Take a short walk around your house or in a nearby park or patch of woods. Keep your eyes open for a plant or flower that catches your attention. It doesn’t matter what it is. Find one that feels good to you, then you know that you have the right one.
When you find your “feel good” plant or flower sit down next to it. Don’t draw right away. Get to know your plant first. Look at where it is growing. Is it in a sunny spot or shady? Is it alone or with other plants? Is it tall or short? Does it make you feel good to sit with it?
Now you can sketch. Do not be concerned with making it perfect. Focus on a few things. Look at the leaves: What is their shape? What colour are they? Are the edges smooth or toothed? How about the stem- Is it thick or thin? Round or square? Hairy or smooth? What color is it? Don’t forget the flowers. How many petals does it have? What color is it? What is its shape? Where on the plant do they grow from?
Maybe you can find a good specimen of a leaf from the plant. When you get back home, place the leaf flat, between the pages of a heavy book. Keep the book shut. In a weeks time, the lead will have dried out. You can paste the leaf beside your own sketch of the plant from which you got it.
Do this nature activity with at least three different plants or flowers. One a day is enough, but if you want to, you can do all three at the same time. Now it’s time to go outside and find a plant. Any questions before you begin?
- Pencil
- Sketch pad
We have a huge collection of other Nature activities for kids that you can check out here.