This week’s craft provides hours of fun and imagination stirring for your little ones. While browsing Pinterest for craft ideas, I noticed several printable templates available for download. These templates provide a great starting point for various art projects – coloring, painting, decoupage, adding stickers or stamps, etc. I set out to create my own coloring templates, which have an outdoor theme, for our kids that hold a passion for all things mother nature.
There are 4 templates to choose from, as a basis for your artwork. They vary in subject matter and degree of difficulty for filling-in (IF you choose to color inside the lines!). A tree trunk with great branches, buck with antlers, morel mushroom and a catfish complete the lineup.
I imagine that 1 of my nephews, who has a special love for mushrooms and mushroom identification, will enjoy coloring the morel. His grandma reports that he refers to morels as “stinky marshmallows,” which while being just 3 years old, is a pretty comical and clever description! His little hands will easily grasp these egg-shaped crayons as he creates his art.
For my daughter, who is almost 14 months, the tree template is a perfect fit. Here is a quick, no-mess suggestion for “coloring” with a 1 year old:
Trim your coloring template so that it easily fits inside of the gallon Ziploc.
Before sliding the paper inside your plastic storage bag, add drops of the washable paint. Then, insert the paper and seal the Ziploc tightly. A good seal is crucial to the success of your project!
Using the painters’ tape, secure the bag to a highchair, tabletop or (in our case) the floor. The placement will depend on the age of your little one.
My little gal is just starting to walk and hates sitting still, so I thought (correctly) that she would enjoy smooshing and then stomping on her artwork.
Depending on the level of smoosh, as well as the thickness of your paint, you may want to print the template on a heavier-weight cardstock. I used regular printer paper for ours, and some of the paper peeled when it was removed from the Ziploc bag.
Click here to download and print our version of Outdoor Coloring Templates. The PDF is completely free! We hope that when you complete your artwork with your children, you’ll tag us in your social posts using the hashtag #WONphoto.
Jackie Baird Richardson is an interior designer, editor at The WON and avid junker. Watch for her design tips and occasional crafting ideas, bringing the outdoors indoors. View all posts by Jackie Richardson
