When I have seen other bloggers write about making a similar craft projects/ or just making pine cone crafts for kids in general, I'm usually pretty surprised that they list these as "pinecone crafts for preschoolers", "owl craft preschool", or "owl craft for kindergarten". Pine cones are SHARP and can cut someone pretty easily! In fact, with the last package of pine cones that I bought, I somehow managed to cut myself with one just when I was opening the packaging... So if you're going to be making these with younger kids, it may be a good idea to add the cotton to the pine cone yourself first before having them do the rest, or at the very least teach them that if you hold the pine cone at the top and the bottom that is typically the least sharp part of the pine cone to hold when handling them. You could also inspect the pine cones ahead of time for the extra "pokey" pieces and pick them off. The age appropriateness that I recommend for making an owl with a pinecone, or for crafting with pine cones in general, is 8 years old and up...but use your best judgement of course. I know that every kid is different and has different skill levels. It also wouldn't hurt to have a basic first-aid kit handy while making them too, just as a precaution.