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Summer Pom Pom Tree

June 10, 2014 By Jessica Petersen 4 Comments



For our second post for the Summer Play Days series, I wanted to do a summer version of the pom pom tree activity we’ve been reinventing with the seasons. This can be presented as a fine motor invitation to play, incorporated into a wooden train layout or another kind of small world, or made into a more permanent craft and decoration just by adding a bit of glue.

Summer Play Days is a series of ideas for summer fun with kids we’re participating in along with Fun-a-Day!, My Nearest and Dearest, Buggy and Buddy, and Nothing if Not Intentional. Make sure to check out the links to their awesome activities and crafts for today at the end of this post!


Summer Pom Pom Tree Craft and Fine Motor Activity from Play Trains!

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Seasonal Pipe Cleaner and Pom Pom Trees

Cherry Blossom Spring Pom Pom Tree
Pipe Cleaner Pine Trees
Summer Pom Pom Tree
Pipe Cleaner and Pom Pom Palm Tree
Apple Harvest Pom Pom Tree
Fall Pom Pom Tree
Spooky Pipe Cleaner Trees
Halloween Carnival Colors Pom Pom Trees
Pipe Cleaner Christmas Trees
Light-up Pipe Cleaner Christmas Trees
Snow and Ice Winter Pom Pom Trees

 

 

Materials:

  • Pipe cleaner trees: I made this one the same way I made the spooky pipe cleaner trees I wrote about in October, only this time I used brown 3 mm pipe cleaners. (If you prefer to buy them in person to online, not that the super thin 3 mm pipe cleaners are hard to find in the regular craft stores, especially brown ones. But some of the big variety packs of pipe cleaners include them, so look through a few packs to see if you can find one with a good number of little brown pipe cleaners.)
  • Green pom poms: I used light green, dark green, and neon green in various sizes. You could certainly use two or even one color of pom poms, but I feel like the variety of colors makes the activity more enticing and beautiful.
  • Blue glass gems: Again, I used a variety. My inspiration? The toy pot full of clear, aqua, and dark blue glass gems that was “boiling” on the Little Engineer’s play kitchen’s stove!
  • Spring green craft felt, cut into small leaves (optional): I had these on hand from the cherry blossom pom pom tree we did for spring, and they added a different element to the scene.

Summer Pom Pom Tree Craft and Fine Motor Activity from Play Trains!

Set up:

Place the pipe cleaner tree in the center of a tray. Arrange the green pom poms (and green felt leaves, if you’re using them) around and behind the tree, and the blue glass gems in front. You might want to place one or two pom poms in the tree to suggest one way a child could use them.

Summer Pom Pom Tree Craft and Fine Motor Activity from Play Trains!

How we played:

The Little Engineer was extremely drawn to the glass gem lake/pond/river — he immediately decided that we needed more glass gems and went to get them! It was fun to rearrange the shape of the water, and, as always, to place the pom poms in the branches of the tree. I also liked how the large green pom poms looked like little hills behind the tree. It’s always fun when one element can do double duty in an activity like this.

Summer Pom Pom Tree Craft and Fine Motor Activity from Play Trains!

As I mentioned above, you can add this into a wooden train layout. Check out our Halloween Carnival Pom Pom Trees and Fall Pom Pom Tree for examples of how to do this and what train play adds to this activity . These trees also work with other kinds of small worlds.

 

More ways to play!

Make sure to visit the other blogs participating in the series for more fun summer activities and crafts!

Simple Summer Fun: Swatting Bubbles from My Nearest and Dearest

Coconut Water Beads from Fun-A-Day!

Outdoor Sketching Scavenger Hunt from Buggy and Buddy

The Perfect Summer Smoothie from Nothing if Not Intentional

Don’t miss our other Summer Play Days posts:

Toy Surfboard Summer Craft for Kids from Play Trains!

Toy Surfboard Craft for Kids

 

Customize this travel-friendly mini sand play kit to match your child's interests!

Mini Sand Play Set

 

If you have a train-loving child in your life, make sure you’re following Play Trains! by signing up for our email newsletter:

 

More Summer Fun with Trains!

Pool Noodle Train Tracks: Summer Train Fun for Kids @ Play Trains!

Pool Noodle Train Tracks

 
Fizzy Engine: Baking Soda & Vinegar Trains @ Play Trains! Fun summertime science for kids who love trains.

Fizzy Engine: Baking Soda and Vinegar Train Science Activity

 
Travel-Friendly Mini Sand Castle Kit from Play Trains!

Travel-Friendly Mini Sand Castle Kit

 
Natural Freight for Toy Trains: Late Summer @ Play Trains! http://play-trains.com/

Natural Freight for Toy Trains: Summer

DIY Zoo Set for Wooden Trains @ Play Trains! Our train twist on the Jungle Diorama from Jo-ann's Cape Discovery summer crafting challenge. #summerofjoann

DIY Recycled Wooden Train Zoo Set

Ice Train Play @ Play Trains! http://play-trains.com/ice-train-play/

Ice Train Play

 
Sand Tracks: Learning with Trains at the Beach @ Play Trains! This activity combines art, science, and sensory play, demonstrating one of the technical pages between chapters in the first book of the Peter's Railway series. These books are perfect for train-loving children of any age!

Sand Tracks: a Train Beach Activity Inspired by Peter’s Railway

 
Icy Engine: Cool Summer Train Ice Play @ Play Trains! Activities for ice frozen in the shape of an engine and freight cars.

Icy Engine: Cool Summer Train Play

 

Top 10 Ways to Learn with Trains this Summer @ Play Trains!

Top Ten Ways to Learn with Trains the Summer

 

8 Train Books for Summer @ Play Trains! Discover eight titles to add to your little engineer's summer reading list.

8 Train Books for Summer Reading

Filed Under: Fine Motor Activities, Pipe Cleaner Trees, Summer, Train Set Scenery Tagged With: fine motor activities, pipe cleaner trees, summer, Summer Play Days, train set scenery, trees

« Toy Surfboard Craft for Kids
Mini Sand Play Set »

Comments

  1. Krystal says

    June 10, 2014 at 5:09 am

    I love this idea! Great sensory play.

    Reply
    • Jessica Petersen says

      June 10, 2014 at 10:53 am

      Thanks!!

      Reply
  2. Penny says

    June 10, 2014 at 8:39 pm

    Terrific idea. Just love it. We will be putting this on our list of crafty things to try.

    Reply
    • Jessica Petersen says

      June 10, 2014 at 10:10 pm

      Thanks! I hope you enjoy it!

      Reply

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Jessica Petersen, author of Old Tracks, New Tricks
Hi, I'm Jessica! We're so happy you've climbed aboard the Play Trains! express. Next stop: a trainload of fun and learning for your little engineer!

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