat at home. To make these little nests, we saved our Walnut shells, as well as used salvaged tissue paper from gifts and wrapping. So apart from glue and some googly eyes, this really is a “free kids craft”. Wonderful.

 Materials: Walnuts, PVA glue, salvaged tissue paper, googly eyes, a tiny bit of craft foam or card, ribbon for hanging (optional)

1) Split your walnut in half. Watch the little video I made above, sharing our Walnut Mice from Red Ted Art, 60 Cute and Easy Crafts for Kids. As you can see, do take care with the knife and only let adults do this step.

2) If you plan to hang your nests for Easter decorations, glue your ribbon in place.

3) Shred a little “grass” (green tissue paper) and glue on top.

4) Then make your little baby birds – scrunch up a small ball of tissue paper. Then take  a strip of tissue paper in the same colour. Apply plenty of glue.

5) Roll your tissue ball up in it and then squish it all down and shape a “mini egg”. If need be add a tiny bit of extra glue.

6) We cut our “feathers down” to fit our mini birds. This does result in a lot of feather fluff…. but does look cute. Add feathers, googly eyes and beak.

7) Then place your baby chicks into the next – either one or two, however you fancy.

Pip Squeak LOVED making these, but also wanted to play play play – she loves tiny things, so the last “nest”, literally is just the walnut with a baby chick sitting in it (i.e. not glued in).

Top Right: Pip Squeak’s (3yrs)

Top Left: my “sample”

Bottom Right: Pip Squeak’s – not glued in, as she wants to play with it

Bottom Left: Red Ted’s (5yrs). See how he needs colour co-ordinate everything?

Want more classic Walnut Crafts? DO check out:

Red Ted Art the book – find your favourite crafts from the blog, as well as a number of exclusive new ones in a beautifully produced hardback craft book. You can order on Amazon.co.uk and they WILL ship to the US!

Join the Kids Get Crafty linky party! Come and share your crafts with or for Kids.. we would love to see what you have been up to!

What are your favourite traditional crafts for kids?