Materials:

3 large cardboard boxes
Scissors
Strong Tape
Pencil or Pen
Rich soil
Leaves
Bugs
Flowers
Seeds
Large Cloth that can get dirty

This takes a while, and requires a lot of work! Make sure that an adult is supervising so that if you need help, they will be there for you!

Instructions:

1. This may be done differently, but basically you need to connect the three boxes to make a "home" structure. The blue instructions are how to connect the boxes to make the home. If you want to do it your own way, you can :)

Blue Instructions for connecting boxes:

DO THIS OUTSIDE!!!!

1. Line the boxes up like this:

SMALLEST BOX      BIGGEST BOX        MEDIUM BOX

2. Now, draw a border where the small box touches the big box and draw a border where the medium box touches the big box.

3. Get an adult to help you cut the border on the big box. Cut out the side of the small box and medium box that touched the big box.

4. Now, the boxes should be lined up so that a small animal could walk through the boxes without having to jump over them.

5. Tape the boxes together.

6. You can decorate the outside however you want! This will be called your Nature House. You might want to cut a "front door" out, or draw windows even! Make sure the top of the boxes have no top-- they need to be able to have sunlight shine through them.

Black Instructions for the rest of the nature house:

1. You should be doing this outside!

2. Lay down the cloth on an area that gets sunlight and rain. Put the Nature House over the cloth. *Make sure animals can't get to this box* (dogs, cats)

3. Fill all of the house with 3-4 inches of soil.

4. Plant flowers, seeds, and put leaves in the house. Find bugs to put in the house and find different things from your backyard that will make your house decorative.

5. You may be as creative as you wish, but remember that whatever you plant must be taken care of everyday!

6. Record in your Nature Notebook what you see in your house everyday. Note how plants are doing, and what bugs are in your house. You might want to put sugar-water in areas where you want bugs to come-- that attracts bugs!

Have fun!

BACK TO THE NATURE ROOM