Art Outside

Hi! It's Scott from Brick by Brick. I love to repurpose materials—use materials in ways different from their intended use. Today I'm thinking about repurposing things for art outside.
Here are some fun outdoor art experiences that we did last summer. I'm thinking it's time to try some of these again.

Flyswatter Painting

Buy plastic flyswatters from the dollar store. Pour paint into shallow containers or dishpans. Dip flyswatters in paint and hit the paper.

We hung the paper on our playground fence. Kids enjoyed hitting the paper. I would advise having several stations for this activity. And it can be messy, so make sure kids are wearing appropriate clothes and stand back when not painting.


Spray Bottle Painting

Fill plastic spray bottles with liquid watercolor and spray away. You can also color water with food color and use that, but the color isn't as vivid.

Make sure the bottles are filled with paint. Bring more to refill the bottles. Our kids loved this and wanted more.


Draw with Chalk and Spray Water

Drawing with chalk on sidewalks or parking lots is a favorite outdoor activity. Bring spray bottles with water, buckets of water, and large paintbrushes. Using these can make the drawings "disappear."

Children enjoyed exploring the different types of activities - drawing, spraying, brushing. Choose an area that will get rain or can be easily sprayed off with a hose. We drew on a covered area and it took a while for the "evidence" to disappear.


Plastic Cups and Fence Sculpture

Repurpose plastic cups of various colors. (Mine were again from the dollar store.) Kids can insert the cups in a fence to create a sculpture or overall pattern. Our kids really enjoyed this different activity. It looked like an art installation after we were finished. I liked the "come and go" nature of this activity. Kids would place one or two cups and then leave; later they would come back and add another one. Other kids would play on the playground for a while and then try the art. And others stayed with the art for a longer while.

Make sure you try the cups in the fence before using with the children. Our cups were just a little too big. Some children had difficulty making them work. (But the crushed sides added some different elements to the sculpture, too.)

Art belongs outside as well as inside. What art experiences have taken you into the great outdoors? What have you repurposed for this outside art?