Nature Arthas big bang for its buck … although it won’t cost you a thing and will bringso many extra little goodies that will have you admiring your garden or bushywalks all over again.

Nature Artis a combination of a fun creative activity that incorporates movement and is completedoutdoors. Ticking quite a few boxes already in my mind! There is no messy-nesson the kitchen table, the physical running around expends a fair bit of energy.And of course, the creative process of observing nature, collecting beautiful leafytreasures and making unique creations is a powerful process of exploring andwonder.

These leafypaintbrushes can be done finding nature treasures from any garden or park orbush track. The focus here is on the process of exploring nature, creating ofthe brush and discovering the texture it makes once its dipped into paint. Itis a perfect activity for pre-K and primary aged kids, especially with thelooming lock-down restrictions from COVID-10. Luckily, our gardens are not offlimits!

For some more nature art activities that cost you nothing take a look at my article for Beanstalk Mums here.

What you need

• Nature finds - leaves + sticks

• Masking Tape or washi tape

• Paper

• Paint

What you do

1. Take a stroll into your garden, the local park or along a bushy track to find some nature treasures. You're looking for a collection of leaves and sticks that will create different textures. Have a chat about the different marks each bunch of leaves could make and try to find a variety of big, small, thin, fat, smooth, bumpy ... etc. I used some dry grasses - it was a good experiment because the seeds fell out throughout the painting process which made it a little messy.

2. Arrange your nature finds in piles, cut the stems to be the same height.

3. Hold the leaves against your stick, then wrap masking tape around a few times to secure. Add a layer of washi tape (just for fancy fun!)

4. Set yourself up with a few pieces of paper or a long strip of butches paper. You can cover a table or blu tack your paper to your garden fence. The more space to create the better! This project works well using big sweeping arm movements to reveal the bushy painted strokes, you will want a large blank space to fill with textured strokes.

5. Squeeze large puddles of paint on trays - its a good idea to use one tray per colour. You can also use small jars of paint. Dip the end of your leafy paint brush into the paint and create strokes.

Observe the different textures each leafy brush creates. When your talking to your child throughout this art making project incorporate new describing vocabulary into your discussion. Introducing new words whilst experiencing/seeing its meaning is a great way to build strong vocabulary.

• bushy

• wavy

• bumpy

• smooth

• spiky

• rough

• bumpy

• prickly

• hard

• soft

You'll be amazed at what abstract style creations you can paint with your DIY nature paintbrushes!

The learning benefits from this fun nature art activity include

• Self-expression with paint

• Eye and hand coordination

• Fine motor development

• Experimenting and exploring with a new paint tool

• Sense of achievement and pride

• Colour recognition

Want some more garden art activities? Take a look at my article for Beanstalk Mums here