Are you looking for some creative inspiration to fill some
of your time over the Easter Break? Well, the British Geological Survey is here to help! Here is a
selection of great, creative ideas we have found from across the internet, for people of all ages to give a go. Just make sure to wear clothes that are okay to get dirty! Please share some of
your creations with us by tweeting them or sharing them on Instagram. We are so excited to see them!
Landscape Collage
Do you have some spare craft material at home? Have a go at making your own geological landscape collage, like you see in the above image! You could use glue and stick down your materials or arrange them without, so you can take a photo of your artwork and then reuse them for to make more.This video from BBC Teach will show you some ideas on how to use texture and colour to create your own masterpiece.
To make really varied pieces you can use a combination of a wide range of materials. These can include: craft paper, tissue paper, coloured card, feathers, sandpaper, acetate, natural materials (sand soil, leaves), wool, fabric and glue.
Watercolour Geodes
Agate is a variety of chalcedony that forms bands. It is commonly found in a nodule form, where silica has filled vesicles formed in igneous rocks or cavities. From the outside the rock is unassuming; it is only when you cut into it you see the lovely patterns that have formed!This video from Fantasvale Art Lab will show you how to use watercolour paints and salt to create your own beautiful agate geode.
You will need coarse salt, thick card, a pencil, watercolour paint and a paintbrush. Afterwards you can reuse the coloured salt to create other pieces of art!
Papier Mache Earth
Do you want to recreate the planet that we live on? Earth is special for the fact that it is the only known place in the universe to host life and to have liquid water on its surface. There are also lots of other fun facts about Earth – why not investigate these and make your own fact sheet to accompany your new Earth creation?This activity (pictured above) from Nanny Options shows you how to create your own papier mache planet Earth. You will need: a round balloon, a LOT of newspaper, flour and water glue, a container for mixing, a spoon or stick, printer, pencil, blue and green paint, paintbrushes and a dark marker.
Please note that this activity might take a few days in order to allow the papier mache to dry so that you can start painting the continents on!
Volcano in a Plastic Bag
If you have some spare paint why not try a new method of creating your own volcano painting?This great looking artwork, as you can see above, is from Happy Tot Shelf and will provide hours of fun for kids, with very little cleaning up, thanks to the ingenious addition of a sandwich bag! The colours can be pushed around by little hands for a while before drying to make many different fire looks! Be creative and see what you can produce.
Pebble Painting
Do you have some pebbles at home? You can create your own beautiful pebble paintings by reusing them (with permission of course) to make pieces of art! These can be used as decorations either in the house or the garden. Maybe you can even make a collection of them! Why not try to make a dog, a ladybird, a monkey or even a cactus, like above!This activity from Persil requires pebble, poster or acrylic paint, paintbrushes, a glass of water, colour mixing dish and clear nail varnish.
Pasta Dinosaur Skeleton
Do you love dinosaurs? Trick question: everyone does! And now you can make your own little dinosaurs out of pasta.
This activity from PreKinders requires nothing more than paper, pasta and glue. You can download a template for your skeleton or base it off an image (it may help to sketch the skeleton out first before arranging and gluing the pasta down).
Alternatively you can create your own playdough like this from BBC Goodfood, flatten it and press the pasta into it, creating your own version of a fossil imprint.
Draw Your Own Crystals and Gems
Crystals and gems are so lovely to look at, and a perfect inspiration to get drawing. To do so, you could find an image of your favourite crystals and try and base your own off that. Look at some of the crystal structures and see if you can identify them!
If you're not so artistically minded, Art ala Carte has an instructional video on how to draw your own crystals and gems. You will need a pencil, paper, and any colour medium such as coloured pencils or paints. Maybe you can even create a digital drawing if you have the right software.
Comments