I have long admired these awesome wooden structure projects by Art Bar Blog and Purple Twig. We wanted to have a go but we didn't have lots of cool shaped wooden blocks to hand so we decided to create our own!
Finding a fallen pine branch in the garden, we took it into our workshop and began cutting. Using a hand saw we cut lots of different width and length pieces of wood. My 6yr old is now pretty good with a saw and with supervision, he spent about an hour busily chopping all the wooden blocks. Once we had finished cutting all the pieces, we gave the ends of each block a quick rub with sand paper to smooth off the edges.
Sawing you own wooden blocks is an awesome way to make cheap resources for crafting just using materials you have available in your garden or local park.
Along with our wooden blocks, we added in a few wooden beads, clothes pins and other scraps of wood from the craft cupboard.
MATERIALS:
- Wooden blocks - cut your own from a fallen tree branch
- Wooden beads, clothes pins, old puzzle pieces or scraps of wood
- Hand saw
- Sandpaper
- Multi purpose glue
- Thick cardboard or wooden base
- Paints
HOW TO:
Find a fallen tree branch in your garden or local park. Soft woods like pine are easier to cut. Using a saw, cut the branch up into different shapes and size blocks.
Using a thick piece of cardboard or wooden board as a base, begin building your sculptures using the wooden blocks and glue. If your children seem a little stuck about what to build, you could offer them an open ended prompt like, make a house, castle or imaginary playground. We made the coolest hotel in the world and a fairy castle.
Allowing the glue to dry overnight, the next day paint and decorate your wooden sculptures. We used simple poster paints but you could also try liquid water colours or collage materials to decorate.
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