Toddlers love going on walks, especially when they can stop along the way for some exploration. Give them a bag and invite them to collect leaves and sticks. This is a great way to explore nature while also working large motor skills. After examining what was found, these make great surfaces for paint at the art table! CLICK HERE to if you want to add a nature scavenger hunt to your walk (free printable)! When we return to the classroom, I place several trays on the table so we can empty the bags and take a look at everything we collected. I will provide magnifying glasses so the children can take a closer look. We then sort the leaves by color and notice their sizes. We line the sticks up and compare their sizes, too! I will also include some nature books such as:
Leaves by Carol Lawrence Thank you, Tree by Editors of Storey Publishing A Pile of Leaves by Tamara Shopsin Tree by Britta Teckentrup
The remainder of the collection goes to our art table for some painting fun! Paint can be poured in containers, randomly placed around the table along with brushes. I love group art because it encourages the children to work in a shared space while they move around the table painting the various items. Here are some other examples of group art that we’ve done:
Painting with Corks Creating Rainbows with Toy Cars Scrub Painting Watercolor Dropper Painting
If you would prefer for this to be individual art, you can have separate trays for each child involved along with the leaves and sticks.
Leaves Sticks Tempera paint (I went with browns, oranges and greens, but it’s your choice what colors to use.) Paintbrushes
Note: I was thrilled when we found giant leaves on our walk, so that’s what you will see in the photos. Aren’t they nice? I love all the surface area to paint on! Notice the different sizes and textures, especially when comparing the leaves to the sticks. Then, invite them to start painting! Since the leaves are flat, it’s similar to painting on paper. They might even want to flip the leaves over and paint the other side. The sticks, however, are 3-dimensional. This means the children will notice that they can paint on top, on the sides, and even on the bottom (possibly wanting to pick them up so all areas can get covered with paint). If you are doing the group activity, be prepared that the children will want to paint the paper that covers the table, too. This is one reason why I love covering our tables with big sheets of paper. Toddlers love big motions, and this is a great for strengthening fine motor skills. As they are making those big paint strokes across the paper, they are not only using their hands, but also their entire arm and shoulder, too! Simply paint one of the leaves and press it paint-side down on a fresh sheet of 8.5″ x 11″ paper. When they pick up the leaf, they will see a print on their paper! This is also a nice addition if you want something that the children can actually take home. Leaf Baggie Painting (with Free Printable) Watercolor Leaves for the Window Leaf Suncatchers Circle Time: Free Leaf Props Table Activity: Free Leaf Symmetry Cards Small Groups: Leaf Sorting (with Free Printables) Here is my Privacy Policy
