Today's idea: Create a Nature Palette!
Do you have a yard full of grass, weeds, soil, and flowers, or perhaps a field nearby? If you do, you have what you need to do this simple activity, which turns natural items into pigments on your paper. You might be surprised what you can draw with!
What you will need: paper & something to draw on (clipboard or other hard surface), plants, leaves, soil, and other natural objects in your yard.
First, find a spot to sit or stand in your yard. Expand your vision to include as far as your eyes can see around you. What colors do you notice around you? Do you see bright green leaves? Colorful petals? Brown bark? Orange clay or deep brown garden soil? Something else?
Next, choose one of these colors to visit. Get close to the leaf/flower/clay etc.
Ask yourself: are there many of this thing? If so, you can use a two-handed pick to harvest it.
Take the item and rub it firmly against one spot on your sheet of paper. Rub
until some of the color comes off onto the paper. You have made the first part of your nature palette! If you know what the item is, you can write its name below the spot of color that you made.
Notice: Is the color on the paper the same as the color you see when looking at your object? How hard did you have to rub to get the color to come out? Is the color deep or light?
Repeat this process with other natural objects in your yard until your page is full.
Congratulations, you have created a nature palette that is unique to your backyard!
Challenge: Try to predict what colors you will be able to harvest from each object before you color with it! You might be surprised.
We would love to see your nature palettes! Send a picture to the Learning Outside phone or via email.
Your Learning Outside Instructors
Do you have a yard full of grass, weeds, soil, and flowers, or perhaps a field nearby? If you do, you have what you need to do this simple activity, which turns natural items into pigments on your paper. You might be surprised what you can draw with!
What you will need: paper & something to draw on (clipboard or other hard surface), plants, leaves, soil, and other natural objects in your yard.
First, find a spot to sit or stand in your yard. Expand your vision to include as far as your eyes can see around you. What colors do you notice around you? Do you see bright green leaves? Colorful petals? Brown bark? Orange clay or deep brown garden soil? Something else?
Next, choose one of these colors to visit. Get close to the leaf/flower/clay etc.
Ask yourself: are there many of this thing? If so, you can use a two-handed pick to harvest it.
Take the item and rub it firmly against one spot on your sheet of paper. Rub
until some of the color comes off onto the paper. You have made the first part of your nature palette! If you know what the item is, you can write its name below the spot of color that you made.
Notice: Is the color on the paper the same as the color you see when looking at your object? How hard did you have to rub to get the color to come out? Is the color deep or light?
Repeat this process with other natural objects in your yard until your page is full.
Congratulations, you have created a nature palette that is unique to your backyard!
Challenge: Try to predict what colors you will be able to harvest from each object before you color with it! You might be surprised.
We would love to see your nature palettes! Send a picture to the Learning Outside phone or via email.
Your Learning Outside Instructors
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