Outdoor art activities for children aren’t really about the finished piece. It’s more about the experience, and exploration of art, materials, and the process. It’s about having fun, and the joys of being outside when the weather is good. However, that doesn’t mean that your little ones shouldn’t be given an idea, direction or some guidance.
Paint With Nature
Painting with nature is so much fun, and it can help you teach your child about the outside world around them. Look for plants, leaves and twigs that you can make into paintbrushes. Let your little one lead on this and let them decide what they think would make the best paintbrush or make the prettiest pattern.
Nature can also be used to make paint. Think about foods that are really colourful, like blueberries, carrots, and turmeric. If you use fruits and vegetables, you should puree them, and add water to get the consistency you want. Spices can simply be mixed with water.
Water Pistol Painting
Children love water pistols, so water pistol painting is an outdoor art activity that’s bound to be a hit! All you need is a large sheet of paper or a large canvas, water pistols, and paint. You’ll need to mix the paint with water so that it’s about half water, half paint. Use as many different colours as your child wants, fill up the water pistols, and let them run riot!
Pour Painting
Pour painting is best done as one of your little one’s outdoor art activities as it can get a little bit messy!
You will need:
- Bottles of poster paint in different colours
- Wire rack
- Something to paint
Method
- Let your little one find something to paint. Terracotta plant pots, and rocks make good objects.
- Put the item on the wire rack.
- Let your little one pour the paint onto the item straight from the bottle. Let them experiment with colours and patterns.
Rolling Paint
Another project that makes a better outdoor art activity than an indoor one is rolling paint. It’s great fun for your little ones and creates a larger art project for them to display.
You will need
- A roll of paper
- Paint
- Balls of different sizes
- Trays
Method
- Roll some of the paper down a slide, or a hill.
- Ask your little ones to help put some paint in the trays.
- Cover the balls in the paint.
- Roll the balls down the paper.
