During the final weeks of summer, we tend to appreciate being outdoors so we can make the most of the remaining warm, sunny days. In this article we share some fun art and sensory activities to enjoy outdoors with the little ones in your care. Each activity requires only a few materials, making them both budget-friendly and easy to set up!
This outdoor activity combines creativity with a summertime favorite– bubble blowing! You’ll need just a few simple items: food coloring, bubble solution from a bubble blowing kit (or you can make your own by mixing water and dish detergent together), bubble wands (if you don’t have bubble wands, find an easy DIY option using pipe cleaners here), white card stock/construction paper, and small plastic cups. Set-up is easy, and can be done ahead of time. Start by pouring a small amount of bubble solution and five drops of food coloring to each cup, so that each cup contains a different colored bubble mixture. Then stir the food coloring and bubble solution together until fully combined. Place the white paper on the grass or sidewalk and bring the cups of colored bubble solution and the bubble wands outside. Once you are ready to start, invite little ones to dip a wand into the bubble solution, and then blow bubbles towards the paper. As the bubbles pop above the paper, they will leave behind unique patterns and designs of various colors.
This taste-safe sensory art activity can be set up anywhere that you have some empty sidewalk. All you will need are the following items: cornstarch, water, a mixing bowl, a muffin tin, a variety of paint brushes, and food coloring. To prepare the paint, mix the cornstarch and water together until you have reached the desired paint consistency. It should be watery enough to spread, but thick enough to show up on the pavement. Pour the mixture into the muffin tin and add a drop of food coloring to each muffin tin section. Mix the food coloring and corn starch mixtures together until you have the desired color. Offer the paints to the children in your care with a few paint brushes and invite them to get creative!
With this outdoor activity, children get to create art using a unique medium: spray bottles! To set up this fun art project, you’ll need a few spray bottles, liquid watercolors (if you don’t have watercolors, you can also dilute washable paint), water, and a large piece of paper. You might also want to have a few towels handy in case the children get wet! Simply fill each spray bottle with a different watercolor and invite children to spray the paper! See what kinds of unique designs they create and talk with them about the new colors that are created when two colors are sprayed in the same spot!
Do you have young children in your classroom or program who love to play with cars? If so, they will enjoy this simple car wash sensory bin activity! To set it up, you will need two plastic bins (either a large bin and a smaller bin that will fit inside the larger one, or two same-sized bins placed side-by-side), along with dirt, water, and toy cars. Fill the large bin with dirt and water to make some mud, and put water with dish soap, along with a few sponges/dish brushes, in the small bin. Let the children move the cars through the mud, and then invite them to get their cars washed by swishing them in the bin containing soapy water. The children can let the washed cars dry in the sun, or you can offer them towels to dry off the cars.
This messy, process art project is a fun way for children to paint in a different way! You’ll use the following materials: water balloons, water, tempera paint, construction paper, and something to put the paints in (such as small bowls or a muffin tin). Fill the water balloons up with water, and tie them off. Offer them to the children along with the paper and tempera paints, and encourage the children to use the water balloons to stamp color onto the paper! The squishy feeling of the water balloon will provide a unique sensory experience, and the unusual marks left by the balloon on the paper will result in a colorful artistic design. This is a great one to do outdoors, since making a creative mess is part of the fun!
