I’ve talked to parents who avoid Art projects all together, because of the mess that they create. I totally get it! Sometimes I’m cleaning up remnants of paint and glitter for days, under tabletops and in the cracks in floorboards. All for the sake of a few moments of creativity! However, the outdoors offers a space that doesn’t need to be wiped, mopped, or vacuumed. Hence my love for outside Art.
This project is fun on both the snow and wet pavement, so I encourage you to try both!
What you’ll need:
Thin cardboard (for example, from a cereal box);
scissors;
empty spice bottles (the smaller the holes, the better); and
powdered tempera (found at any craft store).
To begin, make your stencils. Bend a sheet of cardboard in half and cut out half of an image along the fold; then unfold. I tried to think of objects that were, for the most part, symmetrical in nature, such as a rainbow, a flower, a butterfly and a heart.
Fill your empty spice bottles with powdered tempera. I’ve found the best way to do this is to use a funnel, if you have one. Depending on what brand of spice you get, sometimes the holes tend to be large. If this is the case, use some tape to cover up some of the holes, so not as much come out at once.
On snow: Find a flat, untouched area to place your stencil.
On pavement/concrete: Make sure you place your stencil on a wet, flat area. Place rocks on top, if it’s windy.
Sprinkle your choice of colors on the stencil, until the image is completely covered.
Very carefully, lift away the stencil, so as not to spill any excess powdered tempera resting on top.
Recycle the cardboard stencils and spice bottles and then let nature do the rest in cleaning up the beautiful mess you made! I hope you give this project a try!
Comments