The BLOOMING Upgrade: Imagined by Emely, Joanna, and Audrin

Sometimes the best art materials are found right outside.

With leaves, flowers, twigs, and other natural treasures collected during a simple nature walk, children can create beautiful framed collages while building important developmental skills along the way.

This activity encourages children to slow down, observe the world around them, and see nature as both inspiration and a creative tool. It combines sensory play, creativity, and environmental awareness in a hands on and meaningful way.

Materials

• Contact paper
• Thick popsicle sticks
• Ribbon
• Twigs, flowers, leaves, and natural findings collected from a nature walk

Directions

1. Collect Natural Materials

Invite children to pick up small, safe items such as leaves, flowers, and twigs during a nature walk. Encourage them to notice different textures, colors, shapes, and smells as they collect.

2. Bring Nature Finds to the Table

Gather all of the collected materials in a shared space so children can compare what everyone found. This creates opportunities for conversation, observation, and curiosity. Families may also contribute natural items from home.

3. Prepare the Base

Give each child a square piece of sticky contact paper with the sticky side facing up. If needed, secure it to the table to make it easier for little hands to work independently.

4. Create the Collage

Let children place their natural materials onto the sticky surface, arranging them however they like. This open ended process encourages creativity, problem solving, and self expression.

5. Make the Frame

Help children glue four thick popsicle sticks around the edges of the contact paper to form a square frame.

6. Add Hanging Ribbon

Attach a ribbon to the top of the frame so the finished collage can be hung up and proudly displayed.

7. Finish and Display

Allow time for everything to dry before sending the finished nature collages home. Children will love seeing their artwork displayed as a reminder of their outdoor exploration.

What is BLOOMING?

This activity connects to several parts of our BLOOMING curriculum. Through Big Brains, children explore science, observation, and cause and effect by comparing textures, colors, and shapes. Through Our Earth, Our Home, they build environmental awareness and a stronger connection to nature by using natural materials in meaningful ways. Through Nurturing Creativity, children experiment freely with design and placement, allowing imagination and self expression to lead the learning.

The Takeaway

This activity helps children see nature as both inspiration and material for creative expression.

Through collecting, arranging, and designing with natural objects, children strengthen observation skills, develop sensory awareness, and gain confidence in making independent choices.

The finished frames become more than artwork. They become lasting reminders of exploration, creativity, and connection to the natural world.