Paint With Nature
Get outside and have fun with nature, using natural objects (leaves, flowers, or anything else!) as brushes or stamps to paint creative art projects.
Aunt Riva's big art show is coming up, but you need a paint brush to paint your nature-y masterpiece! What would Nature Cat do in this situation? He'd make a paintbrush from materials found in the natural world, of course. What will you use to make your paintbrush?
While You Play
As you and your child paint and stamp, encourage your child to observe and notice the characteristics of the items you discovered in your backyard or neighborhood. How do they look similar or different? How do they feel? How do they smell? What shapes do they have? What colors are they?
What do you see when you experiment with the different textures of the objects? What do you see when you press a dandelion on paper versus a pinecone?
Do you know the names for each of the natural objects you’ve found? If not, see if you can look it up afterward in a book or online.
What You'll Need
Directions
Lay your paper or cardboard out flat.
With your scissors, head outside to find materials for brushes. If you are looking in a public place, check the rules before you take from live plants, such as picking flowers. Find and collect items to paint with and bring them near your canvas.
Pour out a few puddles of paint (different colors) onto the cardboard or on a piece of paper nearby.
Dip the items into the paint and let out your inner artist! Make marks using each of your different paintbrushes on a piece of paper. Try pressing and dragging the brushes for different effects. Compare the marks you have made. Which of your brush heads worked best? Once your painting is dry, you can hang it inside.
Explore Further
Encourage your child to play the Nature Cat Nature Art Box game for more ideas to create art with natural materials.
Science
Arts