Have you been looking for a fun activity to do with your kids? Read below for a step-by-step guide on this nature-inspired craft!
Creating pinecone owls is an interactive craft easy enough for children as young as 3 years old to make, and fun enough to try yourself to tend to your own inner child! It requires minimal supplies and has unlimited potential for creativity to make your pinecone owl as silly or cute as you’d like. You can also use it to open up conversation with you child about nocturnal animals and have fun crafting while learning about owls. My personal favorite part of it is that it’s inspired by nature, includes a nature walk before starting the craft and requires you to slow down and pay attention to find the perfect pinecone.
What you will need for this project
- A pinecone – One with the scales opened up would work best for this project.
- Cotton balls – This is going to make our owls cute and fuzzy.
- Googly eyes – To bring our pinecone to life.
- Colored paper – To cut out a beak. Colored is best to set apart from the white cotton.
- Glue – to glue the beak onto the pinecone owl.
Optional additions
- Feathers – To give our owl a more birdlike look.
- Acorn shells – The googly eyes can go inside the shells to make the eyes more owl like.
Step-by-Step Instructions
- Step 1: Go for a walk and find the perfect pinecone. One with open scales and medium to large would be best!
- Step 2: Start taking bits off the cotton balls and stuffing them inside the pinecone scales. Don’t overstuff them as you want the cotton to stay in there and not fall out.
- Step 3: Stick your googly eyes on it. If you opted for using acorn shells too, glue your acorn shell with the inside facing out, and stick the googly eyes in them.
- Step 4: Cut out a triangle and glue it on the pinecone with it facing down to look like a beak.
- Step 5: Optional: Add your feathers wherever you want to make your owl look more owllike.
Tips for Success
- Pinecone Selection – Make sure your pinecone has open scales as this project won’t be successful with one that has closed scales.
- Pulling apart the cotton balls – Don’t stuff whole piece of cotton balls in your pinecone as they’re going to fall out. Rip off small pieces and use those instead.
- Personalization – You and your children are welcome to add any other natural items you might find to the owl and make it as unique as you’d like!
Benefits of the craft
- Creativity – This craft fosters creativity by taking a pinecone and turning it into a snowy owl. It also opens up endless possibilities for adding any other little finds from your nature walk to the owl to give it more personality. You can even follow this craft with making a nest for the owl too for even more creative expression.
- Fine Motor Skills/Hand-eye Coordination – Pulling apart the cotton balls and stuffing them in the pinecones, cutting out the beak and gluing it on the owl, applying the googly eyes, as well as adding any other details on the pinecone owls help develop fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination.
- Nature Connection/Appreciation – Going on a nature walk, looking for pinecones and other little nature treasures and working with these natural materials fosters a greater appreciation for nature.
Making pinecone owls is an activity that includes exploration, creative expression, and development of essential skills. It creates an opportunity for learning in a fun way and an overall joy over creating something adorable using mostly natural materials. Enjoy this fun activity with you children and share your pinecone owls with us!
Join us at The Wild School for nature-inspired learning that sparks curiosity and adventure. Try a class today!
Email us at
Click Here to Book a Trial Class Today!
by Viktorya Avetisyan