This is a fun nature craft made from rocks or stones, acorns and sticks or twigs. It’s a fun way to get outdoors with your kids where you’ll collect all the items that you need. I created this little bug village several years ago, there is a natural version and a colorful painted version as well. A great craft for fall!
You should be able to find most of your supplies in the park or in your backyard. if you don’t have a scrap piece of wood, you can use the top of a shoe box or a flap from any cardboard shipping box. Styrofoam works too!
A note about glue gun safety: Parents should handle the glue gun as temperatures can get very hot and cause uncomfortable burns. Allowing older children to use the glue gun is entirely up to the parent, but child should always be supervised!
The natural Bug Village is perfect for a boy’s room while girls will adore the colorful bugs!
Bug Village
Author: Amanda Formaro
Supplies
- sticks in various sizes
- acorn tops
- smooth rocks in different sizes
- hot glue gun (parents must do this!)
- square or rectangular scrap of wood
- matte acrylic spray sealer
- small woodsie sign
- black fine tip craft pen
For Natural
- wiggle eyes
For Colorful
- toothpick
- paintbrush
- household sponge
- acrylic paint (in forest green, olive green, light brown, cream, light blue, light green, red, blue, orange, yellow, pink, purple, black, and white)
Directions
Natural
- Begin by making sure the ends of the sticks are fairly flat. You can do this by simply pushing the ends against the sidewalk. Use hot glue gun to attach the sticks to the block of wood, then glue the acorn tops to the top of each stick. Wash all the rocks and be sure they are dry before gluing on wiggle eyes. Glue the rocks to the wood in various places. Write the words “Bug Village” on a small woodsie sign (recycle cereal box cardboard works great too!) and glue to the front of the piece of wood as shown in photo.
Colorful
- Paint the block of wood with forest green paint. When dry, sponge on some olive green paint to the forest green. Paint the sticks with light brown paint. Paint some of the acorn tops with light blue and the rest with light green. Glue the sticks to the wood, then glue the acorn tops to the sticks.
- Wash all the rocks and be sure they are dry before you paint them. use various colors to paint the rocks: blue, red, purple, pink, green, etc. Use the stylus or toothpick to dot on spots and/or lines to your bugs. Dot on white spots for eyes, and a smaller black dot onto the white spot. Glue rocks in place when they are dry.
- Create a sign by painting a small woodsie sign with cream paint, then shade the edges with light brown. Use black fine tip craft pen to write “Welcome to Bug Village” in the center.
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Amanda Formaro
Amanda Formaro is the crafty, entrepreneurial mother of four children. She loves to bake, cook, make kid's crafts and create decorative items for her home. She is a crafting expert and guru in the kitchen and has appeared online and in print publications many times over the years. She is also the editor for the Home & Garden channel at Craft Gossip and owner of FunFamilyCrafts.com.
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I’m absolutely in love with your website and all your craft ideas. I’m looking through all of them and trying to find something suitable for my 2 year old son.
Thanks so much for the compliments Emilia! I hope you were able to find something. I also own Fun Family Crafts, you could try there as well.
SUCH A WONDERFUL IDEA. CAN’T WAIT TO GET THE KIDS ON IT.
This is so cute I can hardly stand it! Stumbling!! xo
(Oops not depression, but burnout.)
Aaaaw this looks so cute that if I didn't know better I would want to eat them all (poor teeth). I found some "stone art" a while ago. Perhaps you would like this as well. Here's the link: http://www.styleroom.se/album/26982
(The woman who decorated these stones did so as a way for her to overcome her depression.)
I love this project – and my girls will too. Thanks for the idea. (Visiting via Craft Schooling Sunday)
Oh my! Once again ADORABLE!! Love this "nature craft" and bug village. Simply perfect :-)
Thanks for joining Kids Get Crafty – always fab to have you there!
Maggy
love this one Amanda, and two versions are great! Thanks so much for sharing on craft schooling Sunday! Sorry I haven't been by your site lately but will try to stop by with some Rosh HaShana crafts! all the best!
Fun. Looks like something a couple boys here would like!
They're so cute!! What a fun idea for a kids craft!
Really cute – this will be fun to do with the kids:)
This is a super cute end of Summer craft. I love crafts where kids can enjoy the outdoors and creativity at the same time
http://mel-designs.typepad.com/my-blog/2010/06/camp-roasting-sticks.html
I love both of them!! Very cute! :)
Cecilia