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Wisconsin Parent

Take Art Outdoors- 4 Ideas to Inspire your Family

Jul 21, 2014 03:00AM ● By Tiffany Malloy
August marks our family’s first 365 days living in the way-more-fun-than-we-thought-it-would-be state of Wisconsin. This year had plenty of surprises, one of them being the weather. This winter was crazy cold—a type of cold I could have never prepared myself for. And this summer? G.O.R.G.E.O.U.S. Cool mornings and warm afternoons make for delightful days to spend outside with the kids.

One way we like to spend our time outdoors (besides park-hopping) is making art. The best projects are the simple ones- who wants to lug a bunch of art supplies outside? Take a peek at our simple, but fun, works of art!

Sand Art

While ideally this would take place on a beach, for those of you who are landlocked, it could also work in a backyard sandbox or a nearby sand volleyball court. Basically, you choose a piece of construction paper, make a design or picture out of glue, press it gently into the sad, and you have yourself sand art!

A few tips:

  • We used glue stick in this picture –it was easier for small hands to use, less likely to make a glue mess all over, and, well, it was the only thing I had. I would recommend doing the same if you have small(ish) children.
  • Bring a lot of construction paper. The process is short, sweet, and a bit addicting. We used backsides of the paper too.

PicMonkey Collage

Outdoor Photography

On your way to the park, to dinner, or when you’re out on a relaxing stroll to nowhere, give your kids a camera and challenge them to take pictures of things that are interesting or beautiful to them. When you get home, talk about the pictures and what is interesting about each one. It’s fun to give the kids some photography freedom while also seeing the world from your child’s eyes. If any of the pictures are particularly interesting, have them printed and hang them up for the whole family to enjoy!

IMG_3919

Journaling

This summer we’ve tried to make a practice out of journaling about our days (whether that be in words or in pictures). Not only does it help us to slow down and appreciate all the cool things we’re doing this summer, but it also gives us an artifact to look back on and remember this fabulous summer.

(Psst….don’t tell my kids, but this also helps them to stay fresh on their writing skills!)

IMG_3866

Bug Houses

Bugs are dearly loved by our children, so it’s only logical that we’d make a home for one of our grasshoppers when it was time to let him back out into the wild. Even if bugs aren’t your thing, you could build something for fairies, field mice, chipmunks, or any other small creature your imagination can dream up!

Hopefully you’ve been inspired to go out and create art this summer! Feel free to share it on our Facebook page—we’d love to see it!