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Earth Day Arts & Crafts
Nature Art Earthcakes: Cover the work surface with newspaper. Place a tub of each of the following on the art table or floor: sand, dirt, salt, gravel. Have small pitchers of water plus old bowls and spoons nearby. Let each child concoct an earthcake by choosing some of the materials in the tubs, mixing them in a bowl with water. Let the earthcakes dry. Have the children collect items on a walk to decorate their cakes, such as twigs, grass, stones, etc. Nature Creations Collect a variety of nature items: sea shells, dried wheat, grasses, and flowers, sand, rocks, pebbles, bark, twigs, and small branches. Put these out with glue and foam trays and let the kids go for it. Earth's Colors To make natural earth colors, you'll need red cabbage, beets, celery tops, carrot tops, and vinegar. Simmer each vegetable in water, drain, saving the liquids. Mix one tablespoon of vinegar into each liquid, and let cool. Let the children use the natural colors and brushes to paint a large piece of muslin or cotton fabric. Let dry and hand in the playroom for all to see. Earth Painting Fingerpaint with mud indoors or out. Let the children mix dirt with water until it reaches the desired consistancy. Then they can paint on the art table, sidewalk, or even the tile floor if you are brave! Birthday Cakes Use playdoh or make sawdust clay, using 2 cups sawdust, 1 cup wallpaper paste, and water. Mix the paste and the sawdust, and add water slowly until you have a thick dough. Model, decorate, and let harden overnight. Add some of the following materials to the sawdust clay or playdoh to encourage cakemaking: birthday candles or straws cut to candle height, small paper doilies or coffee filters to set the cakes on, and yarn and/or collage material to decorate the cakes. Little Earths
we make "little earths" with:
Coffee filters and blue and green colored water (with food color) and eyedroppers Fill a muffin tin with blue water and green colored water The children use the eyedropper to pick up the water and place it on the coffee filter. (great for small motor control), When they dry, they look like the Earth...at times I label...Happy Earth Day 199___.
Marble Painting Earths
Have circles cut out of blue construction paper to fit just inside of a pie pan. Have the children put a marble into some blue paint and into some green paint. Use a spoon to take it out... move the pie pan back and forth and create "an earth".. We then talk about what the green stands for and what the blue stands for. (I show them a globe first..and we talk about all the different names for the earth.)--ie...world...globe...earth...etc. Making Recycled Paper
A Step-By-Step Procedure (This is one method, but I think there is an easier way using embroidery hoops as the frames, and just pouring the pulp onto it) An adult will have to use a food processor and an electric iron. Both can be dangerous. You need: 2 full newspaper pages torn into 2-inch squares, can add construction paper scaps also torn into pieces- old food processor (never to be used for food again) - 2 tablespoons white glue - 2 or 3 cups water - sink with 4 inches water - old panty hose - coat hangers - electric iron Optional: insect screen - strainer - food coloring - dryer lint Step #1 Undo the coat hanger and use the wire to make a flat square about 6 by 6 inches big. Stretch one leg of the panty hose over it. Take your time; it could snag. If you put tape on the ends of the wire, it will snag less. Make sure it is tight and flat. Tie knots in the hose. Use the other leg for another piece of paper. You will need one frame for every piece of paper you make. You might want to make more than one or two. Step #2 Put a handful of the paper and some water into the food processor. Close the food processor and turn it on high. Keep adding paper and water until you have a big gray blob. You may have to add a little more water to keep things moving smoothly. Keep the food processor on until all the paper has disappeared. Then leave it on for 2 whole minutes. Put the glue in the sink water and add all of the paper pulp you just made. Mix it really well. Use your hands. Mix up the sink water again and then scoop the frame to the bottom of the sink. Lift it real slow. Count to 20 slowly while you are lifting. Let the water drain out for about a minute. Mix up the sink every time you make a new piece. Step #3 Try other things like the screen or a strainer. Try adding lots of food coloring, or lint, or leaves, to the food processor. Now you have to hang the frames on a clothesline or put them out in the sun. Wait until they are completely dry with no dampness at all. You Can then gently peel off the paper. Have a grown-up use the iron - set on the hottest setting - to steam out your paper. You can keep making paper until the pulp is all strained out of the sink. See how strong your paper is. Trim it with scissors. Write on it. It is strong. P.S. from Beakman: Don't be fooled. When a bag or a box says that it is
100% recyclable that means that you can recycle it. It does not mean that it
is made out of recycled paper. Mural Forest
To make a tree, press a child's hand into green tempera paint. Keeping the fingers & thumb close together, press the hand on a roll piece of white butcher paper, making the tree, leaves and branches. Have the children print their hands as many times as they would like on the same paper to make a forest. Use a brown maker sideways, print the child's names under their trees to make the trunks. Trash Collage:
Use throw away paper, labels, scraps cut from junk mail, everything you can find that is typically thrown away - to make a collage. Art:
Keeping the aluminum theme, we painted on tin foil wrapped around card board with a mixture of washable paint and white glue. Then we put out different objects for etching the paint like craft sticks and spatulas. The children painted and etched and then painted over the etching and etched again. They loved it! Earth Day Links Dear Reader: You can help us make this theme even better! All of our theme ideas have come from our imagination and from reader submissions. Please use this form to contact us if you have crafts, activities, games, recipes, songs or poems that you would like us to add to this theme. Webmasters and Authors: We will gladly include a link back to your site or book in exchange for sharing your content. Just contact us!
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