Wonder Jars: Treasure First, Jar Second
For this craft, it is suggested to decorate a jar first, then take it out on a walk to fill it. We did it the other way around, and I’d say it worked out even better!
We were at our family trailer campground in the Muskokas (Canada), out on one of our hikes, when Ollie (6) and Kaia (4) started picking things up. Then they couldn’t stop! A leaf here. A rock there. Another leaf, because that one was somehow different and more wonderful than the last one.
Fall is in full swing up here, so the leaves are already deep reds and oranges, and every single one needed to be held up to the light and admired. Acorns littered the ground, and the kids were very serious about which ones were “perfect.” There were bunches of flowers that were, if we’re being honest, weeds. But a child’s eye doesn’t sort weeds from flowers, and I wasn’t about to tell them. They were beautiful. And the kids found little bits of rock that they declared to be “gems,” and as far as I’m concerned, they were.
Nobody handed them a scavenger hunt list. Nobody told them what counted as a treasure. They just walked slowly, looked closely, and came back with pockets full of proof that the woods were worth noticing. Zero batteries, 100% wonder.
Back home in Collingwood, the treasures got a home
Once our camping trip was done and we were back home, the treasures needed somewhere to live. Enter the Wonder Jars: one for each kid, so there’d be no negotiating over whose acorn was whose. And the jars aren’t only for this trip’s finds. Each jar stays out on display with room left over for whatever new treasure turns up next.
What we used:
✨ 2 mason jars from our local dollar store
✨ Liquid glue
✨ Glitter
✨ Gems stickers
✨ Googly eyes (because, we’re a BIG googly eye family)
✨ Pompoms
✨ Any bits and bobs that you can stick on your jar
✨ And, of course, treasures from your hike!
I laid out all the decorations and filled a few ramekin dishes with Elmer’s (kid-safe) glue, handed them each a paintbrush, and let them have at it!
They both immediately gravitated towards the glitter and the googly eyes to start, then finished the with pompoms and a ton of the gem stickers. All of them catch the light so beautifully and really made their discovered “wonders” truly sparkle and shine.
A warning to parents: this is a MESSY activity! But oh so fun! (And a great excuse to be a GLITTER MONSTER!)
Why we loved it
There’s no wrong way to do this one. A four-year-old and a six-year-old can each do it their own way, and both jars still turn out great. It costs a couple of dollars and needs no batteries. And the jar keeps doing its job long after the craft is over. Every time the kids pass it, they remember the walk, and every walk afterward comes with a reason to look around.
Try it with your own kids
Take a walk, even a short one around the block, and bring a bag for treasures. Let your kids decide what counts. If they say a pebble is a gem, it’s a gem. Then find a jar, get out the glue, and give their finds a home.
Looking for some stories to help inspire some more wonder in your days? Check-out some of these Storybox Playlists that might just do the trick!
About the authors
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Trish Montle
Creative Content ManagerTrish is a social media manager, creator, copywriter, and mother of two small humans and three fur-babies. She lives in Collingwood, Ontario (Canada) surrounded by the natural beauty of the Blue Mountains and Georgian Bay.
