Art •
Art
Art using natural materials
Let your little Picasso spread their wings with this butterfly colouring page. Brilliant blue, garden green, pretty pink or regal red. Whatever their favourite colours are, help your mini Nature Detective embrace their creative side. Inspire your little one with a butterfly spotting adventure Use paints or crayons the more colourful the more beautiful Count the spots and see how many more they can add Make some friends for your butterfly in different colours and create a beautiful butterfly garden
Paint your little explorer’s feet with bright colours and make a butterfly. Step into nature and help your mini Nature Detective to get creative! Every new beautiful picture is totally unique to your little one Layer their footprints with different colours the more the better Name your new breed of butterfly
Making chalk drawings etc.
Make a festive picture or turn it into a Christmas card! Get creative and decorate this fir tree ready for Christmas. You could… Choose your favourite colours for the baubles Use real pine needles that have fallen off your own tree Recycle old cards or sweet wrappers and stick them on to create decorations When you’re finished, why not turn it into a Christmas card for a special friend? Eco-friendly tree decorations Many Christmas decorations are made from plastic – tinsel, garlands and glittery baubles – so they’re not kind to the planet. Have a go at making your own plastic-free Christmas decorations instead using natural objects, paper and wool!
Grab your favourite pencils and pens and create your own comma butterfly! Rain or shine, you can colour in at any time. Use this comma colouring sheet and make a masterpiece. The comma’s Latin name is Polygonia c-album Get inspired by real life butterflies or use your imagination Use felt tips, pencils, paints or felt to make a magnificent picture What have you called your comma? Maybe you could colour in some other butterflies and create some friends for him?
Grab your favourite pens and pencils and colour in these conkers! Conkers are so much fun, but if it’s too cold or wet outside to collect them, colour in instead. Go hunting for real conkers how many can you collect? Create a conker collage using leaves, twigs and bits of conker shell Conkers are the seeds of the horse chestnut tree Look carefully at your collected conkers do they have swirly patterns on their glossy shells?
Go conkers and make these marvellous models. Gather conkers and get creative all you need is your imagination! Make sure you choose conkers of different sizes Remember to keep the shells you can use them on your models Get inspired by nature or let your imagination run wild! Don’t forget to use other woodland items to help bring your creations to life.
Make this super easy feeder for your garden birds. This is simple and fun. All you need is lard, bird seed and a cookie cutter or two. Easy peasy! Making these feeders is messy fun, so be prepared to get your hands dirty! This is a super activity for little (and big!) Nature Detectives Hang your feeders where you can see them and wait for your feathered friends to tuck in to
Creating funny creatures from natural features
Get creative using black paper and bright colours. Black paper is brilliant for creating dramatic nighttime art. Experiment with chalk and bright paints that really stand out Use natural materials like real leaves to make a collage Create spooky, moonlit scenes using white pen What sort of picture did you make? Don’t forget to clear a space on your fridge or wall to display your artwork!
Write secret messages using dandelion sap! Dandelion sap makes super ink for penning secret notes it’s hard to see when it’s wet, but when it’s dry the message is revealed! Does it work better on white or coloured paper? Does the ink work on pebbles and leaves? Can you make ink from any other flowers or plants? Be careful dandelion sap can occasionally cause skin irritation, and it can stain your clothes.
Create a colourful nest for this snuggly dormouse. Dormice spend their summers hiding in trees, then feast on hazelnuts and fruit ready for their winter hibernation. Colour in this dormouse and his nest. Create a collage using natural materials you find on the woodland floor Add felt or fake fur to your dormouse to make him super fluffy Did you know? Dormice are nocturnal
Using calk outdoors
Turn an egg box into a treasure chest! Download our printable scavenger hunt lists, then stick them on an egg box and head off on a nature hunt. It’s brilliant fun for the Easter holidays! Decorate your egg box – make it unique Pick your own theme for your hunt colours, textures, scents… Use the different sections in the egg box to store different woodland treasures
Build a cosy home for woodland elves and fairies. Head to the woods and hunt for natural building materials you can use to make an elf house. Look for sticks, leaves, fallen flowers and seeds. Think about the walls, roof, doors and windows. Don’t forget furniture! Leave your forest friends a house-warming gift to welcome them to their new home. Elves and fairies are very secretive, so you might not see much of your new neighbours!
This sensory activity is great fun for young children. Go on a walk and look for natural objects with interesting shapes and textures. At home, set out your finds and some playdough then get stuck in. Press pine cones and leaves into the playdough to make patterns and impressions. Try chopping and rolling with sticks. ‘Plant’ sticks into the playdough to create a mini forest. Make funny faces with leaves and seeds. There are so many possibilities with this activity let your little one experiment and see where it leads! Grown-ups: please keep a close eye on your child when doing this activity, and don’t let them explore any items with their mouth.
A Curriculum for Excellence recognises that learning is embedded in experience. Outdoor learning is active, hands-on and can provide a real
Invite fairies to visit your garden through a secret door! Make a magical fairy door out of lolly sticks, buttons and beads. Stick the lolly sticks together in a door shape. Add a doorknob, letterbox, or window. Place your door against a tree, away from big feet and curious cats. Fairies and elves are very shy so you might not see them, but listen out for them knocking on your door…
Create a tiny garden fit for fairies. Welcome fairies and elves into your garden by making them a teeny space of their own. Think of items you can use for furniture and decoration Maybe a couple of your small toys could visit? Try giving your garden a theme like flowers or parties Try making the fairies and elves a swing to play on or little house to snooze in.
Throw a tea party and invite woodland fairies to visit. Next time you’re in the woods, set up a tea party and give elves and fairies a treat. Keep your eyes peeled for food, cutlery and other party items What do you think fairies and elves like to eat? Decorate the party with flowers and bunting Don’t forget to make furniture like tables and chairs!
Get festive with these fantastic pine cone baubles. Add some seasonal magic to your home or Christmas tree. Paint your pine cones to add a pop of colour Keep some cones natural to help the others really stand out Attach some string or ribbon Ask your grown-up to hang your pine cones up on your tree or place them in your house.
Grab your favourite pens and pencils and create some leaf art! Get inspired next time you’re in the woods. Look out for a field maple tree and take a closer look at its leaves. Then get creative with this art sheet when you get home. Choose bright, spring greens or autumnal oranges Use tissue paper, grass and fallen leaves to create texture Make it look realistic by add tiny details like veins
Using items from your grounds to create an artistic feature
Gather bendy twigs, grass, leaves and flowers and make a crown. Will you be king or queen of the woods? Crown yourself or your friends using items you find on the woodland floor. You might need a grown-up to help you make your flower crown it can be tricky Add different colours and sizes of flowers Your flower crown can be as big or as small as you like it’s up to you! Remember to only collect items that have fallen to the woodland floor.