Twenty External Art Projects Suitable for Children
Embrace the sunny season with a collection of fun and educational outdoor art activities that encourage creativity, connection to nature, and hands-on learning. From nature weaving to splatter painting, these activities are perfect for summer, nature study, STEAM, and process art.
Nature Weaving
Create textile art using twigs, flowers, and leaves woven on a simple loom made from sticks. This unique combination of plant study and creative expression is a great way to foster a love for nature.
Splatter Painting
Take your canvas outdoors and let the kids loose with paint splattering techniques for a messy, dynamic process art experience. The freedom to explore and create will ignite their imagination.
Squirt Gun Painting
Fill squirt guns with diluted paint and let the kids shoot onto large sheets of paper. Blending physical play with creative painting outdoors will create a memorable experience.
Nature Paint Brushes
Encourage creativity and tactile exploration of nature textures by making paintbrushes from natural materials like twigs, leaves, or pine needles.
Suncatchers with Natural Items
Create suncatchers using pine cones, beads, or flower petals to hang in windows, combining art and observation of natural light effects.
Rain Painting
Use rain to influence watercolor or ink paintings, embracing weather and natural processes as part of the art activity.
Sidewalk Chalk Art
Use colorful chalk to draw flowers, butterflies, and other summer shapes on sidewalks or patios, encouraging outdoor creativity.
Beach Mandalas and Sandcastles
On beach trips, arrange rocks, shells, and sand into mandala patterns or build sandcastles, combining nature materials and art forms.
Plant and Seed Experiments and Crafts
Engage kids with plant science projects like leaf color experiments or growing activities that mix science learning with creativity.
Decorate an Outdoor Canvas or Paint Rocks
Use outdoor easels and washable paints to create large-scale art, or decorate rocks with paint and googly eyes for nature-inspired crafts.
Painting with Sunlight
A STEAM-inspired process art activity where children use sunlight to create images, combining science (light effects) with creative expression.
Bubble Painting
Blow bubbles with colored solution and press paper on top to create whimsical patterns.
Tie-Dye Paper Towels
Fold and color paper towels with markers, then spray with water for a tie-dye effect.
DIY Nature Paintbrushes
Make paintbrushes from twigs, pine needles, grass, and leaves, promoting texture and fine motor skills.
Rain Painting, Sun Prints, Ice Cube Painting, Water Gun Painting, and Fly Swatter Painting
These activities are great for getting kids excited about art while promoting minimal stress for grown-ups.
Cleanup Tips
- Use washable materials.
- Lay down an old sheet or tarp.
- Rinse tools and tables with a hose.
- Have a change of clothes on hand.
Organizing Art Supplies
A supply caddy made from dollar store caddies can help organize paints, brushes, glue, scissors, tape, markers, chalk, oil pastels, stamps, and stamp pads.
Setting Up an Outdoor Art Area
Fill a storage bin with materials like scrap cardboard, cereal boxes, bubble wrap, tissue paper, and paper scraps to create a DIY art station.
Painted Rocks and Nature Weaving
Decorate rocks with fun designs like fruit, animals, or patterns, or weave flowers, grass, and sticks into yarn or cardboard looms for a beautiful nature-inspired craft.
Outdoor Art Project Guide
A free outdoor art project guide is available for download to help set up the next outdoor art project.
3D Effect Puffy Sidewalk Paint
Create puffy sidewalk paint that dries with a 3D effect, perfect for drawing on pavement or cardboard.
Homemade Chalk and Sidewalk Paint
Make homemade chalk and sidewalk paint with simple household ingredients.
Fizzing Sidewalk Paint
Create fizzing sidewalk paint by mixing baking soda and paint, then spraying with vinegar for fizzy, foamy sidewalk art.
Joining the Library Club Membership
Joining the Library Club Membership provides access to a complete library of art and STEM printables, helping to keep hands-on, high-quality learning alive.
Embrace the outdoors this summer and let your kids' creativity flourish with these engaging and educational outdoor art activities.
- Weave textile art with twigs, flowers, and leaves using a simple loom made from sticks, fostering a love for nature.
- Let the kids embrace messiness with splatter painting on large canvases outdoors, igniting their imagination.
- Fill squirt guns with diluted paint and create unique paintings by shooting onto paper, blending physical play and creative painting outdoors.
- Make paintbrushes from natural materials like twigs, leaves, or pine needles for a tactile exploration of nature textures.
- Combine art and observation of natural light effects by crafting suncatchers using pine cones, beads, or flower petals.
- Let rain influence watercolor or ink paintings, embracing weather and natural processes as part of the art activity.
- Draw flowing designs and summer shapes on sidewalks or patios using colorful chalk, encouraging outdoor creativity.
- On beach trips, arrange rocks, shells, and sand into mandala patterns or build sandcastles, blending nature materials and art forms.
- Engage kids with plant science projects like leaf color experiments or growing activities to mix science learning with creativity.
- Decorate rocks with paint and googly eyes, or weave flowers, grass, and sticks into yarn or cardboard looms for nature-inspired crafts.
- Use sunlight to create images in a STEAM-inspired process art activity, blending science and creative expression.
- Blow bubbles with colored solution and press paper on top to create whimsical patterns, or fold and color paper towels with markers for a tie-dye effect.
