Nature Weaving on a Fence

A chain-link fence, garden trellis, or a homemade weaving frame (sticks tied with string)

Long grasses and flexible plant stems

Large leaves

Flowers and flower stems

Feathers

Strips of bark or long seed pods

Find your weaving surface. A chain-link fence is ideal — the diamond pattern creates a natural grid. A garden trellis works too. No fence? Tie four sticks into a square frame and wrap string across it in rows.

Go on a collection walk first. Gather long, flexible materials — grasses, willow stems, flower stems, large leaves, feathers, strips of bark. You want a variety of colors and textures.

Show your child the basic weave: take a stem and thread it through the fence — over one wire, under the next, over, under. Pull it through and let the ends stick out.

Let them take over. Some kids weave in neat rows. Others create wild, organic patterns. Both are beautiful.

Step back every few minutes and look at the whole piece. "See what you're creating? The green grass next to the red flower looks amazing."

Add final touches — tuck in flower heads for pops of color, weave feathers for texture, press large leaves flat against the wires.

This is an art installation. Leave it up and watch it change over days — leaves dry, flowers wilt, wind reshapes things. It's a lesson in impermanence.

Wet grasses and stems are more flexible and easier to weave. Do this after a rain or dip materials in water first.

Take a photo when it's finished. The woven section against the fence makes a striking image.

For younger preschoolers, just poking stems through the holes is enough. The over-under pattern develops with practice.