Mother Nature’s Paintbrushes

What you need:

Twigs

A selection of leaves, grasses or flowers

Elastic bands / string / wool

Paints ( I made some natural paints )

Paper

Whenever you head into the garden / outside space be on the lookout for anything that may add a fun print or texture. Gather twigs and a selection of leaves, feathers. branches or even flowers - With the mind of how you'll be able to secure it to a twig later! You can use whatever you find and whatever you like, making this such an amazing activity for kids.

 Secure your brushes to the end of a twig by wrapping an elastic band around them. You could just attach them with strong twine or wool - it really depends on what you've managed to forage!

Lastly, you can leave them how they are or even paint, decorate them with rainbow wool, glitter, gems. 

Need a quick fix? Make these brushes with pegs to secure your leaves and flowers instead of twigs. Just secure the natural element in place with the 'snappy end' and you’ve got a mini paintbrush in seconds.

 Let's talk paints.

I wanted something natural, thick and similar to mud paint. Something to really stick to these brushes. I've never made paint before so I don't have measurements for you, however, I used - Wholemeal flour for texture and thickness, soya milk as a thicker liquid than water and spices for the colour. It was super easy and I just added a little at a time till I create the consistency I wanted.

I always love to set activities up beforehand and surprise her. It's truly priceless and much easier than rushing everything on to the table with grabby hands. This will give you time to explain and talk about what you're going to do too!

Dip your homemade paintbrushes into the paint and see what textures, lines, and patterns they make. India's favorite was the daffodil, which actually held out better than I expected! 

 You can dab to make prints, brush to make lines and even swirl the brushes around to see what effects you can make on the paper.

We only use large rolls of paper for any arty activity which is perfect for something like this.

 Remember nothing is wrong or right with these brushes. It's all about exploring.

We then went on to let her explore the paints with her hands and stick textures down on top of her artwork. 

I hope you love this activity as much as we did! Please don't forget to tag either @mywildsparrows so that i can see your creations or @playspirations if you'd like to be featured!!