Conker hedgehogs craft

We love autumn. Those fresh days in the sun, crunching leaves, then coming home to snuggle under a blanket. It's such a beautiful season for exploring and creating with nature, and it appeals to all of the senses.

I love how the leaves of trees turn into vibrant colours, how the low-angled sun creates a golden light, and how the air has a distinct, earthy smell. There is also the sound of autumn - from the satisfying crunch of fallen leaves underfoot, the rustle of the wind through the trees, to the gentle patter of seeds dropping to the ground.

We're going on a sound hunt activity

One of the first signs that this colourful cosy season is around the corner is finding the odd conker that has dropped onto the grass, often nibbled by a squirrel for their tea. Soon the floors under horse chestnut trees become littered with these shiny brown baubles, and we end up coming home with pockets full of them.

If you end up with a conker haul this autumn, apart from them being lovely tactile objects to add to your loose parts collection, there are lots of creative ways you can put your conkers to use. One of our favourites are these conker hedgehogs - they are so simple to make (you only need 2 or 3 pens) and they are super fun to play with after.

To make the conker hedgehogs you will need:

• Some large round conkers

• Light-coloured paint pen (we used a beige Posca pen)

• Pink paint pen (optional)

• Black permanant marker

Start by giving your conkers a quick clean - if they have a lot of mud on them you might want to wash and dry them, otherwise a wipe with a piece of kitchen roll will be sufficient to remove any dirt that might get in the way of drawing.

Grab your light-coloured paint pens and start drawing small lines, these will be your hedgehog's spikes. Don't wory about being too exact or neat, it all adds peronality to your spiky creation. Cover the whole of the brown shiny area of your conker and leave to dry.

Once you've covered your hedgehog in spikes, you can give them a face - we did dots for eyes, a cheeky little nose and some rosy cheeky, but you can do any design of face you like!

We used a permenant marker for the eyes, nose and smile, and our pink Posca pen for its rosy cheeks.

We love Posca Pens as they are such an easy way to apply paints, and they can be used on literally any surface!

Why stop at one? We made lots of little hedgehogs to play with - all different shapes and sizes!

Did you know - other names for Hedgehogs include Hedgepig, Urchin, Furze-pig and Grainneog!

A group of hedgehogs is called an 'array' or 'prickle'. Look how cute these guys are! Ready to go and play amongst the leaves...

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