Outdoor Art Activity ideas for all ages!
Prepare to delve into a wealth of ideas and activities for all ages that go beyond traditional classroom walls, encouraging students to step into the great outdoors and unleash their artistic spirits. Let's cultivate a love for art that grows under the sun, blossoms with the trees, and paints the world with the colours of boundless imagination.
Early Years
Outdoor learning in the early years is invaluable for children’s development, from basic movement and function to cognitive and emotional development. Incorporating art into the learning experience not only fosters outdoor exploration but also injects creativity and enjoyment into your upcoming art sessions.
1. Waterplay with Paintbrushes
a. Add different-sized paint brushes, dabbers, and printing materials to the water tray and invite children to use the pavement as their canvas to paint beautiful water pictures and patterns. Take pictures to create a water painting gallery before they dry.
b. Bonus: Add some colour to your creations by adding equal parts corn starch and water, with a few drops of food colouring.
2. Chalk Mark Making
a. Give toddlers some chalk and allow them the freedom to make simple marks, scribbles, or drawings on the pavement.
b. Encourages hand-eye coordination, fine motor skills, and helps with pre-writing development.
3. Nature Texture Boards
a. Glue an array of natural materials with different textures and materials onto a board and let little ones explore the different sensations.
b. Bonus: Encourage the discovery of new materials by including your setting in finding the materials.
4. Bubble Wrap Stomp Painting
a. Lay out a large sheet or roll of paper, and wrap little feet up in bubble wrap, then add some paint either on or around the paper and let them stomp away!
b. Helps to develop gross motor skills and provides a sensory experience.
Primary
Adding outdoor art into your primary class will have numerous educational and personal benefits for your students, from increased attendance and improved confidence to nurturing creativity and building resilience. Here are some ideas to inspire your next outdoor art adventure:
1. Coloured Bubble Art
a. Create some coloured bubble solutions by mixing food colouring with bubble mix, place some wands in each colour and provide children with some paper, then allow students to use the mixture to create fun and unique paintings.
b. Explore unique techniques and new patterns in this fun and interactive activity.
2. Outdoor Modelling
a. Take some dough or clay outside and let each child sculpt their own creation based on the world around them and what they can see. These can be bugs, flowers, leaves and many other things! Afterwards, encourage discussions around the shapes and colours they observed and what led them to their creation.
b. Bonus: You can also create imprints of natural items by pressing them into the dough or clay, you can discuss different textures, patterns, and the similarities or differences of each imprint.
3. Outdoor Storytime & Illustration
a. Take your class outside and explore a nature-themed story, then collect some natural materials to incorporate in an illustration about the story.
b. Great for cross-curricular learning, connecting stories to our world, identifying new materials, and working with multi-media.
4. Colour Scavenger Hunt
a. Provide children with colour cards and have them search for items in nature that match each colour. Using the collected items, you can then create a collaborative art project or display.
b. Allows pupils to work with a range of materials, develops the use of pattern and texture, and promotes teamwork within the class.
Secondary
Getting outdoors is incredibly important and beneficial for secondary students, allowing them to leave their classrooms and explore outdoors has multiple benefits including improved mental health, environmental awareness, development of social skills, and much more. Here are some ideas to help inspire your class to bring art outdoors:
1. Nature Sketching / Painting
a. Take your class on a walk either around the school fields or, if possible, out of the school to a local nature reserve or natural environment. Provide your students with some sketchbooks and art materials and encourage them to sketch what they see.
b. Great for developing different techniques through unique textures that can be found in nature. You can encourage the use of different mediums by exploring paints, pastels etc. to express the colours and textures further.
2. Land Art
a. Use natural materials such as rocks, leaves, sticks, and flowers to create a unique piece of artwork, transforming the materials into something new. Whether that’s a collage, picture, sculpture, or something else, let your students' imaginations run wild!
b. Encourages students to explore new and unique techniques and materials, whilst developing problem solving skills as they use unfamiliar materials
3. Outdoor Mural
a. Organize a mural painting session with your students, they can break off into groups and work in teams to bring mural paintings to life on designated walls.
b. Bonus: Choose themes relating to nature, biodiversity, or community. Have students explain the thought process behind their creation, and discuss any challenges faced when creating a mural vs. art on a canvas or paper.
4. Environmental Art Project
a. Task your students with creating unique art projects that centre around the environment, such as environmental issues, climates, elements etc.
b. Bonus: Challenge your students further by encouraging them to incorporate at least one natural material in their project.
