a forest mural

This weekend I went to "Project Learning Tree", a workshop held by Dr. Stohr. I'm obviously not the most outdoorsy person out there, however, we did do a ton of cool things I could definitely see myself doing in my own classroom. Here's one...

A Forest Mural...

When we took a walk through the woods around UR, we talked about all the different trees, leaves, flowers, logs, animals, etc. that truly make a forest. With that in mind we made a forest mural.

All 17 participants in the class, painted their forearm and hand to create a tree. Using stamps, paint brushes, stickers, magazines, and numerous other craft supplies, we were able to decorate our tree as well as add some other fun features to our forest. I added a squirrel just for Lyndsey.

Although everyone added their own unique touches, in the end it looked amazing. And, as we learned earlier that day, unique trees and flowers etc. are what truly make a forest.

This activity would be great to do at the beginning of a school year. It could be a fun introduction to science, or a fun ice breaker. The mural could then be laminated and hung up in the classroom's science center.

Materials:

• Poster Board/Long Length of white paint
• Finger-paints
• Stamps/Stickers
• Animal/Nature magazines