I LOVE seed pods!

 

Seed pods are awesome! They represent the renewing of life and the transition of the seasons. I love to collect things on nature walks, seed pods being one of those things. Once the seeds have been released, the pods dry up and will eventually fall from the branches and decay into the earth. I like to pick them before the decaying process, so that they are nice and crisp. These cool pods can easily be turned into creative projects such as canoes, boats, mobiles, and jewelry.

Today, I turned a Trumpet Vine seed pod into a boat complete with a found feather sail. I used wire from my jewelry making kit to secure the feather, but you can easily use hot glue (just be sure that if you float it in a pond or stream you make sure to pick it up and not discard it there- you don't want wire or glue being consumed by wildlife). Kids love to make boats and then watch them float (in addition to splashing in the water) and this is a great way to teach units such as buoyancy in an elementary classroom.

In addition to the Trumpet Vine boat, I also made a fun little necklace from a Buckeye seed pod. I secured dried flowers and a cool little green pod, that I have yet to identify, to the Buckeye pod with wire and then strung some hemp string through a jump ring. Little girls especially love stuff like this! They can be queen of their own imaginary fairy kingdom! You can also create head dresses, bracelets, and rings using found objects in nature.

The collection of something like seed pods can easily be turned into a lesson on classification or seasonal cycles, but why not take it one step further and turn it into an art project!? Don't just teach a lesson, but inspire creativity and imagination as well!