Exploring Nature
After the long winter indoors, spring can certainly feel like a blessing. The sunshine and warmer weather, besides boosting the attitudes of your students, can offer great opportunities to move your classroom outdoors. Jen, artist and paint cut paste blog creator, has devised a wonderful nature activity that will be a hit with your preschoolers and kindergartners. Armed with brown paper lunch bags, supervise as your students explore the school yard, playground, and parks surrounding the school collecting natural objects such as leaves, seeds, pine cones, flowers, berries, and sticks. Encourage each child to find five to ten unique articles then return to the group.
Back in the classroom, give each of your students a chunk of modeling clay. Ask them to divide it into smaller pieces, one for each item they've collected, and flatten it onto their desk. Demonstrate how to press the objects into the clay discs to create 'nature prints'. Once the discs are baked, students will have fun sorting by like objects and guessing what natural element made each print.