Nature Art With The Family

Press release from the Cromaine District Library:

October 8, 2020

With fall’s arrival, your little ones will start to notice all the changes in nature. A fun way to experience it hands on is to take a walk, look around you, and gather some supplies to bring nature into your home for some art projects! These nature-inspired art projects are great for appreciating the world around us and working on our fine motor skills. They combine being outside with physical movement and creativity.

When going out for a walk and gathering materials, remember these tips:

-Don’t pick up more than you will need for your art project. Leave lots of plants for other artists and creatures.

-There are some plants that are poisonous to humans. Know what you’re picking before you touch anything. If you’re not sure, ask your favorite grown-up.

-Unless a plant is growing in your own yard or garden, don’t pick it until you receive permission.

Art Projects to Do While Out On a Hike or In Your Backyard

Leaf and Rock Designs

While out on your walk, collect leaves, pinecones, rocks, and other materials. Find a flat spot, and make a design using the materials you collected.

Rubbings

Take paper and charcoal (or crayons without the label) to make rubbings of tree bark. Alternatively, you can collect leaves and make rubbings at home.

Nature Weaving

Take long pieces of string with you on your hike. Gather twigs and use the string to weave the sticks together. Add other flowers and leaves into the string as well.

Chalk and Nature

Gather pinecones, rocks, twigs, and leaves. Draw anything you would like (creatures are a good place to start!) with chalk and incorporate the natural supplies you gathered into the chalk drawing.

Art Projects to Do Back at Home

Nature Printing

Gather leaves and flowers and bring them back home. Pour paint into dishes, and use the leaves and flowers as stamps. Dip the leaves and flowers into the paint, and press them onto paper.

Nature Heart

Gather your nature supplies and bring them home. Draw a large heart onto a piece of newspaper or other paper and cut out. Glue the natural materials onto the heart. Once you have added all the flowers and leaves to the heart, glue your finished heart onto a piece of construction paper or colored cardstock.

Clay Leaf Prints

Buy air dry clay. Lay down wax paper over your working surface. Find a small leaf, and lay it down on the wax paper, vein side up. Pinch off a small piece of clay and roll into a ball between your hands. Set the clay ball on the leaf, then press down with the palm of your hand to flatten it. Carefully lift the clay disk, turn it over, and peel away the leaf. If you would like to make a pendant or an ornament, poke a hole at the top of your disk with a drinking straw. You may also decorate your clay leaf prints with paint or watercolors.

Flower Fairies

Gather nature supplies and bring them home. Draw a fairy (or other creature) on a piece of construction paper or cardstock. Add flower petals and leaves (you can cut these down to smaller sizes) to the creature using glue.

Nature Art Bugs

Gather leaves, sticks, and twigs and bring home. Using either cardstock, construction paper, or a small piece of (painted) cardboard, create a bug using the natural supplies you gathered. Glue in place.

If you are interested in more ideas for creating art with nature, check out these books, which are all available using Cromaine's online catalog through TLN:

The Organic Artist for Kids: A DIY Guide to Making Your Own Eco-Friendly Art Supplies From Nature by Nick Neddo

Art for Fall by Rita Storey

Fairy House Crafts and Activities by LIza Gardner Walsh

Rock Paper Paintbrush: 30 Art Activities For Kids in the Great Outdoors

Nature’s Art Box by Laura Martin

A Little Bit of Dirt: 55+ Science and Art Activities to Reconnect Children with Nature by Asia Citro

This press release was produced by the Cromaine District Library. The views expressed are the author's own.