pinecones everywhere!

[mergirl]

My 2 yr old DD loves bringing home the pinecones she finds outside. She likes to carry them around in plastic bags, break off pieces and play with them. The problem is that they get all over the floor and it makes a huge mess, not to mention they are pretty sharp when you step on them with bare feet. I think her love of nature is so great and I don't want to bar her from bringing them home. What is the solution? How do I let her play with pinecones and rocks and other things like that at home without getting dirt absolutely everywhere? We live in a small house with a wood floor, so it gets cluttered really fast.

BTW, we are in california, so keeping them outside is an option, but I know she wants them at home.

[mazajo]

Maybe spread out a sheet for her to sit on when she plays with them? She can play with them whenever she wants, she just needs to keep them on that area. Do you have room to make a permanent little nature corner or something? You could decorate a large shoebox with her to keep all her treasures in and limit the amount of treasures she has to what can fit in that box.

Breaking up the pinecones is likely a phase that will pass very quickly. There's all kinds of crafts that you can do with pinecones and other nature items that she will probably find much more fun soon. Like spreading peanut butter on a pinecone and rolling it in bird seed for a bird feeder. There was a thread not very long ago about pinecone crafts.

[sunanthem]

I think those are all great ideas!

you could do some crafts w/ her with the pinecones.. maybe make a pinecone wreath or mobile, or roll them in paint then roll them on paper.

[leximom]

maybe hang them on the wall and have a special pinecone wall. My 3 year old is really into pinecones and we have made oh about a million bird feeders, but during Christmas time we tied a ribbon on the top of pinecones and they were our decorations. I guess you can just have it all year long though