Hi-oh, Campers!Â
Welcome to Little Tikes Camp Play@Home! I’m Junior Counselor Jeff (not to be confused with Eco Master Jeff, or as the other counselors know him: ‘Handsome Jeff’). In addition to being a former camper myself, I’ll be your digital guide for all things Camp Play@Home. That’s right, I’ll have tons of videos, activities, games, and more for you to do. All I ask in return is that we keep this year’s hotdog eating contest civil. Things got a little out of hand last year and I still can’t breathe out of my nose.
Any who, at Camp Play@Home, we’ll be bringing you tons of fun stuff for the whole family to do (and a few things to save Camper Mom and Camper Dad’s sanity, too). This Friday, our Outdoors Week activity video goes live, so today we’re going to get things rolling with another fun activity for you and your bunk mates to do together: nature painting!
How You Can Paint with Nature
If your family loves taking long walks or hikes in nature, then your kids are definitely bringing cool rocks, twigs, bugs, and more home with them (like all the time). Instead of having a glass jar with three leaves and a fried lightning bug in it sitting on the porch all summer, why not encourage your kids to create something beautiful with all the leaves, rocks, and twigs (sorry, lightning bugs) they bring home? Here’s everything your kids need to make their own nature paintings:
Something from nature (leaves work best, but grasses or even pine needles work too)
Some paint (preferably washable paint)
Disposable plates
Printer paper
A workspace your kids can get messy
Clear off your kids’ workspace and pour the paint into the disposable plates. Have your kids pick out a few different leaves, grasses, pine needles, or any other natural element that they want to use as a paint brush. Give each of them an extra, empty disposable plate to use as their palette for mixing colors while they paint. Then, let them paint to their hearts’ content!
Using natural elements like leaves as a paintbrush will test your kids creative problem solving. What happens if their leaf isn’t symmetrical? What if the stem breaks? How do different types of leaves / materials affect the strokes of paint? Best of all, whatever your kids end up with is sure to be beautiful. Hang it on the fridge with pride.
Friday’s Camp Play@Home D.I.Y. Microscope Activity
Oh, and before I forget, we’re making D.I.Y. microscopes this Friday for our official Camp Play@Home activity! Here’s everything you need for to participate in this Friday’s D.I.Y. Microscope Activity:
A plastic cup
A rubber band
Safety scissors
Plastic wrap
Some objects from nature
You can download this week’s activity badge, Awesome Adventurer, here. Make sure you print out your badges every week and have your kids color them in. There will be a new badge released every week of Camp Play@Home.
Hope you enjoyed today’s activity. Make sure to snap pictures as you and your bunk mates make nature paintings and D.I.Y. microscopes, and don’t forget to tag us when you post (@OfficialLittleTikes on Instagram, @LittleTikes everywhere else on social media)! Ready for more? Check out the Camp Play@Home website for new videos, activities, games (and some special things especially for you as parents to stay sane) every day!
At Little Tikes, we don’t just make toys, we make play. Looking for more great active play ideas? Check out www.LittleTikes.com for all our latest play tips & tricks!
Bye-oh, Campers!
~ Junior Counselor Jeff
