http://www.readwritethink.org/parent-afterschool-resources/activities-projects/natural-world-inspiration-outdoor-30610.html
Contribute to ReadWriteThink / RSS / FAQs / Site Demonstrations / Contact Us
- About IRA
- About NCTE
- About Verizon Thinkfinity
- Standards
- Our Advisors
- Our Authors
- Community Stories
- Promotional Materials
- News
Learn All Year Long
ReadWriteThink has a variety of resources for out-of-school use. Visit our Parent & Afterschool Resources section to learn more.
Home › Parent & Afterschool Resources › Activities & Projects
Activity
The Natural World as Inspiration: An Outdoor Art Show
E-mail
/
Share
/
Print This Page
/
Print All Materials (Note: Handouts must be printed separately)
| Grades | K – 6 |
| Activity Time | 1-1 ½ hours to explore, create the artwork, and write the artist’s statement, plus time to display the art and go on the gallery walk. The gallery walk may be done on a different day. |
| Activity Author |
Portland, Oregon |
| Publisher |  |
Activity Description
From sticks and leaves to flowers and dirt, kids love to explore the outdoors. In this activity, children examine the contents of their yards or playgrounds for materials that they can incorporate into an art project. When finished creating, they can write “artist’s statements” about their pieces and hang them up on clotheslines, fences, or porches for an outdoor art gallery walk.
Why This Is Helpful
By investigating their surroundings to find the perfect materials for their art pieces, children will have to practice making decisions, gathering and evaluating items to determine which ones will work best together. When they write their artist’s statements, they will have the opportunity to think about what their artwork means to them or why they like it and why they chose certain materials. These practices help children learn critical thinking skills such as analysis, synthesis, and judgment.