Cute Nature Craft for Kids: Pine Cone Skier

With the Winter Olympics quickly approaching in Sochi, Russia, we thought we'd whip up natural homage to winter sports!

Enter the pine cone skier...You will need:

• a pine cone
• wooden bead (roughly 1 1/2" in diameter)
• paint (black and red)
• felt
• thread
• 2 small twigs (for poles)
• pipe cleaner
• 2 popsicle sticks
• glue

How to create your skier:1. To begin, paint two eyes and a little mouth onto the wooden bead. Cut a rectangle of felt big enough to fit around the diameter of your head. It should overlap a bit.

2. Use a line of glue and glue the overlap shut, then glue the "tube" onto your head--a glue gun is best for doing this job. Take a piece of thread and tie it tightly around your tube, cinching the felt. Take your scissors and "fringe" the top of the tube and trim to your liking.  

 3. Take a pipe cleaner and wrap it around the pine cone for arms. Glue on your head. 
4. To make a little scarf, cut a narrow rectangle of felt, and fringe the ends. Glue into place.

5. Cut little mittens from your felt and glue them to the outside of your pipe cleaner arms. Then get your twig poles and glue them onto the inside of the hands. Wrap your little mitten hands around the poles and glue into place.

6. Paint your popsicle-stick skis and glue them onto the bottom of your pine cone...done!

Now you can take him or her outside to enjoy some winter fun!And don't forget to cheer on our Canadian athletes--what inspiring souls they are!