DIY Guides

If you’ve followed our family for any amount of time, you probably know we spend a lot of time hunting for fossilized shark teeth. And there’s one question we get asked all the time: What do you actually do with all of them?! The short answer? We keep them. We have jars of shark teeth. Bags of shark teeth. Favorite shark teeth that the kids absolutely know are theirs. Tiny teeth, giant teeth, perfect teeth and funny little broken teeth that still somehow made their way into s

An empty grape container, a glass dish, and your phone are all you need to create a DIY hologram projector that will absolutely amaze your kids. We used ours to explore space before the Perseid meteor shower, but you can also project animals, dinosaurs, ocean creatures, and more. It's a quick, inexpensive STEM activity that feels a little like magic....and it's made from something you probably already have at home.

One of my favorite backyard projects we've ever created was this whimsical little toadstool trail. When Lila was a toddler, we turned ordinary tree cookies into giant red-and-white mushrooms that became the centerpiece of a natural obstacle course in our Colorado backyard. She balanced across them, invented endless imaginary games, and they somehow made the whole yard feel a little more magical. The best part? They're surprisingly easy to make. Why We Love This Project Instea

Want to hear more birds without buying expensive birding equipment? This simple DIY bird sound amplifier takes just a few minutes to put together using items you may already have at home. We were surprised by how much easier it was to pick out individual bird songs...and our kids thought the whole experiment was hilarious. What You'll Need A large plastic salad bowl A small Bluetooth microphone Tape, Velcro, or a simple mount to secure the microphone inside the bowl A PVC pip

Spend a day exploring the shallow waters of Gasparilla Sound in search of stone crabs and blue crabs. Learn what gear to bring, where to look, and how a simple afternoon with a net and bucket turned into one of our favorite hands-on family nature adventures.

Want to catch crawdads (also called crayfish or crawfish) with materials you probably already have at home? This easy DIY trap takes just a few minutes to make and worked great for our family...we left it in a creek, and came back to a big, healthy crawdad waiting for us the next morning. Some of my favorite childhood memories happened in the little creek behind my Mamaw and Papaw's house in Ohio, where we'd spend hours catching crawdads. Years later, it's incredibly special

Make a DIY aquascope for kids with this easy tutorial! A simple, inexpensive way to explore underwater and discover what’s hiding below the surface.

This lightweight PVC stand holds our floating shark tooth sifter at a comfortable working height, making it much easier to sift through shells without bending over. It's inexpensive to build, easy to transport, and comes together in just a few minutes. Materials 3 × 10-foot lengths of 1/2-inch PVC pipe 12 × 1/2-inch PVC tee connectors (Home Depot sells these in a 15-pack, which was the most economical option when we built ours.) 1 × 1/2-inch cross connector PVC cutter or saw

Learn how to find mole crabs on Florida beaches with kids. Discover where they live, how to spot them, and why this simple beach activity is so much fun for families.

Learn how to make a DIY floating shark tooth sifter using PVC pipe, mesh, and pool noodles. This simple project is inexpensive, easy to build, and perfect for shark tooth hunting, shelling, and family beach adventures. We share the full materials list, step-by-step instructions, and tips for putting your new sifter to work on your next treasure hunt.