Cardboard Bees
Looking for a simple bee craft to pair with your pollination unit or spring nature study? These adorable cardboard bees are a quick, eco-friendly art project for kids that brings the buzz of the natural world to your craft table. Made with recycled cardboard and pine cones, this bee-themed activity is perfect for forest school, homeschool nature units, or just a fun afternoon outdoors.
Sometimes you just need a low-prep, low-cost craft that still packs an educational punch. This easy recycled bee craft introduces children to the importance of bees in our ecosystem and pairs beautifully with a lesson on pollination and biodiversity.
We made these during a homeschool learning block on pollinators, and they turned out to be the most charming addition to our nature exploration table.
Read on to see how we made them.
Supplies:
Recycled cardboard
Scissors
Pine cones (for the bee’s body)
White paint
Cotton swab or small paintbrush
Craft glue
Directions:
Cut the wings. Use scissors to cut your cardboard into heart shapes. Each heart will serve as a bee’s wings. A good size is roughly the same height as the pine cones you’re using.
Attach the pine cone. Glue a pine cone to the center of the cardboard heart. This will act as the bee’s fuzzy, textured body.
Paint and decorate. Give your child a cotton swab or small paintbrush and some white paint. Invite them to add stripes, dots, or wing lines to the cardboard to decorate their bee.
Display your buzzing friends! Once dry, these bees make wonderful decorations for a nature table, classroom display, or window ledge.