How to get kids interested in nature and art

When I was a kid I spent 90% of my awake, non-school time outside. My parents had, well, let’s call it a ‘light touch’, and allowed me to wander happily away from the boundaries of home into whatever environment I was in. I loved it. From digging pretend cauldrons in the dirt for my potions, to learning to identify tracks of lizards in the sand (disclaimer, I did live in desert-type countries and the lizards weren’t dangerous. I don’t think), nature was endlessly interesting and is the main source of my artistic inspiration today. Give me a pencil and I will draw a leaf. I absolutely can’t help it.

Anyway, all of this to say, I believe spending time outdoors in nature is fundamental to our mental and physical health, and our understanding of the world around us. And of course, this starts from the beginning. 

Another quick tangent for you, my daughter was born in Copenhagen, where they take fresh air SO seriously, that whatever the temperature, parents leave their babies to sleep in their buggies outside, whilst they go inside for hot coffee and warm pastries. Brilliant.

So, how do you get young kids outside and excited about art and nature? 

Here are some tips:

Nature checklist - the OG activity for nature walks, grab some paper, draw or write a few things they need to find. Some easy, some harder. Put some tick boxes next to them, because we all love a checklist, and off you go. If the littles need extra motivation, make it a competition, race or mention the words ‘ice cream at the end’. Include drawing into the mix for the slightly older ones.

Mosaic pictures - this tends to work better when I find some pictures beforehand (google DIY pebble art for kids or something similar) and then decide with my daughter what we’re going to create. Then off we go, collecting pebbles and leaves, putting them into butterfly shapes or whatever it may be. Let them take pictures of their creations. Andy Goldsworthy here we come!

Painting pebbles - for when the weather is good and we can sit outside for a while, collecting pebbles and painting them is always fun. Again, sometimes it can be helpful to have visual reference, but I usually just let my daughter go for it and then if I can’t fight it, then I’ll have a little 'go over' at the end.

Bark rubbing - works on trees, but also any other rough surface. Crayons, paper, it’s super simple and keeps them entertained for longer than you imagine. It's a great way to talk about texture and how things look vs how they feel. At the end take them home, add a couple of googly eyes and a smile and they become fun tree monsters.

So there are some starter ideas that I hope you have fun with!

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If you’re interested in more kids, art and nature content, then let me know!

(By the way, I also think art is good for you, see other post here)

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