Connecting With Nature Through Art

As you may have noticed, over the past two weeks the temperature has risen and the snow has melted, leading us to now have SPRING! That being said, the tree branches, rocks, and scattered leaves in your back yard don’t have to be considered yard-work, but instead canvases for your children’s art.

One of the things I love about art is that it does not have to be limited to paper. In fact, art becomes much more entertaining for your child when you switch out the typical white sheet of paper for something more unusual.

My idea for this activity is for you and your child to go out into your backyard (or around your neighbourhood if you’re feeling adventurous), and simply find objects in nature that would work to paint on. The object does not need to be flat, it just needs to be able to hold paint on it. Large rocks, tree branches, or fallen leaves (better for older children as they crumble easier), would be my suggestion for ‘canvases.’

This activity is pretty flexible as it can be done inside or out (depending on the weather of course), or if you’re short on paint you can use food colouring in water.

Something to remember: please only use non-living natural objects. For instance ripping a branch off of a tree would not be considered a non-living natural object, whereas one found on the ground is. Let’s encourage our children to respect the environment around us!