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Child-friendly crafts: carving photo frames in the forest

Ein Vater mit seinen zwei Kindern im Wald beim Schnitzen.
Fabian
Sales Consultant, Transa store St. Gallen
© Photos

Today, sales advisor Fabian is in the forest doing crafts with his kids: they’re carving branches to make a photo frame as a gift for their grandma. Here are the instructions and tips for safely carving wood with children.

Even though the weather looks changeable, I’m keen to spend time in the forest with my kids again. We’ll also create a birthday present for their grandma while we’re there. This time, we don’t want to make a forest candle. Instead, we’re collecting branches to make a photo frame. After a brief walk to a forest near our village, Giulia and Yannis start looking for the materials we need for our project.

We’re after branches that are two to three centimetres thick. Thicker or thinner sticks are also fine for photo frames, and it’s nice to have a mix of shapes. After all, it’s perfectly okay if the result looks rustic: the branches did grow naturally! This makes every frame a unique piece.

Equipment for woodcarving in the forest

Instructions: making photo frames with children

Materials
4 thin branches
1.5 metres of hemp twine
2–4 wooden clothes pegs
Family photo or postcard

Tools & miscellaneous
Carving knife/pocket knife
First aid kit
Tick repellent

Don’t forget
your afternoon snack (on the fire)

Here’s how

  1. Chop the branches to the size you’d like the photo frame to be. A sheet of A4 paper can serve as a guide.

  2. Carve notches into the branches.

  3. Place the branches in a frame shape.

  4. Starting with the first corner, wrap it with hemp twine and then cross over to the next corner. Wrap around this corner and secure it with a knot. Repeat this on the other two corners.

  5. Knot an additional piece of twine to form a hanging loop.

  6. Clothes pegs can be used to affix the photo to the twine cross you’ve created.

  • Ein Vater mit seinem Sohn am Waldrand, der Junge sucht etwas auf dem Boden.

    The children look for suitable branches before they start doing their crafts.

    Photo © Somara Frick
  • Ein Vater mit seiner Tochter am Waldrand, er reicht ihr einen Ast.

    Sticks two to three centimetres thick are ideal.

    Photo © Somara Frick
  • Ein Mädchen schnitzt im Wald.

    It’s safer to use a sharp knife for wood-carving than a blunt one: this means you can make more deliberate movements.

    Photo © Somara Frick
  • Ein Junge im Wald, mit einem Beil kürzt er einen Ast.

    Children can use an axe to shorten branches that are too long.

    Photo © Somara Frick
  • Man sieht Hände von einer erwachsenen Person und einem Kind. Sie basteln mit Holz und Schnur einen Bilderrahmen.

    Once you’ve carved the sticks, you can get crafty: use twine to bundle them together.

    Photo © Somara Frick
  • Kinderhände, die ein Bild an einem selbst geschnitzten Bilderrahmen fixieren.

    Use mini clothes pegs to affix the photo to the frame.

    Photo © Somara Frick

Choose the right wood for carving

These rustic photo frames are a doddle to put together and children will see how quickly they’re making progress – which motivates them to keep going. As a parent, it’s fascinating to see how my children immerse themselves in wood-carving and get lost in their own world. It creates a calm atmosphere, far removed from the hustle and bustle of day-to-day life.

It goes without saying that you need to be careful when handling a wood-carving knife. Softwoods are better to carve than hardwoods, as they require less force. Pocket knives are more than just a knife: the other tools are exciting options for children to try. You can be sure they’ll find creative uses for them!

Wood-carving with children: the key rules

Stay seated while carving: walking around with an unsheathed knife is a no-no. We look for somewhere stable to sit when carving. 

We always cut away from our bodies. You need to make sure your little carvers are sitting far enough apart – at least two arm’s lengths away from each other. 

The blade needs to be sharp: blunt blades are more dangerous as you need to exert more force and it’s easier to slip. Special children’s knives are just as sharp as those designed for grown-ups but they feature a rounded tip. 

We pack the knives up as soon as we’ve finished with them to prevent injuries.

As adults, we want to be role models and follow the above rules, too. 

Wood-carving is hungry work

For us, a trip to the forest without a campfire is simply inconceivable (unless there’s a fire ban). We make chocolate-stuffed bananas – a firm favourite of kids everywhere – as an afternoon snack. One of the many chocolate bunnies left over from Easter is perfect for this.

The finished photo frames are a sight to behold. Bursting with pride, we set off home and look for a photo to go in grandma’s gift.

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