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5 Nature Crafts and Winter Walks for Seattle-Area Families

Connect kids and nature with these crafty adventures for fall and winter

Lauren Braden
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Published on: December 08, 2022

5 Nature Crafts and Winter Walks for Seattle-Area Families

Collection of shells and beach glass gathered in the sand beach treasures to find and collect fun in nature with kids

4. Comb the beach to fill a treasure jar

Comb a beach at low tide for a variety of items — a unique shell, beach glass, sand dollars, a raven feather, a bit of sea fern. Lucky beachcombers may find a glass float, agate or starfish skeleton. Be sure to gather a few cups of sand into a zip-close bag as well. When you return home, assemble your beach relics into a large glass jar, lining the jar’s bottom with the sand first (if the sand is wet, dry it out on paper towels or in the oven on a low temp, with the help of a parent). Arrange the objects one at a time on top of the sand – be creative! Your reliquary sand jar will look great next to your bed or on a desk to remind you of your fun beach adventure every day.

Where to go for inspiration: Any sandy beach at low tide will do, but some beaches attract more treasures than others. For beach glass, scour the beaches at Fort Worden State Park in Port Townsend. Older kids might handle the arduous hike west from the park at low tide along the beach for 3 miles to Glass Beach, which is chock-full of tide-tumbled sea glass. Some parts of the Oregon Coast boast the best beachcombing in America — Netarts Spit Trail at Cape Lookout State Park is a 5-mile stretch of beach popular for sand dollars and the occasional rare glass float lost from a Japanese fishing boat.

Next up: snow fun

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