Blogger / 28 September, 2026 / Nanny Anita

Hedgehog Leaf Threader

Does anyone else end up with hundreds of leaves in bags and pockets over the cause of the autumn months?  Little children seem to find them irresistible to pick and collect.  Of course, they normally end up at the bottom of my bag or in my coat pocket when they get tired of holding them.  As a way to try and stop that from happening, but still allowing them to enjoy collecting the leaves, I made a hedgehog leaf threader.

Make sure you follow my outside activities board on Pinterest for more ideas.  Don’t forget to save the pin for later.

To make your own hedgehog leaf threader you will need:

• Paper
• Pencils
• Scissors
• Laminator
• Pipe cleaner

Draw and decorate the face and body of a hedgehog onto some paper.  Next cut it out and laminate it using a laminating machine.  Finally make a hole where the belly button of the hedgehog would be and thread through a pipe cleaner.  Make a knot at the front to help keep the pipe cleaner in place.

Now when you go for a walk, your little one can pick up their leaves and thread them onto their hedgehog.  Once you have finished threading the leaves on, the hedgehog will look like it has a back full of spines.

I started using this last year with NC and she loved threading the leaves on.  It did also keep the leaves from being forgotten about in the bottom of my bag.  Instead, when we got home, I could take it out, slide the leaves off (dumping the back outside in the garden), and have the hedgehog ready to go again for the next walk.

If you enjoyed this hedgehog leaf threader, be sure to check out my leafy hedgehog pictures, and Autumn leaf printing.

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