Garden Art

Earlier this summer, I suggested spending some time hunting and gathering outdoors to collect items for future arts and crafts projects. This is one of those projects where you’ll be able to make use of your treasures. Many of your gathered items are typically found on the ground, only to be stepped on or tossed in the compost pile, so you may be surprised to see how this blending of nature and imagination can create some really interesting garden art.

Materials

• assortment of things found in nature eg. sticks, bark, moss, pine cones, acorns, flowers pressed in books, leaves, etc.
• glue gun
• twine (optional)
• scissors
• pruning shears for cutting sticks

Instructions

Lay out all your materials so you know what you have to work with. To begin your sculpture, it’s helpful to select a base of some kind like a sturdy stick, or a large piece of tree bark. The rest is limited only by your imagination. Hold items up to the base and see how you like them. Some sculptures can be minimalist, with only a few items attached, while others can have all sorts of things piled on and combined. A glue gun is ideal for this kind of project, allowing you to immediately see your progress, but make sure children have help from an adult. Once finished, these lovely sculptures can be enjoyed both indoors and out.