Beautiful multi-colored acorn gems

Before the ground is coated with a blanket of snow, here is a perfect craft to do with the family. Acorn Gems are a fun and easy craft using acorns and a handful of common household items. The end result will be a colorful accent to your home to brighten even the chilliest of Fall days. 

What I love about Acorn Gems, is it only requires a few items you may already have on hand. Additionally, acorns can be hunted for in your backyard or elsewhere outdoors. Searching for the acorns you need for this project is a fun little scavenger hunt for the kids.

Items You Will Need For Acorn Gems:

Ingredients to make acorn gems: markers, school glue, acorn caps, and styrofoam
  • Elmer’s Glue
  • Washable Markers
  • Acorn Caps
  • Styrofoam/ Floral Foam (to stand the acorns upright while they dry)

Step 1: Collect Acorns

If you do not have acorns available in your area, you can purchase them here on Amazon.

Search the ground near any acorn bearing trees to find large and clean acorn caps. The squirrels were quite busy in our backyard this year, which left us searching elsewhere for our acorns. Luckily, we had visited a local zoo that had plenty on the ground, and we took the opportunity to stock up. We might have looked a little crazy to other zoo-goers while we stuffed our pockets with these little acorn hats, but if they happen to come across this blog, they will understand. The acorn hunt is my daughters’ favorite part!

Step 2:  Color the Inside of the Caps with Marker

You will probably want to lay down some newspaper or a towel over the surface of your work area. Then pick up each cap, coloring the inside repeatedly until it is fully coated with color. You want to get as much color inside so that it shows up when you pour the glue in. Be very generous with your markers here, and use many bright colors to really make this a colorful project. You can make each cap its own color, or you can make a multi-color cap.

coloring the acorn caps

Step 3: Fill with Glue

After each cap is colored in, stick the pointy end into the foam to hold it in place while you fill it. You want each cap to be level so the glue does not spill out. Slowly pour glue into each cap, and watch the color start to swirl! 

Step 4: Let them Dry

Carefully set them aside, making sure they are in a cool, dry place and will not be disturbed. The complete drying process will take a couple days, so be sure to not touch them during this time. You will know when they are dry when you can no longer see any white glue, and the inside is a shiny color resembling a gem. 

Colored acorn caps filled with glue turning different colors

Step 5: Arrange and Display

You can display these pretty acorns on a decorative tray or in a glass bowl. I chose to make them part of a Fall Centerpiece in our Foyer, but in the past, I have simply put them in a bowl on our kitchen table to look at every day! Whatever you decide, they will look beautiful in your home as a colorful addition to your Fall decor. 

Colorful Fall centerpiece containing acorn gems, small pumpkin, and yellow mums

Tell me how you liked this craft idea! For more nature based ideas read my article: 8 Simple Ideas for Earth Day

For more great crafts, recipes, travel and adventure ideas for your family, sign up for my newsletter!

 

Find other crafts you can do with natural materials in this great book on Amazon!

6 Comments

  1. This is awesome! I am going to have to try this out with the kids!

  2. Knowing I am not very crafty I truly can’t wait to make these pretty little gems and I am going to go all the way and put them in a wreath!! “Acorn hats” – that is what I will forever think of them as now! Lol

  3. You can always come hunt for acorns here! This is going to be our weekend craft. Thank you for sharing such a great idea!!

  4. I LOVE this idea! Can’t wait to make it. So easy too! My son will love it!

Comments are closed.