Example: An ocean scene
I see a seal. I see a shark. I see some jellies, fish, and some coral, too. And I see seaweed. Hmm, I see some eyes lurking in the dark. What or who could be hiding in the underwater cave?
A family worked together to create this underwater scene.
Activity: Create a nature scene with paper
Materials: What do you need?
- A large piece of paper, card, or recycled cardboard for your background (Tip: You can paint your background if you’d like!)
- Scissors
- Construction paper or scraps of paper of different colors (Tip: Add recycled materials like gift wrap, fabric scraps, bottle caps, or even dried lentils, beans, or pasta.)
- Glue stick (or craft glue or paste)
- Tweezers (Not essential, but these are a helpful tool if you want to arrange small bits of paper on your background.)
Ideas for scenes
Here are a few ideas for scenes to get you thinking:
- Rainforest canopy full of birds, snakes, frogs, and insects, with blue sky overhead
- Pond scene, where you show above and below the water surface
- Close up of the grass in your backyard and the insects that inhabit this miniature world
- Tide pools full of anemones, fish, algae, and other life
- Nighttime in the forest, with shadowy trees and the glowing eyes of carnivores on the hunt for prey
- Rocky beach, with shorebirds exploring in search of tasty crustaceans and mollusks
- Community garden, with raised garden beds full of veggies, fruit trees, a compost bin, and a team of eager gardeners
- Group of friends cleaning up a park or river
- Kid reading a book about adventures in a far off land, with thought bubbles showing what this land looks like and what animals live there
You can do this activity by yourself or with a friend, family member, or a group of classmates.
Have fun!
If you’d like to share your art with us, parents or guardians can email artwork to the Editors at kids [@] mongabay.com.
