Art & Music Outdoors

Many children express themselves through art, music and drama and these can be a catalyst for exploring an outdoor environment. I am also fascinated by public works of art and how we can apply the thinking behind these to both developing our schools grounds or activities we can do there with our children. My approach is a “skinted, not minted” one.

Within this, behind every project we now need to be thinking of sustainable approaches to both grounds development and any activity that takes place there. Over the coming months you will see amendments to many blog posts to reflect this so that we, as educators are proactive about our efforts to ensure a sustainable future for our children and beyond.

Exploring textiles outside

Using peg looms to weave. Peg looms can be used for small or large projects – use plastic, grass, anything malleable that can be woven.
Peg loom seats. Using simple looms to make cosy seats for use in shelters and sheds.
How to make an outdoor felt seat. It’s possible to make these with KS2 children with extra adult support. The price is comparable with synthetic seats. These ones are more sustainable and can be composted once worn out.
Making felted seats with young children. These seats are commonplace in Swedish schools where children make their own seats of use outdoors. In this post I use a better approach for little children which involve putting together small squares of felting. Basically the children pre-felt wool that an adult uses to complete a seat.
Felting stones. A simple project that uses very little felt but can get children used to the wet felting process. Nice and messy.
100 felted seats creativity project. 100 seats in 100 days. Simple, great fun. When will you make yours?
Using gathered wool to make felt. Different sheep wool has different purposes. Some are good for felting, others can be spun into yarn and so on. This is an example of Soay sheep wool being wet felted.
Outdoor weaving inspiration. Oh it’s so much more than ribbons outside! Loads of examples to whet your appetite.
When did you last yarn bomb your school? Go on… you may have a lot of fun in the process. You don’t have to be an arch knitter or clever at crotchet.
Forest threads. Exploring wool, line and textures in a woodland environment.
The inside-out woolly tree. When yarn bombing is used to create artwork that reflect the cell structures of wood. A creative approach to learning the science of trees.
Fish net art. When community and culture are explored to develop creative capacity and celebrate a local tradition.

Creating sculptures and exploring texture

Googly eyes: exploring magnetism outside but it doesn’t have to be boring. Go for a creative approach to this science concept. You’ll start thinking walls are watching you….
The sand dog sculpture. One small amount of sand can be used for moulding, shaping and sculpting. Exploring the texture of sand. No need to make a dog or a sandcastle. You are only limited by your imagination.
Funky junk art. Fantastic example of how the use of an external artist can inspire creative explorations of off-cuts. This is the work of Pete Moorhouse who can work with children and young people of all ages (shameless promotion but he’s really good).
An urban mapping art project… done with beach balls! A very adaptable concept to a range of experiences or activities
An autumn memory mobile. A group piece of artwork to reflect upon an experience. Doesn’t have to be seasonal.
The necessity of a white sheet. Brilliant wee addition to any environmental art work.

Exploring pattern and line

White line pebbles. Using inspiration from Andy Goldsworthy led to the exploration of line and pattern. The post has a maths focus but can be easily changed.
Exploding leaves. Taking apart leaves and flowers can be a work of art in its own right.
Guerrilla environmental art – using temporary art and clay to acknowledge spate of vandalism.
Rainy day rubbings. Switch to using tin foil and your children may do rubbings in any weather.
How to make pace eggs. An Easter tradition and an art form in its own right using locally gathered spring flowers.
Kaleidoscope images and symmetry. Using Photo Booth to explore rotational symmetry outside.
Outdoor reflections. Exploring the range of reflective surfaces and patterns as an introduction to symmetry, sculpture and art outdoors.
10 ideas for exploring clouds. Great fun and added value when using Photo Booth creatively. Lots of arts-based science suggestions.

Exploring colour

Hunting for gold. A colour scavenger hunt can be made richer by focusing on a range of one colour. Useful springboard into further explorations of colour or descriptive writing.
Group masking tape artwork. Often shared artwork can create a sense of collective ownership. This example uses natural and found resources to create an arrays of colour by mashing and grinding with pestle and mortars. This blog post shows individual examples.
Colour and light explorations with sweet wrappers (and a transparent tarp). Whilst not a long lasting piece of art work, the creative process and the use of a frequently discarded piece of ‘litter’ can help children see colour and garbage differently.
Rainbow potions. Creating natural watercolours from plant materials. making them is also an art form … giggle!
Leaf art. Simple examples of colourful leaves gathered and used on asphalt to create fetching environmental art.
Shadow explorations with an iPad. A curious discovery about one element of Photo Booth that lends itself to investigating shadows.

Improving schools grounds and outdoor spaces through art projects

Outdoor art at KapKa Cooperative School. Using art to celebrate rites of passage and to enhance the outdoor space.
Rain chains. A simple water channelling device that can save water and be aesthetically beautiful.
Traversing walls in schools – 7 tips for their development, design and use. Check out the fabulous Barry Island public traversing wall and reach new heights in thinking about the possibilities for your school. It’s a genuine work of art!
The Glamis monster. An earth bagging sculpture that created a massive mosaic boundary for a sandpit. Go look and drool!
Wishing roads and speed breakers. Art can be a subtle and often adds interest to an outdoor space. This art work is based on legends and beliefs around snakes and beech trees.
Vestige – the mirror people. Exploring the past and present through images of people, past use of the land and history of thee local landscape.
Human silhouette murals. Two different examples that have potential as part of an outdoor art project. Could be as temporary as chalk outlines on a wall.
Give your ugly fence a makeover. Examples of fence art – just remember to keep it looking fresh by changing regularly.
Googly eyes – exploring magnetism outside. Using a creative approach to understand what makes a material magnetic.

Inspirational public artwork

The Pansy Project. This is perhaps one of the most poignant art projects that acknowledges homophobic and transphobic abuse. Perhaps more appropriate for secondary schools but every educator should visit this post and website for greater understanding. Paul Hardfleet is the inspiration behind this ongoing memorial art.
The Kelpies. A massive sculpture in Central Scotland celebrates the local industries and traditions. What does your outdoor art do?
A physically interactive sculpture. When installing an art project, perhaps one that can be walked over, climbed under and physically explored is more appropriate in a school ground…
Northumberlandia – from landform to landscape. Reflections on the process of how this massive artwork was designed and created and how we can apply the same thinking to our school grounds projects.
The Stone Jetty Ramblings. Lots of inspiration for word play, art and generally enjoying being outside with a bird theme.
A Flock of Words. Imagine a 300m walkway full of bird jokes, poems and other inspiration. Adapting this would be brilliant for a whole school celebration where a walk through your grounds provide similar catalysts for word play.
A pebble mosaic and random acts of discovery. Hardwearing ground surface artwork can add interest to any outdoor space.
Uffington White Horse – inspiration for chalk figures. A chance to use this huge artwork to inspire more creative explorations and use of chalk outside.
The weather vanes of Nida. Beautiful local custom of having weather vanes that reflect local and family identity.
A fish trail not a fishy tale. An alphabet around Hull based upon fish provides inspiration for alphabet trails around school grounds. What theme would your children pick and why? Could be a good collaborative project between older and younger classes.
Solvitur Ambulando. It is solved by walking. It’s an art form but also an opportunity to move through a landscape and thinking about how, why, the verbs we use and the response we get.
Another Place. When artwork becomes a catalyst for reflection, be this the children’s own work or that of a public piece of art.
Traversing walls in schools – 7 tips for their design and development. Using the brilliant Barry Island climbing wall designed by Gordon Young as inspiration. Physical activity and adventure meets public art and sculpture!

Community art projects

An outdoor tea towel. Designing a school tea towel with a difference: a chance for children to add in their own ideas and an opportunity to collaborate and support local businesses.
Well dressing in Derbyshire. A nature art custom in many local villages. The process and detail is amazing. I think smalll versions could be brilliant as a nature celebration.
After the storm – a transient art project. A lovely example of a woodland desecrated by a storm is used for a temporary sculpture trail that invited local people to get involved and consider how the storm impacted their lives.
A seascape to whet the appetite. As a result of the grounds developments, Inverallochy School children were inspired to give the school dining room a sea theme makeover – a lovely example of indoor/outdoor connections that can be made that involve the community too.
Boggle Hole – Children need to have access to objects and ideas that spark the imagination and get the creative juices flowing. This Youth Hostel does just that!

Outdoor Music

An outdoor music wall created with involvement from children, their parents and school janitor.
The junk orchestra at Broadford Primary. Recycled materials are used to create fixed instrument sufficient for a whole class to use.
Big outdoor musical instruments. Some practical advice if you are planning to add some to your outdoor space. Also show examples of bespoke instruments created by local people.
Music and rhythm outside at The Coombes School. A range of examples of how music happens outside in a primary school.

Outdoor dance and drama

Using puppets outdoors – 10 tips and more. Some practical suggestions to make the most of these characters. Good links with literacy.
The Curiosity Shop. A play area created from simple murals that provide a motivation for primary school to play creatively at break times.
Re-purposing charity bags into dance resources. Making good use of a single-use plastic bag or other bits of plastic.