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Nature Art

Nature Art

Art and beauty is all around us. Take this art activity outside and gather nature items to create something unique with things you found outside

For this activity you will need the following items:

  • Thick paper or a piece of cardboard
  • Glue
  • Sticks, leaves, flowers, grass, etc…

Now here’s what you do:

  1. Go outside or on a nature walk. Gather sticks, all types of leaves, and flowers.
  2. Use materials you found to make a picture on your paper or cardboard. Here are some ideas:
    1. A bird
    2. A face
    3. A house
    4. A park
  3. Once you have everything laid out, use the glue to paste the pieces to your paper or cardboard. 
  4. Let it sit for a while to make sure everything is stuck

What did you make with nature? Show us in the comments!

Inspiration: CMofIL’s Summer Camp

Magic Balloons

Magic Balloons

Can you blow up a balloon with science? Try out this experiment and see!

 

For this activity you will need the following items:

  • An empty water bottle
  • A funnel
  • A Balloon
  • Vinegar
  • Baking Soda

 

Now here’s what you do:

  1. First thing- make a hypothesis of what you think will happen when you mix baking soda and vinegar inside a balloon. 
    1. What happens when baking soda and vinegar mix?
    2. What type of material is a balloon?
    3. Form your hypothesis first and then do the experiment.
  2. Using a funnel or a spoon, add 1Tablespoon of baking soda to the balloon. You may need help with this one!
  3. Pour ¼ Cup of vinegar into the empty water bottle. You can add food coloring to make it a little more fun.
  4. Carefully place the opening of the balloon over the opening of the water bottle. You want to make sure the mouth of the balloon is on the bottle securely. 
  5. Now- ready? Lift the balloon up to pour the baking soda into the bottle. 
  6. Observe and talk about what happened. What did you see? Hear? Smell?
  7. Now, go back to the first step. Was your hypothesis right?

 

Show us what you did! Post videos or pictures on social media to show us your experiment. We miss you and can’t wait to see you!

 

Inspiration: CMofIL’s Summer Camp

Paint with Scissors

Paint with Scissors

Create forms and shapes with paper rather than markers or crayons. This unique way of making art is just like Henri Matisse created masterpieces. Click here to listen to a book about Matisse.

For this activity you will need the following items:

  • Construction paper (or make your own by coloring white paper with crayons or markers)
  • Scissors
  • Glue

Now here’s what you do:

  1. Pick one piece of paper to be your base. You can use a larger poster board or any color of paper. 
    1. You can also paint a white piece of paper just like Matisse used to do!
  2. Now, use scissors to create shapes with other colored pieces of paper. What kind of shapes will you make? 
    1. Some shapes to consider: wavy, straight, zig zag, blobs, sharp, etc…
    2. About colors: Certain colors belong in families. Cool colors are blue, purple, and green. Warm colors are red, yellow, and orange. Can you put all your cool color shapes in one pile and all of your warm color shapes in another pile?
    3. Now, mix the colors and shapes. Do some colors and shapes look better together than others? What shapes and colors do you like the best?
  3. The next step is to make a plan on where to put all the shapes. Place your shapes on your paper and create a piece of art. Do not glue until your art is exactly how you want it.
  4. Once everything is in order, use the glue to paste your shapes down. 

Share with us your artwork! What colors and shapes did you choose and why?

Inspiration: BuggyAndBuddy.com

Wind Powered Cars

Wind Powered Cars

Are you up for a challenge today? Use various materials to build a car that moves with the wind. How will you create your vehicle?

For this activity you will need the following items:

  • Wheels: We recommend Lego wheels, but you can make your own out of cardboard
  • Various building materials
    • Lego
    • Cardboard
    • Paper
    • Cardboard tubes
    • Index cards
    • Tissue paper
    • Straws
    • Popsicle sticks
  • Scissors
  • Glue or tape
  • WIND- from outside, a fan, your mouth
  • Paper
  • Pencil

Now here’s what you do:

  1. Make a plan! Use a piece of paper and pencil to create a drawing of what you will build. 
    1. What materials will you use for a sail to make the car go?
    2. How will you make the wheels and base of the car?
    3. What other materials could you use?
  2. Build it! Make your car based on the drawing you did. Some things may not work out the way you planned, but that’s ok. How can you fix it?
  3. Test your car. Use a fan or a straw and blow on the sail. Did it move? 
  4. Make your car better! How can you make your car go faster? What can you improve on?

Now- show us your car! We can’t wait to see what you built.

Inspiration: TheHomeschoolScientist.com

Lava Lamps-100

Lava Lamps

We’re going to get groovy with science! Gather the materials below to make a lava lamp!

For this activity you will need the following items:

  • Clear Bottles (plastic or glass)
  • Water
  • Food Coloring
  • Oil (Baby Oil or cooking oil)
  • Alka Seltzer Tablets

Now here’s what you do:

  1. Before you start, here are some questions to ask your kids:
    1. What can you tell me about water and oil? Do they mix?
    2. Do you know what happens when an Alka Seltzer tablet mixes with water? 
      1. *Find out by doing a mini experiment
    3. What do you think will happen when we add the table to the water and oil?
  2. Fill your bottle a little over half way with oil
  3. Add water until it’s about an inch from the top of the bottle
  4. Add food coloring (This is fun to watch)
  5. Ready for the experiment? Add a tablet. What happens?

This is such a fun experiment! Show us your lava lamp!

Inspiration: https://www.naturalbeachliving.com

3D Art Project

3D Paper Art

Here’s a less-mess art project. Use paper to make twists, turns, and steps. How will you manipulate it?

For this activity you will need the following items:

  • Construction paper of various colors
  • Scissors
  • A Piece of poster board or cardboard
  • Glue

Now here’s what you do:

  1. Cut the construction paper into various pieces.
  2. Bend the paper to make different shapes
    1. Around a marker or pencil to make curls
    2. Fold back and forth to make a step
    3. Cut tabs to make “feet”
  3. Now, paste one side of the paper on the poster or cardboard.
  4. Fold the rest of the strip and paste it to a different spot so it stands up.

Show us your 3D Art! What kind of shapes did you make and how did you make them? Show us your creativity!

Inspiration: https://ummuseumeducation.blogspot.com/2012/08/paper-sculpters.html?m=1

Home Fun 016 - Secret Messages

Secret Messages

Learn how to be a spy and create secret messages only you or your friends can read!

For this activity you will need the following items:

  • Paper
  • Water
  • Baking Soda
  • Dark Juice (like grape juice)
  • Paintbrush
  • Small sponge or Q-Tips

Now here’s what you do:

  1. Mix 1 Tablespoon of Baking Soda and 1 Tablespoon of Water
  2. Make sure it’s mixed very well
  3. Now, use the mixture to write a message with the paintbrush on the paper
  4. Wait for it to dry… While you are waiting, look at our blog and see if there are any other activities you want to do!
  5. Once it is dry you can reveal the message! Dip the sponge or Q-Tip in juice and brush over the paper.
  6. Do you see it? How will you use this to send secret messages to friends or family?

Inspiration: https://www.shareitscience.com/2015/03/saturday-science-experiment-spies-and.html?spref=pi

Naked Egg B

Naked Egg

Ready for an experiment? We are, too! Read through the instructions and make a hypothesis (a guess) about what you think will happen!

For this activity you will need the following items:

  • Eggs
  • Vinegar
  • Food Coloring
  • Cups

Now here’s what you do:

  1. Add vinegar and food coloring to each cup. Make as many as you want to make “naked eggs”
  2. Add an egg to each cup.
  3. Make a hypothesis about what will happen.
  4. Make observations about what you see.
  5. Keep checking on the egg every hour. Are there any changes? 
  6. Leave the egg alone overnight and make observations the next morning
  7. What happened? What does it look like? Feel like? Smell like?

We wanna see your eggs! Show us what happened and share with us your original hypothesis and observations.

Inspiration (and science): https://www.steamsational.com/rainbow-naked-eggs-experiment/

Paper Heart Mosaic_1

Paper Mosaic

Today we are going to make a heart mosaic out of paper. This heart can be hung on your wall, given to a friend or family member, or hung in your window to show the world.

 

For this activity you will need the following items:

  • Various colors of construction paper or cardstock
  • Canvas or Poster Board
  • Glue (stick or bottle)
  • Scissors

 

Now here’s what you do:

  1. Cut the colored paper into small squares. It doesn’t have to be exact, but we suggest 1 inch by 1 inch.
  2. Pick one color to be the heart and make a heart shape with the squares on your canvas or poster. Glue them down.
  3. Now let’s get creative! Use the other colors to fill in the area inside and outside of the heart. 
  4. Will you use patterns? Will you use colors in the same family? Warm colors are yellow, red, pink, orange, etc… Cool colors are blue, green, purple, etc…

 

As always, show us what you made! We can’t wait to see your art!

 

Inspiration: http://karismaheartsavannah.blogspot.com/2012/10/making-your-own-mosaic-art.html?m=1

Catapult Challenge_1-100

Catapult Challenge

Are you ready for a challenge? Use the materials below to create a catapult that can launch something small (like a marshmallow). Can you do it?

For this activity you will need the following items:

  • Popsicle Sticks
  • Masking Tape
  • Paper Bowl
  • Plastic Spoon
  • Rubber Bands
  • Straws
  • Paper 
  • Pencil

Now here’s what you do:

  1. First of all, you need a plan! Use the paper and pencil to draw your ideas on how you will build your catapult. How will you attach pieces to each other? How will it work?
  2. Now it’s all up to you! Use your plan to create your catapult with the materials.
  3. Let’s test it! Grab a small object, like a marshmallow, and see if it flies through the air! Did it work?
  4. If it did work, can you re-design your catapult to make it go further?
  5. If it didn’t work, that’s ok! Let’s try to make some changes and see if they work.
  6. Keep testing your catapult until it’s in perfect working condition.

We’d love to see what you built! Can you take a video and post it on social media?

Inspiration: Science Gal

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