Creative Nature Play: Imaginative Crafting, Games, Stories & Adventures Creative Nature Play invites children aged 5–8 outdoors to make, play, and wonder — turning pine cones, wool, and the odds and ends of a walk in the woods into simple, satisfying crafts. Author and illustrator Nadezhda Ostretsova gathers tried-and-tested, age-appropriate projects that ask for little more than what the natural world already offers, each one quietly developing hand-eye coordination, dexterity, and imagination. What sets the book apart is its warmth. Alongside the projects run charming rhymes, anecdotes, and stories — many following Poppy and Noah, two children of the forest — that keep young makers engaged and nurture a felt, emotional connection to nature. Teaching tips throughout make it as welcome in a Waldorf kindergarten or classroom as at the family kitchen table. A lovely companion for the long days of summer, and for any season spent close to the earth. “Creative Nature Play is more than a crafting book. The stories, rhymes and games nurture an emotional connection to nature. There is so much here to help you while away a wonderful childhood in the forest.” —Allice Elerby, Juno magazine About the Author Nadezhda Ostretsova is an author and illustrator who creates nature-play projects for parents and children. A mother of two, she shares her work on children’s free play and “magical childhood” with a wide online following, bringing an artist’s eye and a parent’s warmth to every project in this book.