Fall is such a beautiful time.
The crisp air and the changing color of the leaves combine to make a regular weekend outing a special treat. As busy moms, we often get caught up in the details of this season, such as decorating for Halloween, preparing for Thanksgiving meals and making sweet treats.
We do these things for our family; helping them to have a magical holiday season is one of our many responsibilities as parents. But these things pull us away from the activity rather than involve us. Too often, more time is spent in the market, the craft shop or the kitchen than is actually spent doing something together.
It doesn't have to be that way.
Here's a great idea to help you engage with your family during this wonderful season. You'll get the chance to enjoy an activity without being on a time schedule and to participate without multi-tasking. The best thing about this project is that it is easy and fun to do.
Get ready to create nature art!
To start this project, take your family on a day trip.
Your destination could be as close or as far away from home as you like. If you have a special location in mind, go there. If you want to add exploring new terrain to your project, research a good place and check it out. Or you could take a walk in your neighborhood or a local park to find the materials you need. Make sure the area has an abundance of things that can be brought back home, such as leaves and nuts. Take a digital camera with you to capture memories for your scrapbook.
TAKE A HIKE
Start walking! Depending upon where you've chosen to complete this part of the project, you may travel along walking trails or hike off the beaten path.
Turn up your senses and really see everything around you. Smell the air, feel its coolness on your face. Engage your children in discussions about shade and direct sun, the direction of the wind and what animals and bugs you might see along the way.
Children have incredible imaginations. Encourage them to come up with a story as you walk along, using the scenery as inspiration. Add in a couple lines yourself and join in the creative fun!
GATHER YOUR SUPPLIES
Your options are infinite. Gather leaves of different colors, twigs, grasses and smooth stones. Samara seeds (propeller or whirlybird seeds) will add an interesting dimension to your work. Collect dandelions and other flower petals too. Who knows where your creativity will take you when you sit down to work, so get as much variety as you can.
GO TO THE ART STUDIO
Now it's time for the second phase of your work.
Set up all the gathered materials in your art studio (your kitchen table or on a tablecloth spread on the floor) and create your masterpieces. You will need some glue, scissors, crayons or markers, and your imagination. Draw upon what you saw on your nature hike and create a scene.
Fashion samara seeds into butterflies or grass into inchworms. Recreate the area you explored on a large piece of paper, gluing real grass and leaves in place. Combine the gathered material and create an abstract piece.
Whatever you choose, do it together as a family, either as a collaborative effort or individual pieces crafted side by side.
Watching your children create unique works of art will warm your soul.
There is so much to see outdoors during fall. You owe it to yourself to stop doing for and do with every now and then. You'll be glad you did.