GREEN SKETCHING WITH KIDS
WHAT TO BRING:
📒Paper - a small pocket notebook, or staple a few loose sheets together for a makeshift book. Get your kids to decorate the cover, add their name or anything to get them ‘owning’ that little book. Bring a bit of paper for you too (yes, you’re getting involved as well!).
🖍Art materials - what you have at home already will be perfect. A pencil case with a few crayons or pens. A small watercolour paint set with a brush and jar of water. Thick chunky crayons, fine liner pens... whatever you already have. Be selective, you don’t want to carry too much.
🎒Backpack - if you can, get your kids to pack their own backpack with their Adventure Doodles kit (for them to carry!)
🍏Snacks - whatever you do, do NOT forget the snacks.
TOP TIP:
Keep it small and simple, you don’t want to carry loads and you won’t use it all anyway. Think nature colours!
IDEAS:
It can be fun to ‘mix media’, which just means slap a bit of watercolour down and draw over the top with a crayon, or scribble with pens and add detail with a fine liner. Mixing things together can be quite freeing and creative.
JOY SPOTTING:
While you’re out, notice what you’re walking past - talk about what you can see and marvel at the wonders of nature. It doesn’t matter if you don’t know what the flower is or which tree the leaf is from, just enjoy spotting and looking. Kids are great at this once given some encouragement to start.
TOP TIP:
Join in with your kids and create some excitement about ‘joy spotting’. This is a lovely thing to do even if you’re not going to draw anything.
IDEAS:
Make up games - ispy, spot a rainbow of things - look for ‘fairy houses’ or logs in the shapes of dinosaurs. It can really bring a walk to life!
Stop when someone finds something interesting or a good log to sit on. Take a look around and see what jumps out at you, this is the Joy Spotting bit. Once you’ve chosen what to draw, spend 15 mins doing a painting/drawing/doodle/scribble. You could add words too if your child is old enough, about what they are looking at, questions to think about at home or how they are feeling.
And don’t forget, do a drawing yourself! It doesn’t matter what you draw or how it turns out, enjoy an experience with your child, creating something together (and a chance to sit down).
TOP TIP:
Look before you draw! Take a minute to look at the shape of what you’re drawing first, you could talk about it together. How many petals does that flower have and what shape are they? Once you’ve had a good look, time to get the pencils out. Do multiple drawings if the first doesn’t come out ‘right’, and don’t get too hung up on your finished drawing. Just enjoy what you’re doing in the moment.
IDEAS:
A single leaf - notice its overall shape, does it have smooth edges or jagged, any veins or lines?
The shapes of some clouds in the sky.
A tree, focusing on the main shape of trunk and big branches.
Kids don’t sit still for long, once they’re done, pack up and move on. Don’t worry if you’re not finished, the joy was in those few moments and doing something together, rather than feeling too precious about any finished result. Keep joy spotting if you want, stop for another drawing a bit later on, or climb a tree, collect pine cones… whatever takes your fancy.
TOP TIP:
Don’t push any more drawing if they’re done, just remember to take your little Adventure Doodle kit out another day!
IDEAS:
You could take some nature finds home to draw later on, like acorns, sticks, feathers, or shells (please don’t pick plants or flowers).