Handmade and DIY Gifts for the Nature-Loving Child

by Nikki Sowder | Nov 8, 2020 | Featured, Wild Activities

StThe last leaf is falling from our beloved Grandmother Maple, and we’re starting to throw an extra log on the fire. I love the internal warmth we all stoke as a family and a community this time of year. One way of sharing that light is to find or make that perfect gift. Below is my curated collection of handmade and DIY gifts for those nature-loving kids (and a few for the adults) in your life.

Some of the gifts below contain affiliate links, but I have only included my favorite finds I’ve collected throughout the year. This year has been challenging for so many, but it also has been empowering. The Black Lives Matter movement to build a more inclusive, safe and equitable society is a cause that I stand behind, one that will always be a part of Wilder Child’s mission.

Start by supporting those BPIOC-owned shops:

Black-Owned Etsy Shops

50 Black-Owned Kids Shops

20+ Native American-Owned Businesses To Shop

1. FOR YOUR MAGNIFICENT MOON GAZER

Wilder Child Kids Moon Club Membership The Kids Moon Club is opening soon (it only opens once a year!). Gift this unique journey HERE.

– Moon and Stars Wooden Balance Game via Maple Nut Scroll Saw
– Moon Phases Tee via The Pine Torch
– Bear Fox and Squirrel With Telescope via Kim Ferreira Marino

DIY – Make your own moon lamp

BOOKS – Sky Gazing: A Guide to the Moon, Sun, Planets, Starts, Eclipses, and Constellations by Meg Thatcher – Seeing Starts A Guide to 88 Constellations

2. FOR YOUR ORGANIC ARTIST

Nature Art Gift Guide

– Needle felted bee via Grey Fox Felting
– EcoKids Busy Box via Little Wonder and Co
– Nature Stampers via At Home With Beanie
– Watercolor Art Kit via Wildflower Art Studio

DIY – 40 Homemade Art Materials for Kids – Nature Play Club via Mother Natured

BOOKS – The Organic Artist for Kids – Hello Nature: Draw, Color, Make, Grow

3. FOR YOUR EMERGING NATURALIST

Naturalist Gift Guide
– Personalized Magnifying Glass via Tree Fort Toys
– Nature Patches via Smiling Snake
– Pine Cone Earrings via Flower Inspired
– Curiosity Collection via Biophilia Supply Shop

DIY – How to Nurture Your Young Budding Naturalist: Books, Tools and Resources – DIY Printable Nature Journal via Twig and Moth

BOOKS
– Naturalist’s Notebook: An Observation Guide and 5-Year Calendar for Tracking Changes in the Natural World Around You
– Small Adventures Journal: A Little Field Guide For Big Discoveries in Nature

4. FOR YOUR MAGIC MAKER

Magic Gift Guide for Kids
– The Kindness Elves via The Kindness Elves Co
– Elfin Gnome Pattern via the Gnome Maker
– Olive Hobbit-Inspired Cape via Stitches of Mirth
– Natural Wands by Dew Drop Garden Sprite

BOOKS

DIY – DIY Fairy or Wizard Potion Kit

5. FOR YOUR FLEDGLING FORAGER

Foraging gifts kids

– Foraging Pockets via Creativity Chaos – Mushroom Bag via Morel Mushrooms – Mini Market Basket – Introduction to Herbs for Kids Course via Herbal Academy

BOOKS – Foraging With Kids – Herbal Adventures: Backyard Excursions and Kitchen Creations for Kids and Their Families

DIY – Printable Foraging Journal – DIY Mushroom Picker For Chanterelle Foraging

6. FOR YOUR AVID ADVENTURER

gifts for adventuring kids
– Stainless Steel Drinking Tumblers by Elk and Steel
– Embroidered Kanken Backpack via After August Co
– Time for Another Adventure Print via Ant Design
– Shockproof, Waterproof Binoculars via Love it Products Shop
– Tshirts, Waterbottles and More via 1000 Hours Outside

BOOKS – The Young Adventurers Guide to Almost Everything by Ben Hewitt – Adventure Day by Dineo Dowd

DIY – 10 DIY Adventure Packs – Make Your Own Fort Kit by Pie Birds

7. FOR YOUR GAME PLAYER

Nature Game gifts kids – Ecologies Card Game – Kids Outdoor Games Gift Set via Red Oak Adventures
– Planet Boardgame – Wingspan

BOOKS – I Saw it First, Ocean Edition

DIY – DIY Nature Memory Match Game via Rhythms of Play
– DIY Yard Games to Make Right Now! via Little House of Four

8. FOR YOUR GROWING GARDENER

– Veggie List Kids Shirt via Nature Play Supply Shop
– Custom Kids Garden Sign via The Paper Place and More
– Children’s Garden Seed Kit via decker rd seeds
– Permaculture Design Elements Game via Dew Permaculture

DIY – Printable Kids Garden Journal
– DIY Felted Garden

BOOKS
– Easy Peasy Gardening With Kids via Kirsten Bradley
– Up From the Ground: Connecting Kids to Real Food, a Garden-Based Workbook For Kids

9. FOR YOUR WEE ONES

– Moon and Sun Baby Shoes via ebooba
– Kindness Kits via Kind Academy
– Cuddle Mushroom
– Hand-Stitched Star Babies via Bramble and Green

DIY
– Woodland name banner

BOOKS
– Lullaby by Langston Hughes, Illustrated by Sean Qualls

10. FOR YOURSELF!

– Concrete Coasters via Made by Rheal
– Ginko Leaf Ring via ARTErnativeShop
– Outdoor Activity Mat via House of Noa
– Mushroom Hunting Knife
– Silk Sleeping Bag Liner via Soundly Sleeping Dragon (this purchase supports the Tan Minh Vietnamese single mothers group)