"Get Your Kids Outside!" Activity #4: Make a Nature Collage!

Here's another great way to get your kids outside AND foster an interest in nature...make a nature collage!  Here's Sammy proudly displaying his finished collage, giving me one of those fake-y squinting smiles that kids give you when you ask them to say cheese...

All this took was a scrap of cardboard out of my studio and a bottle of school glue!  If you don't keep pieces of cardboard around like I do, try cutting open an empty cereal box.  I just like cardboard because it's easy to carry around with heavy stuff stuck to it without it folding.  You could just as easily use paper on a clip board!

If your child is old enough, let him or her squeeze the glue on to the cardboard.  If they aren't comfortable operating the glue bottle, they can point to where they want their next "treasure" to be placed and you can help!

Once the glue is on, stick your item down!  We went on a nice walk around the back yard and found flowers, seeds, leaves, and even a feather.  Sammy had to make a couple runs over to the kiddie pool to wash glue off of his hands...and toes.  ;-)

Off looking for more stuff...

At this point Sammy declared, "it's all done!"  But, we could have continued to add things like sand, leaves, rocks, whatever!  You can even spruce it up more with crayons and glitter.  Once it's done you can set it in the sun to dry while you go paint with water, run in the sprinkler, or make dandelion curls!  ;-)