We live in an area surrounded by natural bushland and far from the ocean but that doesn’t mean we can’t go to the beach. We’re lucky to have some nice river beaches in our local area and my kids love going there to swim and play in the coarse river sand, sometimes collecting the smooth flat rocks that can be found in abundance. Last time we visited we decided to use some of these rocks to create earth art. Earth art is a simple, fun and free nature craft for kids of any age – and maybe even for adults too. It’s creative, open-ended and environmentally friendly. There is definitely something about getting your fingers and toes in the sand that is soothing and relaxing, so don’t be afraid to have a dabble with it yourself!
Sand makes a great base for creating earth art, although of course you don’t need sand. You can create earth art anywhere outside using the earth as a canvas; it might be grass, dirt, leaves, mud, clay, you get the picture. I started it off by idly making some rock faces whilst the kids were splashing in the water and my daughter joined in by drawing heads and bodies for my faces and together we added more rocks and sticks to the picture. We used pine needles for hair, small rocks for teeth, sticks for arms and bark for a nose. It’s pretty easy to get carried away with this activity.
Miss K requested I make her a mermaid tail like I’ve done once before, and we also created a giant flower using large rocks for the petals.
It was a sunny, rainy, cloudy sort of day and the kids were caught swimming in the rain but that just adds to the fun when you’re in the water anyway, doesn’t it?
Have you ever made earth art with your kids? It’s such a simple and enjoyable way to create, and it costs nothing at all.
More nature craft ideas
• Make a mosaic suncatcher using leaves
• Paint leaves as decorations – we made these at Christmas time but you can do it at any time of year
• Make rock cakes for pretend play
• Create a mermaid city in the sand
• Make bush critters using natural materials
• Make a cute little rock chick
• Use rocks to make a funny face puzzle
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After looking at your posted pictures, I think that this activity is really quite soothing and relaxing. Some people, I believe also calls this as environment art. We should really develop more appreciation towards this art form. In this way, we can promote ecological awareness and preservation. I thank you for this blog. Looking forward to see more of your posts in the future.
You’re welcome, it does have a very low impact on the environment 🙂