Child Activity: Nature Portraits
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Guest Post: Tinkerwonderplay
This Afternoon Activity is part of an ongoing series between Maple and Tinkerwonderplay.
Join us on Instagram LIVE once a month on Thursday with your toddler as we explore new activities and play with our kids…
Nature Portraits: Grab your littles for a nature walk to find these materials and some items around the house you already have.
Here’s what you’ll need:
✔️Gather flowers, sticks, leaves, rocks, wood scraps, pine cones, acorns, and twigs.
✔️A piece of paper, place mat, wooden cutting board, or paper plate.
Next, invite the child to create their own interpretations of a portrait of anyone with the natural loose parts they found in the nature walk on the face (paper, place mat, wooden cutting board, or paper plate) This type of activity stimulates children's thinking, to inspire them artistically, to empower them to take control over their learning, to open their minds, to create an environment for reflection, to challenge children, and to encourage creativity. They are able to understand their own interpretations of faces and become more aware/familiar of body parts in an open ended way.
Absorbing nature around us and gathering natural materials as much as possible in the early childhood setting provides opportunity for the child to become aware of the world around them. With natural materials it is a great accessible way for a child to pay attention to all the details nature provides. It’s an amazing way children can explore textures, examine different specimens, and connect with the natural world.
To extend the activity you can ask them to make critters or even famous people!
Tinkerwonderplay is run by Yasmeen Kamrani . Yasmeen is the Administrator of three preschools in Alameda, CA. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with a focus on Human Resources & Marketing, a minor in Human Development specializing in Early Childhood Education, as well as a Master of Science in Early Childhood Education. She has 20 years of combined experience in the classroom and administration. She believes children thrive in an environment filled with intention, beauty, curiosity, and wonder. Her goal is to provide resources to empower educators, parents, and anyone for all things Early Childhood.