today for backyard art camp I am delighted to introduce dawn from simple things notebook. dawn’s BAC project is inspired by the artist andy goldsworthy. andy goldsworthy was a new artist to me (see this post for an explanation of my complete lack of basic art knowledge). as a result, I am particularly delighted to have this project included in backyard art camp. goldsworthy is very inspired by nature and his artwork really honors nature…one of his big things is balancing rocks and creating art with nothing but what is available in nature. in my opinion, children do this more naturally than anyone else and so I suspect kiddos are going to go nuts for this project. I love learning alongside my kids and I can’t wait to do this project with them…I think we will save it for our upcoming vacation into the wild woods of Pennsylvania.
the fact that dawn chose a nature-based, open-ended project such as this is really not a huge surprise. she lives a life full of quiet inspiration as is evidenced in even the name of her blog, simple things notebook. from looking at her blog it is clear, this homeschooling, nature-loving mama bring a calm, mindful attention to everything she does with her kids. her blog is one of those places that feels more like a sanctuary than a standard blog…complete with stunning photos and thoughtful projects attuned to the little people by her side.
dawn and her family are originally from california but have just moved to new mexico after years and years in nova scotia. you can tell that she bring a wide-eyed sense of adventure and careful attention to the rhythm of these changes for her family. she brings the same energy to her family projects. here is a sampling of her amazing projects that really display how her family learns and explores when a branch falls down; casting animal tracks ; and building fairy houses complete with a feather umbrella (!).
be sure and check out her project for today’s backyard art camp and feel free to relax and explore her blog, too. it is sure to inspire.
this is the final project in the fourth week of camp, we are more than halfway done (sniff, sniff). there have been so many creative and inspiring projects that I get a little emotional thinking it will all be over too soon. have you been playing along with your kids and getting artsy at home? don’t forget to show us! if you want to keep the projects tucked away for rainy days, be sure to follow our Pinterest board where we are gathering all the projects in one place. here is everything we have done already, it’s quite an inspired list:
- found object art-inspired canvases decorated with nature walk treasures with me
- picture and art books to get the creativity flowing
- pointillism inspired paintings with something other than a paint brush with buzzmills.
- christo-inspired backyard decorations with fabric scraps with crafting connections
- kiddie kandinsky art with my life at playtime
- henri rousseau-inspired mixed media installation from the crafty kitty
- Graphite and Collage Figure Art inspired by Lisa Congdon and Jaime Zollars with the talented Miranda of Miranda Makes
stay tuned! still to come are projects from these fantastic bloggers:
- stephinie from gypsy forest
- courtney from mon petit lyons
- carla from small + friendly
- sanae from sanae ishdia
- jennet from feathered nest studio
- tara from girl like the sea
We LOVE Andy Goldsworthy! What a great idea. I am sharing this with Vik right now.
Yay! I’m in love with this project myself. One thing I love is how easy it is to spontaneously undertake it! I’m so crazy about Backyard ART Camp!