Make a forest mandala

There's plenty of creative inspiration to be found in the natural world when you head out on a family countryside adventure.

Making a beautiful mandala is one way your child can express their love of nature and you can help them along using the instructions below, created in partnership with The Wildlife Trusts. There's even a bonus nature art activity for kids who like to get a bit grubbier!

Did you know? - The word 'mandala' is the Sanskrit (an ancient language from South Asia) word for 'circle'.

You will need

• A bag or basket to collect natural materials

Natural materials like…

• Sticks and twigs
• Fallen leaves
• Conkers, acorns, pine cones and other objects from underneath the tree canopy
• Feathers
• Pebbles
• Grass
• Flowers - Use flowers that have fallen to the ground where possible, and do not pick any wildflowers!

Let's get started

Step 1

As you start your family adventure into the countryside, keep a keen eye out for natural materials, like the ones suggested above, that you think would look good as part of a mandala.

Let your child take the lead in choosing these materials, but make suggestions to help them along. They'll need a few of the same type of object as this will help with the final structure of the mandala.

Step 2

Once you've collected enough material, it's time to make a mandala! Help your child find a flattish surface - under the canopy of a tree, for example - then let them choose the item that they'd like to be the centre piece of the mandala.

You could screenshot the illustrations above and show them to your child for inspiration.

Step 3

Work together to use the rest of your finds to create a pattern coming out from the centre piece. Symmetry is important in a madala, but let your child get creative and slowly build out their mandala in a way that they choose. If you have enough material, you can always make your own alongside theirs!

Step 4

Once they've completed their mandala, remember to take a picture! Now it's ready for the next intrepid countryside explorers to discover for themselves - maybe they'll be inspired to make their own…

Make a forest guardian

If your child likes their art a little less… ordered and a little more mucky, then another way to get them using natural materials is by making a forest guardian to watch over the woods.

All they need is some mud (firmer mud is best) and some sticks, twigs, fallen leaves, moss, grass, any material you find during your adventure that your child can use to make a friendly face.

Help them stick the mud onto the trunk of their chosen tree, then shape it into a face with eyes, nose and a mouth. Now they can press their natural material into the face to create hair, a beard, maybe even a crown! Take a photo of the finished product!

Remember to take wipes and sanitiser to properly clean muddy hands after this craft!

The Wildlife Trusts care for 2,300 nature reserves all over the UK, providing inspiration and education about the natural world. They also work with others to manage their land with nature. Their Wildlife Watch collection has plenty more nature activities for families to try.

Illustrations by Corinne Welch

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