Nature Portraits

Another afternoon activity with Grow Maple is set for 7/8 @ 4pm. Join us as we make Nature Portraits.

Grab your littles for a nature walk to find these materials and some items around the house you already have.

Here’s what you’ll need:

✔️Gather flowers, sticks, leaves, rocks, wood scraps, pine cones, acorns, and twigs. ✔️A piece of paper, place mat, wooden cutting board, or paper plate.

Next invite the child to create their own interpretations of a portrait of anyone with the natural loose parts they found in the nature walk on the face (paper, place mat, wooden cutting board, or paper plate) This type of activity stimulates children's thinking, to inspire them artistically, to empower them to take control over their learning, to open their minds, to create an environment for reflection, to challenge children, and to encourage creativity. They are able to understand their own interpretations of faces and become more aware/familiar of body parts in an open ended way.

Absorbing nature around us and gathering natural materials as much as possible in the early childhood setting provides opportunity for the child to become aware of the world around them. With natural materials it is a great accessible way for a child to pay attention to all the details nature provides. It’s an amazing way children can explore textures, examine different specimens, and connect with the natural world.

To extend the activity you can ask them to make critters or even famous people!