Think Outside the Easel for Summertime Fun

Welcome to the June Carnival of Natural Parenting: Outdoor fun
This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama. This month our participants have shared their stories and tips for playing outside with kids. Please read to the end to find a list of links to the other carnival participants.
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The shining sun, beauty of nature and warm weather are beckoning us outside as soon as we rise each morning. We find ourselves in the backyard, taking walks, having picnics and visiting the park for the bulk of our days.  With Everett, most of that time is spent playing sports or digging in the dirt. The rest of that time is spent answering the endless questions he has about the world he is exploring. 

I love these days. They feel carefree and endless as they run into each other.  There are some things I would miss, though, if we spent all of our days like this. One of those things is art. Creating art is one of our very favorite activities to do together and I would hate to let it fall by the wayside during the next few months as we spend more time outside than inside. In lieu of the crayon and marker drawings, play-dough sculptures, and fabric collages, I have compiled a list of outdoor art activities for us to engage in I'd like to share with you...

Bodies in Motion

Materials: sidewalk chalk

Have your child lay down on the sidewalk or driveway while assuming the position of someone playing sports or another activity.  For example, she could bend her knees like she's jumping and put hands above her head like shooting a basketball. Use sidewalk chalk to trace around her body.  Have her fill in the drawing with designs and color.

Sheet Painting

Materials: old light or white colored sheet, spray bottles, water, liquid or powdered tempera paints

Hang old sheet on a fence or clothesline, tying down the corners, or lay on the ground, weighing corners down with rocks. If using liquid temperas, fill spray bottles half with water and half with paint. If using powdered temperas, mix according to directions but double the amount of water called for and fill bottles with mixed paint. Allow kids to go crazy Jackson-Pollock style with the spray bottles!

Nature Walk and Collage

Materials: basket or other container for collecting, paper, glue, crayons/markers

Take a walk in an area rich with nature and wildlife collecting evidence of nature along the way: leaves, twigs, seeds, bark, etc.  Bring them back to a table and use your evidence of nature to glue together a collage. Embellish with crayons, markers, etc.

Body Painting

Materials: body/face paint, paint brushes

Body Paint: Mix liquid or powdered tempera paints with baby shampoo into as many jars as needed for colors wanted.

Face Paint recipe: Mix 6 Tbsp. cornstarch and 2 Tbsp. flour together in a bowl. Gradually stir in 3/4 cup light corn syrup and 1/4 cup water until smooth. Divide mixture into separate containers as needed for different colors. Mix food coloring into each jar until desired color is achieved.

The body paint works best, but the face paint will work fine if you don't have temperas or don't want to use them. The face paint recipe is a little more transparent and quite sticky but cleans up easily.
Add a paintbrush to each color, take your kiddos outside in a swimsuit and let them have at it! Just turn on the hose, maybe add a little soap if you use the face paint, and let the kids run wild again to get it all cleaned up. 

Nature Rubbing Book

Materials: Several small pieces of thin paper all the same size, crayons without wrappers

Take a walk around the neighborhood or park with your supplies.  Encourage your child to place a paper over objects/surfaces and rub with a crayon to pick up the texture. Label with the source. Take home to describe the textures, compare and/or organize then bind to make a book. 

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Visit Hobo Mama and Code Name: Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!
Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:

• Garden Treats — Asha at Mom Costume has once again been bitten by the gardening bug — and this time her baby's tagging along for some fresh air and dirt exploration. (@titbagsandsnoot)
• Outdoor Free Roam — Mamapoekie at Authentic Parenting follows her daughter's lead whenever they go outside. (@mamapoekie)
• Summer fun in Austin with a toddler — Jessica at This Is Worthwhile is brainstorming ways to beat the heat in Texas. (@tisworthwhile)
• summer fun… — Mandy at Living Peacefully with Children is looking forward to spending the summer outside with her children the way she used to spend summers with her mother.
• Outdoor Fun for Pre-Walkers — Maman A Droit has figured out ways to let her pre-walker enjoy the outdoors. (@MamanADroit)
• Summer Homeschool Fun at Camp Review — Deb Chitwood at Living Montessori Now discusses how Camp Review motivated and captivated her homeschooling family. (@DebChitwood)
• Digging, Tree Climbing and Puddle Jumping — Laura at Laura's Blog bemoans the loss of her girls' climbing tree but knows they'll find something else just as naturally tempting.
• The Sweet Smells of Summer — Erin at A Beatnik's Beat on Life is looking forward to the many smells of summer she and her daughters enjoy and identify. (@babybeatnik)
• June Carnival of Natural Parenting: Outdoor Fun — Sybil at Musings of a Milk Maker is a confirmed couch potato who can't help but be inspired by the outdoor opportunities Seattle offers her family. (@sybilryan)
• Take a Hike — Michelle at The Parent Vortex connects with her family and the Earth on frequent hikes in their Pacific wilderness. (@TheParentVortex)
• Following Paul — Julie at Simple Life gives her kids unstructured time to dig in the dirt and pick mulberries. (@homemakerjulie)
• Instilling a Love of the Outdoors in Your Baby/Toddler — Tessasdad at Stay At Home Dad in Lansing offers a photo book of tips for helping your little ones enjoy the outdoors. (@tessasdad)
• Camping, baby! — Jen at Grow With Graces has easy tips for tent camping with a little one. (@growwithgraces)
• Think Outside the Easel for Summertime Fun — Acacia at Be Present Mama finds several ways to bring art fun to the outdoors.
• Outdoor Learning in our Urban Environment — Andrea at Ella-Bean & Co. has found ways to get grass between her daughter's toes, even in the city.
• Outdoor Education — Alison at BluebirdMama offers parents tips and resources for making each outdoor excursion a learning experience. (@childbearing)
• Turning Inside Out — Christie of Childhood 101 finds kids get a kick out of taking indoor toys outside. (@Childhood101)
• Watching Peas Sprout — Deb at Science@home combines fun with purpose in this educational outdoor activity. (@ScienceMum)
• How To Create a Pirate Treasure Hunt & Other Easy Outdoor Pirate Activities (June Carnival of Natural Parenting) — Dionna at Code Name: Mama has pirate-themed play ideas for ye scurvy landlubbers. (@CodeNameMama)
• What We Do — Luschka at Diary of a First Child has managed to expose her 8-month-old to a wide variety of outdoor fun, even with the notoriously dreary UK weather. (@diaryfirstchild)
• Summer Fun — Darcel at The Mahogany Way finds her family's visits to the beach refreshing in so many ways. (@MahoganyWayMama)
• Playing outside without a backyard — Sheryl at Little Snowflakes doesn't let the lack of a backyard stop her family from enjoying the outdoors. There are plenty of things to do outside of your yard! (@sheryljesin)
• Having Fun Outdoors, Playset Free — Guavalicious at They Are So Cute When They Are Sleeping has resisted a backyard playset in favor of the regular backyard. (@guavalicious)
• Moon Gazing with your Toddler — Paige at Baby Dust Diaries is keeping her toddler up at night, but it's for a good reason: to share the wonders of the night sky! (@babydust)
• the great outdoors — The grumbles at grumbles and grunts wonders whether her urban child can experience the same free-range childhood she enjoyed. (@thegrumbles)
• Let's Take It Outside! — NavelgazingBajan at Navelgazing is looking for ideas: how can she spend time with her pre-walker outside this summer? (@BlkWmnDoBF)
• A home by the sea: June Carnival of Natural Parenting: Outdoor fun — Lauren at Hobo Mama is living her dream of a home near the beach, and taking full advantage of it. (@Hobo_Mama)
• An Outside Girl — Zoey at Good Goog moved her family to (almost) the middle of nowhere so that her outdoor-loving girl could have more grass and less concrete. (@zoeyspeak)
• Neighborhood Nature — Kelly at Kelly Naturally has learned to connect with the nature she has instead of mourning the nature she misses. (@kellynaturally)
• Building Lovely Memories of Swimming, Spiders and Gravestones — Joni Rae at Tales of a Kitchen Witch and her family are simply outdoorsy people. (@kitchenwitch)
• "Buh-Bye" Season — Danielle at born.in.japan must leave laundry behind and follow her son's call to the outdoors. (@borninjp)
• Backyard Camping — Becoming Mamas took her family camping very close to home! (@becomingmamas)
• The Color of Dreams — Seeking Mother at Woman Seeking Mother makes gardening magical by teaching her son that each flower is a faery. (@seekingmother)