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ADVENTURES

daily activities

NEXT DAY

Art Escape

Art of the Wild

Many of us have seen drawings or paintings of nature, like landscape paintings, but some artists are so inspired by nature that they use things like rocks, leaves, and much more to make their art instead of paints or pencils. Some even create "earthworks" that involve shaping the land itself into new forms! Today, you'll burrow into art in nature and create your own art inspired by the outdoors.

DAY 3

what you’ll need

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FOR PARENTS

Ask About Today

What is one thing in nature that inspired you to create a piece of art with it? Why did it catch your eye?

Dinner Discussion

What kind of Land Art can we make as a family on our next family nature outing?

Skip the Ads

Unfortunately, online videos often start with short advertisements. Remind your campers to click the "Skip" button as soon as they can to move ahead to the video.

explore

45-60 minutes

Part of making art about nature is exploring it. Let's spend some time learning about and getting inspired by the natural beauty around us.

01

National Parks, Natural Inspiration

Get a virtual look at five visually stunning National Parks in the United States, from Alaska to Florida. Notice how different each landscape is in color and texture. Which is your favorite?

02

A Different Kind of Watercolor

Fascinated by the water? Take a deep breath and go on a virtual dive with these four videos, then check out the photos of eight different National Marine Sanctuaries. If you were to create a piece of art inspired by one of these sanctuaries, which would it be and why?

03

Environmental Artists

Check out these six awesome environmental artists who are still alive and working today! Some of them create artwork that looks like something from another world. Have you ever seen art like this before? Is that what you imagine when you think of art? Why or why not?

04

Andy Goldsworthy in Focus

YouTube thumbnail

Learn more about Andy Goldsworthy, a famous environmental artist who uses stone, leaves, wood, and even ice in his work. He's also our inspiration for today's Create activity! Watch him at work in this video.

Remember: Online videos often start with ads. Click "Skip" as soon as you can.

05

Exploring Land Art

There any many ways to create art with nature. One famous art movement was called Land Art. Check out this article from Super Simple to see how they made art inspired by Andy Goldsworthy, too!

06

Meet a Sand Artist

YouTube thumbnail

Artist Jim Denevan has been using the beach for his canvas for more than 20 years. He creates enormous, science-inspired artworks in the sand, where they remain only until the tide comes in. Head to the shore with him in this video from Great Big Story.

create

30-60 minutes

Get ready to get your hands dirty. Today we're making some natural found-object art of our own.

01

Make Your Own Natural Artwork

Start by finding five or more types of natural materials from your backyard, along your street, or even in your kitchen. You can use leaves, flowers, grass, dirt, food like beans or fruits, sticks, rocks and more. The possibilities are endless, and you can use the same material more than once to create a design that uses repetition—so be sure to collect enough.

Once you have your materials, organize them into a unique and interesting design. Many artists like to use a circular shape so that the viewer’s eye easily travels around the whole piece of art, but what yours looks like is totally up to you.You don't have to glue your design down or even put it on an actual piece of paper—arrange it where you like and take a photo to capture your work, like Andy Goldsworthy does!

Share your work! We'd love to see it. Ask a parent to email a photo to us or share it on Instagram or Twitter by tagging @CampKinda.

move

15-30 minutes

01

Take an Inspiration Walk

What inspires you in nature? With permission from an adult, take a walk outside and identify at least 10 things you see that inspire you. Try to find 10 natural elements or materials like plants, clouds, puddles, or rocks!

Think about why they inspire you. Is it the shape? Do they remind you of something else or make you feel a certain emotion? Can you make another piece of art inspired by what you found?

Consider making a drawing, creating a piece of land art, or even taking a photo of whatever inspired you most. Talk with a family member or friend about the item you found most inspiring and why.

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