Here are some suggested prompts for outdoor exploration.
These prompts are divided into grade levels, however many could be used at any grade level.
Some were inspired by Keri Smith's book, How to be an Explorer of the World (2008).
Prompts were devised from the concept that artists and scientists both observe, collect, analyze, compare, and notice patterns.
Kindergarten:
Go on a sensory scavenger hunt.
Collect small objects and sort by shape, texture, color, etc. Use to create a mosaic or collage.
Make colored goggles. Take a walk and see the world like an artist.
Collect sounds, smells, sights, and textures.
Paint with water on different surfaces.
Put a painting out in the rain and watch it change.
Curate and present collections of natural objects.
First Grade:
Befriend a tree. Use all your senses to explore the tree.Make a rubbing from the bark and leaves.
Gather fallen tree parts and experiment with them as tools and materials.
Document faces you find in nature using a camera or sketchbook.
Collect a certain natural object in abundance (for example: fallen leaves).
Play with them and create from them.
Cover paper with Vaseline. Take a walk on a windy day, holding up the paper to create
a chance collage of windblown objects.
Gather pinecones or burrs and make a sculpture from them.
Second Grade:
Explore in an altered state: through colored goggles and from a topsy-turvy viewpoint.
Collect and document found patterns. Incorporate found patterns in artworks.
Match a paint chip color to a natural object. Draw the object on the paint chip.
Collect several.
Take a sensory trust walk. One friend leads another blindfolded friend to feel natural objects.
Make shapes from cardboard. Place in the grass for several days. Remove the cardboard.
Or place natural objects on construction paper outside in the sun to create a sun print.
Artists notice things. Collect shadows in a sketchbook.
Third Grade:
Experiment with water as a process, a tool, and a medium.
Collect stream and/or pond water in a jar. Bring inside and place it in the sun.
Document the changes with a camera or sketchbook.
Watch water. Sketch the motion, light, and reflections. Document the shapes you see in water.
Find art in nature. Take a photograph of what is beautiful to you.
Gather seeds and use them to make a mosaic.
Fourth Grade:
Explore natural dirt and mud. Use them to create something. Combine them with other natural objects.
Make pigments from found natural materials. Use them to paint and draw.
Compare found objects that are nature made, human made, and a combination of the two.
Gather different types of leaves and make prints.
Look at nature upside-down. Try drawing upside-down.
Lie down under a tree and look up. Draw what you see.
Make an outdoor weaving from natural found objects.
Fifth Grade:
Sketch what is seen within a viewfinder. Create an artwork from these observations.
Choose a one cubic foot area of nature. Sketch the space over several days and weeks.
Record your thoughts and questions about what you see, hear, and touch.
Record everything you consume in one day in writing and images.
Create a tactile map of a natural place from found natural objects.
Collect natural objects and make up a story about them.
Design and construct and artwork made from natural materials.
Some were inspired by Keri Smith's book, How to be an Explorer of the World (2008).
Prompts were devised from the concept that artists and scientists both observe, collect, analyze, compare, and notice patterns.
Kindergarten:
Go on a sensory scavenger hunt.
Collect small objects and sort by shape, texture, color, etc. Use to create a mosaic or collage.
Make colored goggles. Take a walk and see the world like an artist.
Collect sounds, smells, sights, and textures.
Paint with water on different surfaces.
Put a painting out in the rain and watch it change.
Curate and present collections of natural objects.
First Grade:
Befriend a tree. Use all your senses to explore the tree.Make a rubbing from the bark and leaves.
Gather fallen tree parts and experiment with them as tools and materials.
Document faces you find in nature using a camera or sketchbook.
Collect a certain natural object in abundance (for example: fallen leaves).
Play with them and create from them.
Cover paper with Vaseline. Take a walk on a windy day, holding up the paper to create
a chance collage of windblown objects.
Gather pinecones or burrs and make a sculpture from them.
Second Grade:
Explore in an altered state: through colored goggles and from a topsy-turvy viewpoint.
Collect and document found patterns. Incorporate found patterns in artworks.
Match a paint chip color to a natural object. Draw the object on the paint chip.
Collect several.
Take a sensory trust walk. One friend leads another blindfolded friend to feel natural objects.
Make shapes from cardboard. Place in the grass for several days. Remove the cardboard.
Or place natural objects on construction paper outside in the sun to create a sun print.
Artists notice things. Collect shadows in a sketchbook.
Third Grade:
Experiment with water as a process, a tool, and a medium.
Collect stream and/or pond water in a jar. Bring inside and place it in the sun.
Document the changes with a camera or sketchbook.
Watch water. Sketch the motion, light, and reflections. Document the shapes you see in water.
Find art in nature. Take a photograph of what is beautiful to you.
Gather seeds and use them to make a mosaic.
Fourth Grade:
Explore natural dirt and mud. Use them to create something. Combine them with other natural objects.
Make pigments from found natural materials. Use them to paint and draw.
Compare found objects that are nature made, human made, and a combination of the two.
Gather different types of leaves and make prints.
Look at nature upside-down. Try drawing upside-down.
Lie down under a tree and look up. Draw what you see.
Make an outdoor weaving from natural found objects.
Fifth Grade:
Sketch what is seen within a viewfinder. Create an artwork from these observations.
Choose a one cubic foot area of nature. Sketch the space over several days and weeks.
Record your thoughts and questions about what you see, hear, and touch.
Record everything you consume in one day in writing and images.
Create a tactile map of a natural place from found natural objects.
Collect natural objects and make up a story about them.
Design and construct and artwork made from natural materials.