DIY Natural Geoboard

I've seen this type of thing all over Pinterest and of course put it on my list of things to try someday. Well, "someday", came yesterday when the kids were needing some down time. These lovely natural geo-boards were fun to make and allowed a lot of creative expression and fine motor play. Awesome alternative to switching on the cartoons when the kids get tired!

In "My Little Earth Shop" I've added a link to a set of real tools for kids. While my kids had a lot of fun making designs with the rubber bands here, they had equal if not more fun with the idea that they could use a hammer and nails!

I'm a big proponent of encouraging children while at the same time keeping safety in mind. I happened to only have a heavier hammer on hand so I helped them much more than they would have needed if I had a lightweight kids hammer in the drawer. So, purchasing the set linked is another thing on my list of things to do! But seriously, they LOVED being able to pound nails after I started them. And then of course there was the whole removing the nails with the end of the hammer ~ a big hit!

Kids need to be taught self-sufficiency and that they can be trusted. I loved watching them carefully take care of business and handle the nails with care. No one got hurt and all nails were kept off the grass by putting down a indoor-outdoor mat on the lawn. I made sure to put out a bowl for nails and watched closely as to their whereabouts. : )

Any wood that you happen to have would work great for this. I had wood slices but boards would work just as well. The whole idea is to create a board with a number of nails for the rubber bands to stretch on. The designs are so much fun to make. My son happens to have a very geometric symmetrical approach, while my daughter is much more organic and focused on color.

It was great to watch as they planned their nail pattern and took time to stretch each band. I used a bunch of hair bands that we had for my daughter. They worked great. Typically a pack of rubber bands will do the trick! If you have older kids you also may want to try using string and have them wrap the nails.

This activity can be as complex or as simple as you want it to be. But what I love about it is the calm and focus that it brings about in the kids. They were also very proud of their accomplishments and creations. Now I just need to make a board for me to use alongside