No matter what time of year, there are plenty of outdoor painting activities that allow kids to get some fresh air while letting their creative sides run wild. Here are some simple ways for kids of all ages to connect with nature, get messy and have some fun.
• Splatter It. Let your child unleash his/her inner Jackson Pollock. Lay out a large sheet of paper or cardboard. Gather watercolors or tempura paint, along with brushes in various sizes. Let children experiment by flinging, dripping & spilling the paint to create their masterpiece.
• Take Aim. Set up an easel outside, or use a thumbtack to secure paper to a tree. Invite kids to fill squirt guns or spray bottles with liquid watercolors, take aim, & fire at their canvas!
• Playhouse Painting. You can find a number of cardboard playhouses online, but large moving boxes with "windows & doors" cut out will work just as well. Set out some paint, household bristle brushes & rollers. Let little ones work together to make their very own play space.
• Bouquet Brushes. Tie bundles of flowers, leaves, & grasses to sticks and have kids use them as paintbrushes.
• Nature Stamps. Go on a nature walk through a park or forest, asking children to collect items of different shapes, sizes & textures along the way. Later, press these items into an ink pad and stamp them onto a sheet of paper to make nature prints.
• Truck Tracks. Gather those bulldozers, diggers, firetrucks & tanks. Roll the wheels through paint & then have children "drive" the trucks over a large sheet of paper.
• Snow Painting. Add few drops of liquid watercolor into a small jar and then fill the rest of the jar with really cold water. (You don't want the paint too warm or it will melt the snow.) Gather snow into plastic containers and let children use brushes or droppers to make their "cool" creations.
• Rock It. Kindness rocks are a sweet, new trend that encourages both creativity and kindness. Have children collect rocks, give them a quick wash, and allow them to dry. Children can use acrylic paint to decorate the rocks. Parents, educators or older children can right sweet messages like "Smell the Roses," "Smile," or "You Rock!"
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