Nature's Art Box. From t shirts to twig baskets, 65 cool projects for crafty kids to make with natural materials you can find anywhere
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Manufacturer: Storey Publishing, LLC
Author: Laura C. Martin
Binding: Paperback
Publication Date: 2003-06-03
Publisher: Storey Publishing, LLC
Label: Storey Publishing, LLC
Number Of Pages: 192
Features for Nature's Art Box. From t shirts to twig baskets, 65 cool projects for crafty kids to make with natural materials you can find anywhere:
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Editorial Review
Whether it's a city park, a suburban backyard, a farmer's field, or the sandy seashore, there's a treasure trove of natural art materials out there. Twigs, vines, pinecones, flowers, leaves, rocks, shells, moss, feathers - they're all gifts of the earth. Add just a few inexpensive store-bought items, such as glue, string, and wire, and anyone can create beautiful, natural works of art.
In NATURE'S ART BOX, writer, gardener, and nature-crafter Laura C. Martin offers 65 cool projects kids will love to make, using materials they can find just about anywhere. She explains how to make paints and inks from flowers and other plants; how to use shells, moss, seedpods, and cones to embellish large objects; how to build elf-sized furniture; how to decorate picture frames, birdhouses, and keepsake boxes with woodland treasures; and how to dig clay, weave vines, and make natural dyes to color T-shirts.
While Martin teaches kids to see the possibilities of the natural world, she also teaches them to respect what the earth offers. She warns them against stripping bark off live trees, plucking every flower in the field, and clearing the ground of every nut and seed. NATURE'S ART BOX helps kids learn to be good artists and conscientious stewards of nature's resources.
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Customer Reviews
Teaches Children to Appreciate Mother Earth 
2007-11-22
This book is awesome. I checked it out from the library on a whim and ended up loving it so much that I plan to buy it for my daughter. The beginning of the book provides basic information about the artistic gifts the earth provides for us to use, and then each chapter addresses different materials and creative projects that children can make from them. I've read some bad reviews of this book, and frankly I believe that a person who would feel that way clearly doesn't see the point in instilling in their child a relationship with nature or any sense of organic creativity, but instead tosses them plastic toys and video games and puts them in front of the television. If you want to use a natural approach to art with your children and show them the beauty and value of nature, I recommend this book.
Great kids nature craft book! 2007-09-10
First of all, you have to remember that this is a KIDS craft book. :-) My two boys have both really enjoyed doing crafts out of this book. They are 12 and 8 yrs. A lot more in depth than other nature craft books I have seen for kids.
Wonderful Nature Crafts - Great projects 2006-02-18
Here in the Northeast US, we're still gripped by the icy fingers of winter. Hopefully, spring will come soon. Meanwhile, I'll while away the gray days with Nature's Art Box, a sturdy and well-written hardcover book with 65 nature crafts projects for kids. This book is appropriate for parents, teachers, home-schoolers and group leaders. It's a nature crafts course for educators in a cosy, attractive book. The book is divided into several sections based on different types of natural materials:
* Vines, Twigs, Cones, and Moss
* Gourds, Pods, Husks, and Seeds
* Clay Stones, Sand, and Shells
* Paints, Inks, and Dyes
* Flowers and Leaves
* Stamps, Stencils, Molds and Seals
The introduction and appendix are full of helpful information on gathering materials and other crafts supplies to create the projects. The projects vary in complexity - some are very simple, and others require adult supervision. Safety tips and instructions are plentiful.
Here's a sampling of the 65+ projects included:
* Bark and Moss House
* Angel Ornament
* Okra Pod Canoe and People
* Sand Painting
* Shell Buttons
* Homemade Natural Paint
* Fern Print
* Dried-Flower Fairy
* Leaf Rubbing Gift Wrap
Right next to this book on a shelf, I picked up a nature crafts book that was lovely to look at, with elegant design and great photography. But the projects were scanty and simplistic. This book is the antidote - it is full of information, projects and ideas. You will turn to it year after year, season after season. Highly recommended.
don't buy 
2005-11-03
I love creative ideas especially when the materials used are abundant and easy to find, unfortunately there is more creativity in the illustrations of this book than the ideas for crafts (I give it one star for this reason alone). This book proves that ANYONE can publish a book. Don't waste your money on this.
