Summer Camp Recap: Backyard Art

By Erica Jackson, Intern, Phipps Science Education and Research

Summer Camp Recap - is our weekly seasonal segment featuring our summer camp programs. This is the place for camp parents to find pictures of their campers in action and see all the fun things we did all week. It’s also a great place for educators to pick up craft, story and lesson ideas for their own early childhood programs!

Backyard Art

This past week of camp was a fun mix of art and science for our 4 and 5 year-old campers. We planted, painted, and played all while learning about the many ways artists can use the environment to inspire and enhance their work. Campers collected natural materials to incorporate into collages, notebooks, and weavings, but the creativity did not end there! We also learned about the importance of recycling and reusing by making beautiful art out of repurposed materials. And finally, what Phipps camp would be complete without planting? Our seedling scientists grew grass heads, teddy bear sunflowers, and zinnias to spread color and attract pollinators to everyone’s backyard. We were very impressed by creative ideas everyone came up with!

Backyard Art:

Do you have dried out markers at home? Don’t throw them out just yet! Collect different colors and stick them in cups of water overnight to allow the color to leak out. The more markers per cup, the more saturated the colors will be. Blend similar shades to create an even more vibrant hue, or test what happens when you mix different primary colors.  When the color is right, dip your paintbrush in the water or use the markers again for beautiful results!

For more pictures from this week's camp, please visit the Science Education and Research Facebook page here!

Photographs taken by Phipps Science Education staff.