Product Description

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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #78465 in Books
• Published on: 2003-06-03
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 192 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9781580174909
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From School Library Journal
Grade 4-8-Martin contends that nature provides us with an abundance of art supplies and she invites readers to make use of these bounties in these 65 projects. She classifies the activities according to the material required: vines, twigs, cones, and moss; gourds, pods, husks, and seeds; clay, stones, sand, and shells; paints, inks, and dyes; flowers and leaves; and stamps, stencils, molds, and seals. Each chapter includes information about historical and ethnic uses for the natural substances. Activities are rated by level of difficulty; all have easy-to-follow instructions. Projects range from baskets, picture frames, wreaths, necklaces, and gift wrap to body paint, amulet bags, and painted stones; from a chess set to shell buttons to an okra pod canoe and people. The projects display a respect for nature and art, and a simple, subtle beauty; they are not the cutesy, stylized projects described in so many contemporary books. Line drawings accompany the numbered steps and charming ink-and-watercolor pictures illustrate the completed projects. Some general crafting techniques are explained. The helpful appendix offers charts on the availability of various materials and their uses and gift suggestions. Bobbe Needham's Ecology Crafts for Kids (Sterling, 1998), which encourages the use of natural craft materials as well as recycled man-made materials, complements this title. Martin's unusual volume will be a great resource for crafters of all ages and abilities.
Lynda Ritterman, Atco Elementary School, Waterford, NJ
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

“…if you want to use nature to nurture your child’s creativity, then “Art Box” provides hours of activities.” – New York Daily News

"...you'll learn a little about conservation and a lot about art basics..." – Dallas Morning News

Run right out and get Nature’s Art Box…this is a fun book that will get kids outdoors…” – San Diego Union Tribune

"Nature's Art Box takes nature crafts to a more creative level." – Knight Ridder

“The beauty of Nature’s Art Box is that it entertains as well as educates. “ – Ft. Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel

“Youngsters will see nature through the eyes of an artist and learn how to be stewards of the Earth.” – Indianapolis Star

“…the author encourages kids to see artistic potential in a handful of twigs, pinecones and more.” – Publishers Weekly

"The projects display a respect for nature and art, and a simple, subtle beauty...Martin's unusual volume will be a great resource for crafters of all ages and abilities." – School Library Journal

“…the book emphasizes seeing the world as an artist’s palate, there are also lessons on being kind to nature and how to collect items.” – St. Paul Pioneer Press

About the Author
Laura C. Martin has been writing about nature, crafts, and gardening for 25 years. She has served as garden editor for Atlanta Homes and Lifestyles and Georgia magazines. She is the author of 18 books, most recently The Art and Craft of Pounding Flowers, which was featured on the Discovery Channel. Her lectures and workshops on crafts and gardening delight audiences across the United States.

Customer Reviews

Wonderful Nature Crafts - Great projects
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.

Great kids nature craft book!
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.

Teaches Children to Appreciate Mother Earth
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.