Creative pursuits with children, work with natural materials diversifies. They are used to create voluminous toys, animal figures, appliques and other crafts. An important stage classes become not only the creation of crafts, but also the collection and processing of materials, preparing them for use.

Joint trips to the park or nature will help children get to know the world around them better. Parents can show different types of plants, their berries, fruits and seeds, as well as instill in children a love of nature. So, for example, collecting bark should not harm a tree; it should only be done on trees that have already been damaged or cut down. Natural material is safe, affordable and provides ample opportunities show imagination.

What can be made from natural materials?

From various natural materials, you can create toys, images of animals and men. Diverse in shape, color and texture, they are perfectly combined with each other and complement each other. From all the toys made, you can assemble a whole composition or an exhibition of characters.

Furniture, vehicles, houses and other toy items can also be created from natural materials, sawn branches, tree bark. The main methods of connection are PVA glue, or other glue, as well as wire, threads, ropes, sharpened matches or toothpicks. When working with natural materials, you may need such tools: scissors, a brush, a needle and thread, an awl, a saw, a file, a knife and others.

When and what needs to be procured?

All natural materials can be divided into those that need to be harvested in the summer, and those that are available when the fruit ripens in the fall. In summer and spring, natural materials such as flowers, leaves, grass, cattail, corn, birch bark, and others are available. In autumn, they collect nuts, chestnuts, acorns, seeds of many plants, straw, decorative pumpkins, and other materials. Some materials, like moss, cones, pine needles and shells, are available all year round.

Flowers and leaves of plants are aligned between sheets of paper and dried; they can be used to make an applique or a bouquet of dried flowers. The dense leaves make wings for butterflies and dragonflies, or fins for fish. Autumn leaves are painted in warm colors and are considered especially beautiful. Green summer leaves as they dry out, lose their rich green color... The variety of shapes and colors of leaves makes them interesting material for creativity. The collected leaves are ironed through paper, dried under a press. They are also stored between cardboard or paper sheets.

In the summer, you can make crafts from bunches of grass or use it to tie together the pieces of the craft. Green ears, stems of herbs or bunches of grass quickly wither and become brittle after drying. Crafts made from such short-lived materials quickly deteriorate, but they can also help develop a child.

Natural materials for crafts

1. Cattail

Rogoz- a summer plant growing in water in the shallow waters of rivers, lakes, ponds and other bodies of water. Its elongated brown buds are composed of soft fluff, easy to model. You can use these inflorescences, which are popularly called "reeds", to create animal figurines. Cattail leaves and stems can be dried, cut, rolled, and used for a variety of craftwork details.

2. Corn

Corn- a special summer culture in which peeled fresh or dry cobs, long leaves and hardened grains can be used for crafts. The older and harder the cobs of corn, the more difficult it is for a child to work with them, because they need to be cut or pierced. Classes with children are carried out when the corn is not fully ripe and is easily affected. Long and soft leaves corn allows you to diversify crafts, they can be folded, rolled, tied into a knot, and so on. Before work, the dried leaves are soaked for a couple of hours in a wet cloth.

3. Birch bark

A material known since ancient times for folk art - birch bark, or birch bark... She is unusual, beautiful, durable. Birch bark, collected in spring and autumn, is the most beautiful and flexible, it is easier to remove from the trunk. To properly remove the bark from the wood, it is cut around the circumference, separating a piece up to 25 cm wide. The bark is cleaned, inner side wipe with a damp cloth, external - clean sandpaper... To make the bark even, it is dried by crushing it with a board with a load. If a twisted birch bark leaf is needed, then it is soaked and dried in the sun or warmth.

4. Berries and fruits

From fresh summer berries and fruits you can create shapes and other crafts, such as beads. Drying, the berries harden and shrivel, or deteriorate. From rose hips and rowan fruits, bright decorations and characters are obtained.

5. Straw

At the end of summer, after harvesting cereals, among natural materials appears straw... From it you can knit volumetric toys, weave flat surfaces, stick a smooth pattern. Children like the golden color of ironed straw, they are happy to work with it flexible material... Collect the straw while keeping the stems straight. The joints of the stems are cut out, the even straws are sorted by length and stored in boxes. To make the straw elastic, it is soaked for 24 hours in a sealed container, flooded with boiling water. Smooth straw is needed for appliqués, and it is ironed with an iron.

6. Dried water lily fruits

As natural material use and dried water lily fruits resembling a small vessel with a narrowed neck. Their interesting shape is suitable for creating parts of the body of toys, for toy dishes.

7. Fruits of decorative pumpkin

An interesting natural material is also considered dried bright decorative pumpkin fruit... Its various forms and color shades provide freedom of children's imagination.

8. Nuts, acorns and chestnuts

Ripen in autumn walnuts, hazelnuts, pine nuts and other nuts, and acorns and chestnuts... Their shape, brown color, surface texture, hardness and other qualities allow you to create various parts of the body of voluminous toys, animals and characters. A hat, or hazelnut plush, can also be used in crafts. Walnuts can be used whole or split into halves. Pine nuts and peanuts are easy to pierce and stick together. Store all types of nuts in separate boxes in a dry place. Hard nuts should be cut and pierced by the caregiver himself. A child may injure himself by piercing a hard, round object.

Acorns, the fruits of the oak, are harvested in the fall, when they are ripe and begin to fall off. They can be selected in different sizes for different crafts. Acorns can be of different shapes, more rounded or elongated, they can grow double, triple. The cups of these fruits, or plyus, also harden, separate from the acorns and are used in the manufacture of toys. If acorns themselves can be part of the body of animals or men, then their cups can be used as dishes or hats for toys. Acorns should be selected whole, strong, without damage, rot and rotten stains. They can be stored for a long time in a cool, damp place.

Fruit of the tree chestnut Brown color, rounded and smooth. Connecting them with wires or matches, you get simple toys: bears, bunnies, mice and other animals. Their prickly rind can be used to create hedgehogs. Chestnuts can be harvested different sizes, they are round and semicircular, half. They keep in a cool place for a long time.

9. Seeds of plants and trees

Seeds of many plants and trees are widely used in the manufacture of handicrafts from natural materials. Typically, the seeds ripen in the fall. In crafts, you can use the seeds of ash, acacia, pumpkin, watermelon, sunflower, and many others. They can be glued on, stitched or pierced with a needle, toothpick or wire. From them are obtained body parts, eyes and noses of animals.

10. Cones and needles of trees

Common materials are bumps conifers: cedars, pines, firs, cypresses and firs. The buds can be used both open and unopened. When picked from moist soil, buds dry out more slowly and retain their shape. If they dry quickly in warmth, they can open, deform. The buds can be punctured, tied, and glued. They can be part of bulky toys. They can be sorted by shape and size, just like other materials, stored in separate boxes.

Among the natural materials that can be obtained in spring, and summer, and autumn, and sometimes even in winter, one can name the very needles of trees. Long needles can be used as antennae of butterflies, hedgehog thorns, insect legs, and in other ways. They can be bundled or grinded individually. You can store needles in matchboxes.

11. Moss

In the warm season, you can collect moss, which is used to create a background, simulate grass in toy compositions. Moss can be stored for a long time and can be easily glued to a flat base.

12. Dried Tree Mushroom

An interesting natural material can be cut and dried solid wood mushroom... You can make a stand or a roof of a house from it.

13. Bark of trees

Solid tree bark... It can be coated with transparent varnish, which will extend the life of the composition. The bark of different trees differs in color and shape. In addition to the specified birch bark, which is a thin and flexible white material, you can use the bark of pine, oak and other trees. It can be hard and dense, or it can be soft and flexible, embossed, dark brown or gray.

14. Tree branches

Branches are durable natural materials. From thin branches, you can create arms, legs or necks of dolls, benches for toys, floors of houses, gazebos, and so on. Thicker branches when cut can simulate a tree stump for fairy-tale characters. Branched branches can be used to create a toy garden or forest. It is better to use branches for crafts that are not overdried and undamaged. The branches of plants such as pine, lilac and dogwood do not break when dry, they are resilient, they are convenient to use when creating figures. Collecting branches for crafts with a group of children, the teacher must teach not to damage trees, to collect fallen material.

15. Roots of trees and shrubs

Very interesting material are roots of trees or shrubs, however, it is rather difficult to get them. The roots can be found along river banks where they are washed away by water. It is important to remind children that the roots of living trees cannot be damaged or cut off. The roots have a curly unique shape. Often in their form, you can see a character, a fantastic creature or an insect. The stripped and varnished roots can be decorated with other materials. The collected roots must be washed, dried and stored in normal conditions, in a dry room, protect from excessive moisture. Classes with this natural material develop imagination, creative thinking and observation of the child.

16. Bird feathers

A varied, pliable and vibrant material can be called bird feathers... Feathers of domestic birds can be used: ducks, chickens, geese and others. Feathers of wild birds can be found just outside and on a hike. If children have pet parrots, then their bright multi-colored feathers will become a decoration of the craft. Collected feathers must be washed and dried. To return them to their original natural shape, it is enough to comb them with a brush or smooth them with your fingers. Bird feathers can be cut, stitched, glued, inserted into the holes of harder natural materials. When working with feathers, you can teach children about different types birds, how they fly with feathers, and so on.

17. Seashells and stones

One of the most common and favorite materials for children are seashells... They can be found on the banks of rivers, and especially on the seashore. They can be of various shapes, from a flat oval, heart-shaped or scallop-like, to a three-dimensional shape in the form of a twisted horn. The sizes of shells can also be completely different. Shells can be punctured, drilled, filed and glued. They can be used to assemble figures of characters, make flat drawings and images of flowers, or you can paste over whole planes of boxes or paintings with them.

The collected shells must be thoroughly rinsed with a brush and dried. When collecting shells, you can choose another natural material - cut with water natural stones... They can be glued with rubber and construction glue, create pieces of furniture from them, lay out paths or build houses for toys.

Working with natural materials significantly develops the creative imagination of children, and also introduces them to the world of wildlife.

Natural construction is based on the use of natural materials. Natural materials are aptly defined as materials that have not been industrially processed. But in your home there will still be materials that have been processed to some extent. Unless you find a hole in the ground or an empty tree and live in it. Beavers rip off branches, then cement them with clay, bees and wasps produce honeycomb wax and "paper" for their shelter, many birds build nests using complex combinations such as straw, clay, sticks and feathers.

The difference between animal and human processing of natural materials is the key to a good definition of natural materials. When animals process natural materials to build their shelters, they treat each part of the component as if it were a separate creature. Their work celebrates the diversity of the universe. They collect heterogeneous materials with the help of beak or paws and make complex structures from them. People take the same separate different materials and give it a monotony. These natural materials become raw materials for the same type of industrial processing.

Therefore, we can define natural materials as materials that, even after processing, retain their basic essence. Natural materials must be respected by using them as they exist in nature.

Wood remains a natural material even after it has been cut down, even if it has been cut down with a chainsaw, even if it has been sawn into pieces, even if it is chopped or chopped into squares hand tool... Each tree used in this way is respected as an individual organism. If a tree is sawed into planks with the same chainsaw, it is still somewhat natural, there is an element of personal participation, an element of response to specific circumstances, and thus there is creative choice. The naturalness of the tree is greatly reduced when it is removed from the sawmill in a large truck.

Almost any modern building, although generally natural, requires some materials that have been processed in an unnatural way. It is difficult to build a solar collector without glasses. Even adobe, which is made entirely from natural materials, is industrially processed to some extent using mechanically made sheaves of straw. There are no hard differences, but the processing goes through several stages and each of them in geometric progression removes material from Nature and increases responsibility.

Raw and uncombined materials

The list of raw materials for the construction of truly natural buildings is rather short. There is a clear division between biological and geological materials. We pluck biological materials from their cycle of growth, reproduction, decline and withering. Geological we borrow from the earth, these materials do not grow and are destroyed extremely slowly. Unlike biological materials, geological materials are not eaten by animals or insects. Life hardly affects them. Stones and clay tolerate heat, low humidity or high dampness well, which is not the case with straw or wood. Fungus, bacteria or insects eat wet biological materials, and dry heat affects wooden frames and thatched roofs in such a way that they dry out and break.

In the construction of a house from natural materials, we use various building materials. These are stone, crushed stone, sand, clay, water, various grasses, reeds, straw, outline, sedge, chaff and trees. In the diagram (page 7) they are shown in sequence of conjunction with water, geologically - on a descending scale, biologically - on an ascending scale. Water connects two components. Add small materials to this list: natural resins, sap, rind,

Wax, animal and vegetable fats, wool, skins, etc.

This is a complete palette of basic materials as well as a palette of tones. Yet the possible combinations of these basic materials are almost complete. We are still very far from the final result of drawing up possible combinations of even three elements of adobe - sand, clay and straw. Due to the constant drive to industrialize everything for profit, our society neglects even the simplest experiments with raw materials.

Primary and secondary processing

Primary processing is part of folk tradition for millennia. After the initial processing, the material remains separate element: square and shaped stone, baked clay tiles and bricks, lime, treated boards, sand melted into glass, straw sheaves, iron nails, linseed oil.

A huge conceptual leap leads us to secondary processing, when the elements are combined into synthetic amalgams that do not exist in nature. They break down relatively slowly or disintegrate into toxic by-products. it aluminum alloys, stainless steel, plastic, most preservatives, paints, varnishes, particle board, and mainly cement.

Materials combined in an unnatural way evoke the deepest anxiety and concern. Because we do not have proven genetic resistance to the destructive effects of material that we did not evolve with. At the same time, we have developed such a reaction to the natural chemical and physical combinations of our habitat. And, if for two generations we suddenly have to deal with pentachlorophenol, formaldehyde or dioxin, our body does not have a prepared defense, and we can easily poison ourselves. It is necessary to understand that any synthetic material is most likely, to one degree or another, toxic to all life forms.

Assembling the components

Pre-assembled units are a quantum leap, not chemical but
socially, even after recycling. Natural materials offer us the opportunity to respect them and work with their different qualities, to see texture, scale, color, strength and uniqueness. In the case of off-the-shelf components, the main choice was made for us. We are buying already finished windows, doors, plastic kitchen... Prefabricated houses, mobile homes are the highest achievement.

Since there is no incentive and strong desire independently solve a difficult problem, we are forced to constantly adapt to the variety of materials, simplifying everything to the point of absurdity. In the end, we become apathetic and inattentive, devoid of feelings due to boredom, waste the invaluable acuity of the perception of the world, which necessarily arises only during active creativity.

Natural materials, unlike pre-prepared ingredients, are magnificent in their pristine beauty, given to them by God. As such, they fully reveal the structure of the building, demonstrate the miracle of resisting gravity, and magnify every single component.

To use various natural materials correctly, you need to know their properties and features during processing and behavior in the finished product. It may turn out that a natural material of interesting shape does not lend itself well to processing: either it is very hard, or it crumbles and breaks. And it happens, on the contrary, that a beautiful and malleable material after some time deforms or changes its color, and the craft becomes unusable. In order not to get upset later, you should know how you can improve or even change the properties of many natural materials with the help of glue, varnish or dyes.

In various crafts, the same natural material can act as the main or auxiliary.
Individual parts: arms, legs, beards of men, shoes, beaks of birds, sea ​​waves are made of so-called auxiliary materials. For example, legs, arms, noses are made of sticks and twigs, beards are made of moss and lichen, shoes are made of halves of acorns or pine nuts, seeds or chunks, waves are made of birch bark (Fig. 13), hats are made of a green shell of hazelnuts. (Fig. 6), and the bird's heads are made of beans (Fig. 14).

With each new craft made, experience comes, thanks to which you yourself will find options for making certain parts. By choosing various natural materials, you will see how different the result is and how interesting it is to combine different materials.

BRANCHES OF TREES AND BRANCHES.

Twigs of lilac, dogwood and other species of trees and shrubs, in which young shoots resemble slingshots in shape, are perfect for making handles and legs for figures of men and paws in animals (Fig. 7). And from the twigs of willow and redwood, the legs of birds are remarkably obtained, since their bark is red.

It is advisable to select the knots from which the limbs of the men will be made so that the slingshots have thickenings similar to the joints. When making the legs, the bark is partially peeled off the knots. If you leave a little bark at the bottom of the knot-"legs", then you get a "sock", and if at the top, then - panties. At the same time, the twigs act as connecting elements, pins, with the help of which individual parts of the craft are connected to each other. But some tree species have too soft wood, which, when dry, becomes brittle and fragile. Therefore, in the woods middle lane and in the northern regions of Russia, we recommend collecting branches of spruce, lilac and birch, and in the south also branches of hornbeam and dogwood, since it is on them that it is easy to pick up the necessary knots. Do not break off living branches, search and in any forest you will find a tree with dry branches! But be careful not to take dry, brittle branches.

The thickness of the knots is selected in accordance with the size of the figurine. If the sticks have an additional function - connecting parts, then it is necessary that they are not too thick (it will be difficult to insert), and not too thin (they can break, not withstanding the weight of the figure).

To make shoes, small blocks are sawn off from thick branches. Then they are split in half (Fig. 8 a) and holes are drilled in each half, into which the sticks are then inserted (Fig. 8 b). The bark is left only if the little man needs to be “put on in bast shoes”. To do this, the bark on the blocks is cut with "cells" and the tip of a knife is carefully removed from a part of the cells in checkerboard... It turns out very similar to the old Russian shoes - bast shoes.

From thick and thin sticks you can make RADIANT WITH SAIL from a maple leaf or a piece of birch bark (Fig. 9). For this, branches of aspen, willow or bird cherry are best suited.

First, prepare three "logs" of the same length with pointed ends (part 1). Drill two holes in each. Then take two thin sticks (part 2), make three through holes and six short pegs in them (part 3).
Cut the steering wheel from a twig with a knot (detail 4). And from a long thin twig, splitting it in the middle by two-thirds of the length, make a mast (detail 5). Having prepared all the parts, assemble them as shown in Figure 9, after inserting a maple leaf or a rectangular piece of thin birch bark into the slot of the mast. After assembling the raft, make a hole in the middle log and insert it into the mast.

PLANT ROOTS.

Roots are different different shapes so they can be used in a variety of crafts and compositions. But mainly they serve to imitate trees in small compositions. The dried roots of small Christmas trees are best suited for this. Gooseberry and currant roots are also suitable for handicrafts. The roots of these shrubs lend themselves well to processing: they are easy to cut, drill, and stick well. In some products, they act as the main material. For example, you can make an extraordinary floor vase from a large root.

PLANT BULBS.

It is a perishable material. But the bulbs are fine for crafts that don't pretend to be stored for a long time, such as toys for the Christmas tree. They can also be used to make original and funny toys and figurines. Their main advantage is the ease of manufacture and availability of the material at any time of the year (Fig. 10).

The bulbs are easily cut with a knife and pierced with an awl. The shape of the bulbs allows you to create crafts instantly, with almost nothing to finish. For example, Figure 10a shows a head CHIPPOLINO... It is enough just to attach the eyes, nose and mouth to the onion - and the head is ready! Heads are made the same way OLD MAN and MATRYOSHKI(Fig. 10 6, c). If you thread a thick thread with a loop at one end through the entire bulb and tie a knot at the bottom of the bulb, you can hang the figurine on the Christmas tree.

BARK OF TREES.

Any bark is suitable for crafts. It all depends on the specific composition and imagination of the author. The most valuable are pine, oak, linden and birch bark.

Thick birch (or pine) bark is suitable for making any stand. It is also used to create individual parts (Fig. 11), boats, rocks, and various figures are cut out. For example, try doing BOAT(fig. 12). From a piece of pine bark, cut out the hull of the boat (part 1) and the handlebar (part 2). Make sails from two pieces of birch bark (details 3 and 4), and from a cut stick - a mast (detail 5). Assemble the boat as shown in Figure 12.

Sea waves are well obtained from birch bark (Fig. 13), kerchiefs, hats, handbags, buckets, paws of birds (geese, ducks, herons).

The bark retains its softness, plasticity, color for a long time, and is easily processed. But, when preparing bark for crafts, you should keep in mind that, for example, pine bark, when dry, stratifies into separate plates. Therefore, in order for it to better retain its properties, it must be glued and varnished.

WING SEEDS.

On maple, hornbeam, ash and linden, lionfish seeds ripen in autumn - a natural material necessary for handicrafts (Fig. 15). Lionfish seeds are harvested when they are ripe, but they still have a greenish color and are fastened in pairs. If they are collected during this period, then they remain in a "working" condition for a long time.

Store lionfish seeds in cardboard box, separately from other raw materials, and make sure that they do not dry out, do not crack.

From lionfish seeds are made ears of animals (hares, squirrels), heads and tail plumage of birds (Fig. 17), various clothes [skirts (Fig. 16), dresses] for little men and much more.

THE FLOWERS OF THISTLE AND STRAWBERRY

Unusually expressive and interesting natural material in handicrafts (Fig. 18 a). From them you can make the heads of men (Fig. 18 6), the muzzles of hares, cats, dogs and other animals. Collecting thistle and burdock inflorescences is quite difficult because of the thin sharp needles covering both the inflorescence itself and the stem and leaves. Having collected the thistle inflorescences, they must be treated at home with liquid carpentry glue, otherwise, when they dry, they will open and scatter with a thousand fluffs.

Be careful when working with burdock inflorescences. Numerous small hooks on burdock scales cling tightly to clothing and to each other.

PLOWN, MOSS, LICENSE

Plauns are often found in damp moss forests. Plow is an interesting and often used natural ornamental material. It makes good additional elements, for example, deer antlers (Fig. 19 a) or a girl's pigtails (Fig. 19 b).

Moss and lichens grow in coniferous and mixed forests. Lichens often cover trees by hanging from branches or braiding the trunk. This is a wonderful natural material for making beards and mustaches for little men, for creating compositions of a fabulous dense forest.

Harvested moss, mosses and lichens, before using in crafts, must be well dried in a suspended state or in a herbarium folder.

How to do it correctly is described in the article "The Second Life of Plants".

FRUIT OF WATER LILIES.

In place of faded beautiful white and yellow water lilies, which are often found in quiet river backwaters of rivers and lakes, fruits of an original form are tied (Fig. 20 a). These fruits are very fleshy and are only suitable for handicrafts when they are well dried. Drying, they wrinkle somewhat, but this gives them an even more interesting shape.
From such fruits, wonderful pig stigmas are obtained (Fig. 20 b).

ALDER CONES.

At the end of summer, clusters of fruits are formed on alder - cones, in their shape resembling unripe raspberries. If these cones are collected at the end of July and treated with glue, then you will get a wonderful ornamental natural material, from which you can then make the fists of little men, the paws of animals and the heads of birds.

This is a universal ornamental natural material from which various and beautiful products and toys have been made in Russia for a long time. For the crafts presented on this site, you will need rye, oat and wheat straw as an additional, auxiliary material. Straw lends itself well to processing: it is smoothed, cut and colored.

To create crafts, you will need straw, both round and flattened, carefully smoothed. For those unfamiliar with straw handling, let us give you some helpful tips.

For work, you need to choose fresh, even straw, not crumpled, rotted or moldy. It is harvested by hand. The straw stalks are cleaned of leaves and the roots are cut with scissors. For storage, the straws should be cut into pieces (knots) and carefully placed in a box.

Flat straws are made from round and even stems. They are placed in boiling water, the dishes are closed with a lid and left to steam for several hours. Having taken out of the water after steaming, the straw is cut lengthwise with small scissors or sharp knife(Fig. 21 a, b). Then the cut straw is smoothed on both sides with a hot iron (Fig. 21 c). Ironing for a long time can change the color of the straw from golden to dark brown.

The straw can be dyed in another way - simply by boiling it in a solution of aniline dye. The color saturation depends on the duration of the boil. In this case, you can get any color you choose.

Natural material
in working with children

Natural material in working with children.

Nature is an inexhaustible source of creativity and inspiration. From time immemorial, people drew plots from it for works of art. For the people, their environment was not something frozen, motionless. Fields and trees, sun and clouds, grass and mountains were spiritualized images in fairy tales, epics, proverbs and sayings.

People saw the charm of youth in wildflowers, birds were a symbol of freedom and independence, the wind was the personification of strength and power. Love in nature comes with a mother's lullaby and a leisurely, calm grandmother's tale.

Man is the owner of his land, it is the owner, not the wasteful. A respectful attitude towards nature must be brought up from childhood, as well as respect for elders, a culture of behavior in society.

Craftsmen used natural materials to make various handicrafts, many of which outgrew their narrowly utilitarian meaning and turned into genuine works of art.

All natural materials can be divided into two main groups: vegetable and mineral. Vegetable includes leaves of trees and shrubs, bark, flowers, straws, cones, acorns, chestnuts, flowers, etc .; to mineral - sand, shells, pebbles, etc.

The list of both groups is quite significant, therefore, based on specific local conditions, you can always find material for any homemade product. Each plant can be distinguished by its originality. appearance: forms of leaves, flower, surface, etc. since all this must be taken into account when working with natural materials.

But it is also necessary at each lesson, during excursions, to remind children that they must take good care of nature in a businesslike manner - to protect a flower, shrub, any plant from senseless destruction.

Consider some types of plant material that are most often used for various crafts in working with the lower grades and the features of some natural materials, collection, storage and methods of work.

Cones ... The fruits of conifers - cones - are an excellent material for voluminous toys and entertaining handicrafts. In shape, they resemble parts of the body of animals or humans. Cones stick well together, they are diverse in shape, size and appearance: cedar, cypress, fir, spruce pine. For making crafts, it is better to use unopened cones, since they are easier to work with.

Needles. Good for imitating hedgehog needles, spider legs, cat claws, butterfly antennae, doll skirts, etc. You can collect it at any time of the year; it is better to use green needles in your work.

Nuts ... When making toys, you can use both shells and whole nuts - walnuts, hazelnuts, groundnuts, pine nuts, pistachios.

Hazelnuts are used to make the heads of toy men (for example, the "Jolly Man"), animals (the head of a rooster, hare, etc.)

Hazelnuts should be harvested ripe in the month of August, along with a hat that can also be successfully used in the manufacture of toys. Nuts are dried on planks and then stored in a box in a dry place. Hazelnut shells are quite hard. It is hard to cut with a knife or pierced with an awl. Overdried nuts are difficult to work with, so their use is undesirable.

Pine nuts can be useful in making the legs of animals, the cams of forest men. Nuts are easily pierced with an awl, stick well.

Walnut shells (in the form of halves) are used to make boats, carts, turtles, beetles, etc. You can split the nuts into the correct halves using a knife (so that the knife does not slip, it must be clamped in a small vice or held with pliers). Cracking nuts can only be a teacher.

Peanuts ... Groundnuts are very convenient to work with - they are easily pierced, cut, their shells are thin and rather fragile. From groundnuts, original figurines of animals are obtained (dog, cat, etc.). You need to store nuts in a dry room, because their shells do not harden when dry.

Chestnut ... Chestnut fruits are a good material for making simple toys. The shell of fresh chestnut is thin, easily pierced with an awl. It is fashionable to use whole chestnuts to make the head or body of a doll. Store chestnuts in a cool place.

Acorns ... Oak fruits - acorns - come in different shapes and sizes. Acorns ripen in autumn, in September - October. It is recommended to harvest the fruits when they are ripe and fall from the tree. Simultaneously with the acorns, their cups (plyus) are also collected, on which they hold. Puffs are a very good material in addition to acorns and are often used for various crafts. Acorns should be harvested in different sizes and sizes. For making toys from acorns, it is advisable to use fresh acorns, because they last longer and are easier to work with. Store acorns in a cool and damp place.

Also, when working, they use such natural materials as pine bark, oak, birch is used for stands, in the manufacture of backgrounds and individual toys.

In addition, a variety of branches, peels, leaves, seeds are used.

Seeds ... Seeds of watermelon, melon, sunflower, large flower seeds, such as zoryanka, azure flowers. From these seeds, you can easily make eyes for animals or humans.

A valuable addition to toys made from natural materials can be seeds of trees, vegetables, such as maple or ash seeds, known as lionfish. They can be used to make wings for a dragonfly, ears for a hare, fins for fish. Collect seeds better in autumn.

Leaves ... Leaves are an interesting and useful addition to making toys. They can be of various shapes and colors. Leaves can be used to craft butterfly wings, fish fins. Children make various patterns (applications) from the leaves. It is better to collect the leaves in the fall, when they are especially beautiful.

For the preservation and subsequent use of the leaves, they must be properly harvested. To do this, the collected plant leaves are placed between newspaper sheets and ironed with a warm iron, then they can be shifted with thick paper or thin cardboard and put a load on top. For long-term storage, the paper between the leaves should be changed from time to time.

Branches ... Branches are used in the manufacture of some parts of the craft: arms, legs, neck, etc. For this purpose, it is better to use branches of pine, spruce, lilac. Their branches are resilient and do not break so easily when dry.

Picking up branches is a job that requires time, patience, and accuracy. It is necessary to constantly remind children that trees need to be protected and only dry, but not too dry branches should be collected for toys.

Crusts ... Craft crusts can be used depending on the shape, which can resemble different animal shapes or body parts. Here, imaginative vision and observation are especially important, which must be developed in children.

Many old roots or their offshoots can be found along river banks. When collecting this material, children should also be reminded that the roots of living trees are inviolable.

You can also use natural materials such as moss in your work with children to create a background, images of vegetation, etc.

Bird feathers ... Feathers can be different - chicken, duck, pigeon, of different quality and composition. Their application depends on the imagination of the author. Before work, feathers are washed, dried and combed to return them to their natural appearance.

Seashells ... Shells can be collected in various shapes - house shells, oval, scallop, heart-shaped, etc. Collecting shells - if possible - is done by children together with the teacher during excursions or summer holidays for children. After collection, the shells are washed with a small brush (you can use an old toothbrush), after which they are laid out and dried. Storage is carried out at any temperature.

The topics of works made from natural materials are varied. Due to the peculiarities of development, children of seven years of age cannot always find a plot for their work. The teacher should help, suggest an interesting idea, advise when choosing a material for this product. Lessons with natural materials contribute to the development of imaginative representations, visual memory, fantasy, help to develop initial skills in processing materials.

In the classroom, when children get the initial skills in making crafts from natural materials, the teacher should do the work at the same time as the children. Students should follow the teacher's actions and adopt techniques and methods of initial processing of materials. After the children have mastered the initial techniques, they can be given the opportunity independent activity... Children themselves choose a souvenir and the type of material with which they will work.

At the beginning, children make an applique from the leaves, this work usually takes place in the fall, when the leaves are the most beautiful in color. Then the children do the works "Butterfly", "Dragonflies", "Beetles".

Also, the teacher invites children to make souvenirs such as “ gold fish"Or" Cockerel "," Heron ". For these souvenirs you need various material eg walnut for the trunk, leaves for the fins, seeds for the eyes. In addition, children make animals from natural materials: a Bobik dog, a mouse, a cat, a bear, a bird, a fox, etc.

Cones, acorns, walnut shells serve as the basis for the manufacture of various toys, souvenirs and fairytale heroes... Tree branches are a good material for the manufacture of individual parts (arms, legs, legs, neck).

Should be considered, junior schoolchildren can not always find a subject for his work. The teacher should suggest an interesting idea, advise which material is better to choose.

Children perform not only individual toys, but also whole compositions. Mono to perform an individual composition or group, in pairs. Perform such compositions from natural material: "Crow and fox", "Cosmonauts at the rocket", "Swan on the lake", " Christmas tree"," Fisherman ", etc. Very interesting work obtained from shells, for example a parrot, peacock, bunny, cockerel, sailboat, etc. The more diverse the material, the more diverse the subject matter will be.

Methods for joining parts,
installation of figures.

The easiest and most affordable way to connect parts of the craft is achieved with the help of plasticine. Plasticine is used to temporarily fasten parts: to connect the head and body of the fox, they make a small ball of plasticine, about two centimeters in diameter, into the center of which the bump-body is pressed down below, and the head is pressed on top. Children use plasticine when they have not yet developed the skill of working with natural material.

A more complex, but also more durable way of connecting parts of a toy is gluing. To do this, take glue with a brush and lubricate the joints (for example, when making a man, glue is applied to the lower part of the acorn-head and upper part acorn-trunk), then both parts are applied to one another and pressed firmly for 8-10 seconds, and then carefully placed on a stand until completely dry. While both parts of the toy are drying, the child prepares the rest of the parts (arms, legs, hat, etc.).

You can also connect parts of the toy with twigs, matches (without heads), sticks using an awl. But this tool should be handled very carefully, therefore, the main work with the awl is performed by the teacher, and children can do such work only under the supervision of the teacher.

For example, to connect the head and body of a donkey with twigs, first one hole is made in the acorn-head and acorn-torso. The acorn is placed on a stand and held by the sides with the fingers of the left hand. V right hand take an awl, insert it into the center of the acorn (the most soft spot) and, slightly pressing on the awl, at the same time make swaying movements with the hand. It is very important here to learn how to hold the awl in the place of the prick so that it does not come off. Therefore on initial stage learning better to take soft fruits (rose hips). After the holes are made, the ends of the twigs are inserted into them, moving to the middle between the acorns - this is how the neck turns out. To make the connection strong, the ends of the branches are first greased with glue, and then inserted into the holes of the acorns.

Parts can be connected with threads, wire (they are especially often used when working with straw). Gluing ready-made toys to the stand is carried out by gluing (glue or plasticine). For this, the attachment points of the toy to the stand are abundantly greased with glue, allowed to dry (5-10 seconds), and then attached to the stand.

Work safety
with natural materials.

When working with natural material, it is necessary to strictly follow the safety rules for both children and managers:

1. Classes are held in a special room equipped with workstations, safe in sanitary and epidemiological terms, with normal lighting.
2. Before starting to work with natural material, the teacher should conduct a conversation to clarify the names of the tools, whether the children know how to use them, if not, explain and during the lesson help those children who work with the tools for the first time.
3. Also pay attention to workplace child.
4. All necessary materials and tools must be used individually for each child.
5. The teacher constantly reminds that it is impossible to turn around with scissors, an awl, a knife and other dangerous tools.
6. Use a well-sharpened, blunt-ended penknife to cut branches and roots.
7. In dry chestnuts and acorns, holes cannot be made with an awl - they must be drilled.
8. You need to process natural material on a wooden board.
9. After completing the work, be sure to clean the workplace.

Work storage

Souvenirs, toys made of natural materials are fragile and easily destroyed if handled carelessly. As a result, it is recommended to store them in glazed shelves at child's eye level. Children, examining their crafts, can not only evaluate them on their own, but also rejoice at their success in work or compare the level of their work with others.

Bibliography:

1. Gulyants E.K., Bazik I.Ya. What can be made from natural material M., 1991
2. Turnover G.I. Homemade from different materials
   M., 1985
3. Gusakova M.A. Application M., 1977
4. Maltseva O.V. Working with natural material
5. Mashinistov V.G. Teacher manual for grades 1-3
6. Panfilov T.R. Funny homemade products M., 1996
7. Romashina V.I. Didactic games on labor training 1-3 grade M., 1996

Practical work.

Making work from natural material
"Fisherman"

Material : cork, acorns, matches, threads, moss, green paper, cardboard, twig, paints, scissors, awl, brushes.

Progress:

An oval or any other lake is cut out of a piece of cardboard, painted with blue paint, leaving an island on which moss or grass cut from green paper can be strengthened. A cork stump is glued in the middle of the island. A hole is made in the cork, a small twig pointed at both ends is inserted into it. A fishing man is made of two acorns: one large - the body, the other small with a cap - the head. Connect them with a small twig or match. The holes for the arms and legs are pricked with an awl and matches are inserted into them with clean ends. Then the matches are broken and given the desired position. A thread is tied to one hand-match - this will be a fishing rod, it is lowered into the lake. The man's face is painted with paints or ink. A fishing bucket can be made from plasticine, half a chestnut, or an acorn cup.

As a child, I passionately dreamed of doing those amazing things with my own hands that are shown in tutorials on various hobbies. But the motor skills were not at the required level. My parents did not want to bother with collecting materials, and my dreams began to come true only after I gave birth to my own daughter. Having at my disposal an apartment, a child and maximalism, I soon got a dream: my whole apartment was littered with dry, crumbling or, conversely, slowly decaying natural materials. My daughter and I carried these materials with enthusiasm from every walk. As a result, we got only spruce cones, which are difficult to spoil, and a couple of maple leaves. Since that autumn, I began to procure materials for handicrafts using my own method.

The first thing you need to do a good job is a good plan:

• what will you collect,
• what will you do out of this,
• what space in the house are you ready to allocate for drying materials,
• where you will store them later.

The number of materials depends on two factors: your interest in making crafts and the interest of the teacher (or teacher in kindergarten). The interests of the child can be completely neglected - he uses everything that will be in the house. The question is - can you then remove all this. So the math is pretty straightforward: your ideal idea of ​​how many crafts you will make minus 50% of that, plus the cost of getting your decorations ready for the New Year.

On average, for a mother who is not a fan, 20-30 maple leaves, 10 flowers, a package of spruce cones, half a package of pine cones are enough.

A matchbox of various seeds: snub-noses, seeds of marigold flowers, and so on - what you personally like. Stones and sand can also come in handy (especially when building cities). Large stones are enough in three pieces (a large one is the size of an adult palm), medium-sized stones - according to the number of family members that should be gifted (it is convenient to make gifts for the New Year on them), small stones - 10-15 pieces, very small stones - according to needs (someone does not need to, but someone will pave two meters into their heads). Also collect branches based on your needs and desires.

How to Collect Natural Matrials

It is best to collect natural materials during the day in sunny weather. Or, by at least, not rainy. Firstly, you will see well what you are taking, and secondly, you will have to dry less. Chestnuts, acorns and Maple leaves collect, of course, in season. The same applies to branches - they must be without leaves. Branches can be taken in the forest, spruce, pine and any deciduous, covered with lichens, or already in the park-square, but when the trees will throw off their leaves.

When going "on business", have your own container for each separate material. This will make it easier to disassemble at home, and you will see how much of what you have collected. Stones-cones-branches can be collected in a regular plastic bag (or a rag bag); boxes are needed for flowers and seeds.

For large flowers - a box of children's shoes, for small flowers - matchboxes... Do not take a lot at once - it is better to divide the collection of natural materials into several stages. It's like with mushrooms - envious eyes, and then you can't sleep at night, disassembling and cleaning.

Photo Mirina

How to dry collected materials

So, the obtained "harvest" must be dried, and so that it retains its properties and beauty. Branches are dried on the windowsill, on newspapers in several layers. All sorts of spider bugs will crawl out of the branches, especially those covered with lichens, so be prepared for this. They will also crawl out of the cones, which are dried in the same way - on newspapers. Pine cones dry much longer than spruce cones and will open when dried. The seeds of both spruce and pine cones are quite volatile, so if you have some kind of large box (for example, from high-toed boots), it is better to cover the bottom with newspapers and dry the cone branches in it. Flowers and herbs are dried in a very special way - depending on the bud and its height, they are dried either upside down, hanging like in the hut of Baba Yaga, or in semolina. In order to dry a voluminous flower, you need to take a cup, sprinkle semolina on its bottom about two fingers, carefully lower the flower with its bud down and slowly and carefully continue sprinkling with semolina on all sides. Dry preferably in a warm place. "Herbarium samples", which will then be used for postcards, are dried between newspapers under the load, changing newspapers every day. Please note that flowers and herbs are not ironed! This is the prerogative of the leaves, and even then not all. The leaves dry well between the pages of books. Stones and sand are thoroughly washed, dried and put into a box. Apple seeds and other "homemade" natural materials are collected during the cooking process and dried in matchboxes.