Valentine’s Day is a wonderful opportunity to shower your little iksplorer with extra love and fun. But this year, let’s remember that the most meaningful gifts don’t come wrapped in paper or with sugary treats. Instead of focusing on material items, why not make the day about what truly matters—time together! Your nature-loving kids will cherish the moments of connection, creativity, and laughter far more than candy or store-bought gifts. After all, children spell love T-I-M-E. With so much focus on material things and picture-perfect moments during the holidays, it’s nice to step back and prioritize shared experiences. This Valentine’s, let’s embrace sustainable, eco-friendly activities that nurture both the earth and our relationships, creating lasting memories that will stay with us long after the day is over.

Heart-Themed Nature Walk

Supplies:

• Anything you need for a fun nature walk (comfortable shoes, snacks, cozy layers, etc.)

Instructions: Head out to your favorite park, forest, or campsite and search the trees, sky, and ground for anything HEART-SHAPED. For example, we found a heart-shaped rock, a kind-of-heart-shaped hole in a tree, and a heart-shaped cloud! Along the way, the kids also drew hearts in the mud and snow. The excitement when they found something even remotely heart-shaped was absolutely priceless!

Why We Love It: This activity encourages kids to explore the outdoors and observe nature in a fun and meaningful way. It also sparks creativity and mindfulness, as they learn to see beauty in the smallest details. The heart theme adds a sweet, Valentine’s-Day-touch to the adventure. 

Cardboard Heart Frame

Supplies:

• Cardboard

• Tape

• Knife or scissors

Instructions: Using a knife (we used a box cutter), cut out a heart from a piece of cardboard. (Save the cardboard heart for a later craft!) Then, stick pieces of tape across the heart, creating a “frame” for your little nature iksplorers. After a nature walk or a backyard scavenger hunt, use the frame to display any treasures your child finds—like leaves, seeds, or feathers. Once they’ve filled the heart frame, stick another layer of tape over everything to secure the items.

Why We Love It: This activity combines creativity with nature, letting kids display the beauty of what they find outdoors. It helps with fine motor skills and teaches the value of repurposing materials—plus, it’s a keepsake to remember the special Valentine’s Day moments!

Puzzle Heart

Supplies:

• Nothing (just nature!)

Instructions: This activity requires nothing but the outdoors! Don’t you just love meaningful and SIMPLE activity? Take a walk with your kids and hunt for sticks to form the shape of a heart. You can make it as big or as small as you like. Once the outline is ready, fill in the shape with other natural items you find, like leaves, rocks, pinecones, or flowers. Think of it like putting together a puzzle!

Why We Love It: This activity promotes spatial awareness as children think about the placement of items. It’s also a great way to get them thinking about the environment and how to arrange natural elements. Plus, it’s a wonderful bonding activity that teaches teamwork and patience.

Bird Feeder Valentine

Supplies:

• Cardboard

• Peanut butter

• String

• Bird seed

Instructions: Have we mentioned how much we love wild birds? For a heartwarming treat for your backyard birds, take the cardboard heart from the earlier craft and turn it into a bird feeder! Punch a hole at the top and tie a string through it for hanging. Smear peanut butter on one side of the heart, then sprinkle bird seed over it. (We used sunflower seeds and peanuts.) Hang it in a tree as a Valentine’s Day gift for your feathered friends. 

Why We Love It: This activity promotes kindness toward animals and teaches kids about wildlife care. It’s also a great way to engage children in learning about local species while having fun outdoors. Plus, it’s an excellent way to connect with nature in a way that benefits both you and the birds! (For more info on taking care of the wild birds and the Great Backyard Bird Count, check out our previous post.) 

Squirrel Treats

Supplies:

• Pipe cleaners

• Cheerios

Instructions: This craft is perfect for our squirrel friends! Thread Cheerios onto a pipe cleaner and twist it into the shape of a heart. Hang the squirrel treat on a tree, and voilà—your local squirrels will have a Valentine’s snack, too! (Just be sure to clean up the pipe cleaner once the treats are gone, to keep your space tidy.)

Why We Love It: This is a fun way to encourage kids to care for wildlife while also teaching them about animals’ needs. It’s an easy and affordable craft that supports animals, and it's a great way to help kids learn about sharing nature’s resources with others. (Plus, the cheerios might distract the squirrels long enough for the birds to get some of their bird seed.) 

Leaf Heart Prints

Supplies:

• Blank cards or watercolor paper

• Leaves

• Paint and brushes

Instructions: Go on a leaf hunt with your child and look for leaves in the perfect shape for creating heart prints—either a full heart or half. Use the leaves as stamps by dipping them in paint and pressing them onto paper or cards. We love using these prints to create Valentine’s cards to send to friends and family! Sending and receiving cards in the mail is so special. 

Why We Love It: Leaf prints are a beautiful and timeless craft. The natural shapes and intricate details of leaves make each print unique. This activity also fosters creativity, enhances fine motor skills, and gives kids the joy of creating something beautiful for someone they care about. We also used this opportunity to teach our kids about stamps, how to write an address, and we took a little field trip to the post office. 

Final Thoughts

Each of these activities offers a way to celebrate love and connection with nature, showing your adventurous iksplorers that time spent together is the best gift of all. These crafts not only nurture creativity and bonding but also help teach kids about sustainability and the importance of caring for our planet.