Nature Art Lesson Ideas to Try!
As a teacher I love taking my students outside to make art. Not only do the students love my nature art lessons, they love being outside and experiencing nature. Students don’t like to spend too much time indoors at their desk all day. That's why I have created a nature art lesson they absolutely LOVE! They deserve to be playing outside and being in nature! You can learn more about my nature art lesson by reading below. I am sharing some other nature art lesson ideas too!
Nature Art Lesson- Best Seller
My nature mandala art project is a favorite nature art lesson this is the best selling our resource on my TPT store Jackie Partridge art.
Click the button below to purchase my nature mandala art lesson
Here is More Information on my Nature Art Lesson the Nature Mandala:
Nature Mandala is a printable PDF lesson or students in grades 2-10. You can create a nature mandala for Earth Day or as an outdoor learning activity!
There are examples of nature mandalas for all seasons - use this resource year round!
Rubric for a nature mandala is included in this low prep- fun outdoor activity.
Students will learn about:
what is a mandala
how to create a mandala
radial symmetry
land art
how to plan their mandala
Nature Mandala Details:
27 PDF Pages
teacher instructions page with a list of 8 artists students can research and be inspired by (bonus page)
What is a Mandala page
What is Land Art page
What is Radial Symmetry page
How to Plan your nature mandala page
What to collect for your nature mandala page
Checklist to make a quality nature mandala page
2 pages of mandala examples
13 pages of nature mandala examples
5 mandala planning pages
rubric for nature mandala
Nature Sketching or Painting:
You can do nature sketching or nature painting a couple of ways you can encourage your students to carry with them as sketchbook and you can use a variety of different art supplies students can sketch with pencils coloured pencil path styles charcoal or they can even use watercolour paint.
You can also give students a clipboard and a piece of paper and some drawing utensils that they can sketch with. Encourage students to practice observing and drawing exactly what they see. Tell students to look more than they draw so that they can practice really dry the details and practice participating in observational landscape drawing.
Click the button above to sign up for my FREE landscape art class. Teens can watch this class anytime or show your students in your art class! Click the button to access the class now!
Teach About the Landscape Artists that I Recommend:
Claude Monet (1840-1926): A French painter and a founder of Impressionism, Monet is best known for his series depicting water lilies and haystacks.
J.M.W. Turner (1775-1851): An English Romantic painter, Turner is celebrated for his dramatic and expressive landscapes and seascapes, which often emphasized light and atmosphere.
John Constable (1776-1837): Another prominent English painter, Constable is famous for his detailed and picturesque depictions of the English countryside, particularly the area around his home in Suffolk.
Frederic Edwin Church (1826-1900): An American landscape painter and a central figure in the Hudson River School, Church is known for his large, detailed paintings of natural scenes, including exotic locations.
Georgia O'Keeffe (1887-1986): An American artist, O'Keeffe is known for her bold and vibrant landscapes of the American Southwest, particularly New Mexico.
Albert Bierstadt (1830-1902): A German-American painter, Bierstadt is known for his grand and dramatic landscapes of the American West, part of the Hudson River School.
Ansel Adams (1902-1984): Although primarily a photographer, Adams' black-and-white images of the American West, especially Yosemite National Park, have had a significant impact on landscape art.
Isaac Levitan (1860-1900): A Russian painter, Levitan is renowned for his lyrical and atmospheric landscapes that capture the mood and spirit of the Russian countryside.
Teach About Land Art:
I love teaching students about land artists and how different artists can use materials from nature to creates art some of my favourite land artists are Andy Goldsworthy, Marlene Creates and Simon Beck (he creates art in the winter).
Symmetry Nature Art:
Symmetry Nature Bundle for Grades 5-8
Symmetry Drawing Nature Bundle is a collection of nature inspired symmetry drawing templates. The bundle includes both grid and non-grid sheets for students to challenge themselves appropriately. Nature symmetry drawing is great for students who finish classwork early, foundation art and drawing skills, and a fun way to end the week. Your middle school students grades 4-8 students will love the challenge of completing a symmetry drawing worksheet that is as symmetrical as possible!
Save 30% by buying this bundle!
Symmetry Drawing (Nature Bundle) contains:
80+ symmetry drawing pages of flowers
80+ symmetry drawing pages of insects
80+ symmetry drawing pages of trees/leaves
Perfect for grades 4-8!
44 different grid and non-grid symmetry drawings in each section of the bundle!
Symmetry drawing activities are a great way to teach about symmetry, math, anatomy, botany, shading, realistic drawing and more!
Download FREE Insect Symmetry Art for Grades 4-6 Here!
Symmetry Nature Drawing For High School - Grades 9-12
Nature Symmetry Bundle is perfect for students in grades 9-12. Nature symmetry drawing are printable worksheets of different types of nature for students to practice their drawing skills on plain paper and paper with gridlines. The grid lined paper is designed to make it easier for students to complete their nature symmetry drawings as they are able to count the squares to draw the symmetrical half.
There are 432 nature symmetry drawing pages in total.
Included in this Nature Art Lesson:
Insect Symmetry Art (Pictured Above)
Tree Symmetry
Leaf Symmetry Drawing
Landscape Symmetry Art
Flower Symmetry Drawing
216 different designs printed on plain paper and 216 designs printed on grid paper!
Nature Symmetry Drawing theme is perfect for teaching about:
· Lines in math
· Drawing
· Counting and measuring
· Botany or horticulture classes!
Drawing or Painting with Nature:
You can encourage students to use nature to create a painting or they can use leaves or flowers that they have already found on the ground apply some paint for ink and press down on a piece of paper to create a nature print.
You can learn more about nature painting or printing by watching my YouTube video below!
I like to encourage students to only use nature that are already on the ground instead of pulling off leaves or flowers from trees and plants. This gets students thinking about respecting nature and allowing things to grow and take their time! This is a great activity to do in the fall when there are plenty of leave already on the ground!
You can show your students artist Tim Knowles who uses nature to create his artwork.
To learn more about his work you can click here.
Tim Knowles is a contemporary British artist known for his innovative and conceptual approach to creating art. His work often explores themes of chance, process, and the natural world. Here are some key aspects of Tim Knowles' artistic practice:
Key Aspects of Tim Knowles' Work
Process-Oriented Art: Knowles' work frequently involves processes that introduce elements of chance and randomness, distancing the artist's hand from the creation of the final piece. This can involve various methods, such as wind, motion, or other natural forces.
Interaction with Nature: Many of Knowles' projects engage directly with the natural environment. For example, he has created drawings by attaching pens to the branches of trees and allowing the wind to move the branches, producing unique and intricate patterns.
I hope you have loved these nature art lessons and my nature art lesson that is super popular on TPT the nature mandala. I also have lots of nature symmetry art. You can check out my free nature insect symmetry art lesson by clicking here.
