A tray of acorn caps becomes tiny bowls, fairy hats, counting cups, boats and stamps. One autumn walk fills a jar that lasts all year.
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We filled a coat pocket with acorn caps on a walk two Octobers ago and I still have not run out of them.
They are the perfect open-ended nature material: tiny containers, hats, boats, stamps, counters. My kids decide what they are, and it changes every time.
I keep them in a glass jar on the shelf where they can reach it. That single decision is why the jar keeps getting used.
Collect caps from the ground under an oak — the ones already separated from their acorns are the easiest to gather.
Wash them in warm soapy water, rinse, and spread on a towel overnight. If you are worried about grubs, bake them at 90°C for an hour first.
Tip them into a tray with a few bowls of loose parts and leave it out with nothing else. See what happens.
Counting game: put one bean in each cap, then two, then line them up in rows of five.
Boats: press a small ball of playdough into a cap, stand a toothpick and paper sail in it, and float them in a dish of water.
Stamps: dip the open side in paint and print rings across a page — they make lovely wreaths and bubble patterns.
Small world: lay a piece of felt or moss on the tray, add wooden figures, and let the caps become their bowls, hats and stools.
Bake the caps at 90°C for an hour if you have collected a big batch — it dries them out and deals with anything living inside. Store them somewhere your child can reach without asking, or they will only ever be used the day you bring them home.
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