Photo of Governor Martin O'Malley with group of children - Maryland Partnership for Children in Nature

Outdoor Activities for Children

Illustration of acorn wreath

Acorn Wreath

Autumn is the time of the year when oak trees drop their acorns. Oaks do not start producing acorns until they are between 20 and 50 years old. A mature tree can produce over 2,000 acorns a year. Acorns come in different shapes and sizes depending on the kind of oak tree they came from. They provide food for birds, such as blue jays, woodpeckers and wild turkeys, squirrels, and deer.

You will need:

Colorful leaves

Old phone book or newspapers

Wax paper

Iron and ironing board

Scissors

Ribbon or yarn

What to do:

Go for a walk in your neighborhood or park and look for colorful leaves. See how many different shapes and colors you can find. Try to avoid leaves with holes or brown spots.

Put the leaves between the pages of an old phone book or newspaper and put a heavy weight on top to flatten them.

Leave them for only a day or two. You do not want to leave them for too long or they will turn brown.

You will need a grown-up for the next step.

Put an old piece of cloth on the ironing board.

Put a piece of wax paper on the cloth, wax side up and arrange the leaves on the paper. Check it to make sure you like the way it looks.

Put another piece of wax paper on top of the leaves, wax side down.

Have your grown-up helper set the iron on the low setting and carefully iron the wax paper for a few seconds until the wax melts.

Once the wax paper has cooled, trim the edges. Poke a hole in each top corner and make a yarn or ribbon hanger. Hang the suncatcher in your window and enjoy the pretty colors.

Outdoor Activities
Children in Nature
Maryland Department of Natural Resources

Printer-Friendly Version

Seasonal Archives of Outdoor Activities for Children

Find A Park

If you prefer, you can use a map to locate one of our parks.

Agency or Department Name Here (for pda/handhelds)

Children in Nature Home

Activities