This week, #PLAYfulpreschool is all about evergreen trees! For my part, I wanted to share an idea for pine tree art for kids to create together.
An art project for kids to create while exploring science
Our classroom science center has pine branches, pine needles, and pine cones in it right now. The kiddos and I sat down to explore them together over the past few days. We talked about evergreen trees and how they’re different from deciduous trees. My students felt the pine needles and pine cones, commenting on the different textures. We also smelled the pine branches and compared the needles to deciduous trees’ leaves.
After our explorations, I decided it would be fun to create another collaborative piece of art for the classroom. It turned out to be a fun extension of their science activities.
Evergreen tree art project for kids to make together
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How we created
We decided to paint the canvas first, and we chose green paint because pines are everGREEN trees! 🙂 Some of the kiddos used pine needle “brushes” to paint the canvas.
Once the green paint was dry, we gathered the rest of the items. I called each child over one or two at a time. Each of them could pick one or two pieces to add to the canvas. The children chose their items with great care and helped me glue everything down. They were so focused and precise while creating this piece of process art together! I was very impressed with how many of them remembered my glue gun rules, too.
I know I’m very biased, but I love how this evergreen artwork turned out! The colors of brown and green are beautiful together. I especially love the three-dimensional aspect of it. It’s almost like a tiny forest on the canvas.
The children delved into science as we discussed different types of trees and how they change (or don’t change) throughout the seasons. They used most of their senses to explore the pine tree components. Their creativity and teamwork definitely came into play within the process of our art! Language skills and vocabulary were incorporated as we had various conversations before, during, and after our art project.
Do you have any tree-themed art projects for kids to create? What’s your favorite way to get kiddos to make art together?