When I was a kid, my favorite time of the day was that in between time between school and dinner when I could have free reign playing outside with my friends and sisters. Whatever the weather, we seemed to find wonder in the outdoors.

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We would dig through the clover beds searching for a 4 leaf clover, pluck the petals off the weeds wondering if “he loves me, he loves me not”, chase after roly poly bugs and ladybugs, and try to be the first person to crunch the freshly formed ice in the gutters by the street.

Nature was a natural part of our lives, a wonder and a delight everyday

Nothing was as exciting as the adventures we could find outside. But now as a mom, I feel I am fighting to give my kids the same experience. Screens have taken the place of spontaneous moments of seeing who could toss the helicopter seeds in the air the highest from the neighbor’s maple tree. I miss those carefree moments and days in childhood.

Why Lily & Thistle’s Nature’s Art Club has been so valuable to me as a mom…

I want to give my kids those same experiences. In this busy time that we live, I have realized if we aren’t intentional about our time in nature, we may miss it completely.

We used this as part of our curriculum when we were homeschooling during the pandemic, and it provided time every day for us to explore outside with projects relating to the seasons throughout the year.

Let me tell you about this awesome club!

What is included?

24 step by step watercolor painting tutorials
24 nature lessons to go along with the painting tutorials with fun facts, links to family friendly educational videos, observation prompts, and poems to go along with each one
coloring sheets for little ones who would rather not paint
23 bonus watercolor painting tutorials from Lily & Thistle’s Watercolor School
12 drawing tutorials
colored pencil drawing tutorials with interesting facts about each subject you are working on
nature journaling section to teach how to make nature observations as well as work on artistic skills
nature activities and crafts
birding 101 - guide to learning about different birds and how they look and sound as well as how to sketch and study birds

How we use it:

When we were homeschooling….

we would work on some of the art as we listened to history podcasts. We would bring our work with us to the park or the arboretum. We would do some nature study and drawing and then I would read to the kids as they continued their nature journals. We chose a poem to memorize each week.

Now that we are back to public school…

We like to spend a few afternoons per week doing some sort of nature activity from Nature’s Art Club. Whether that is taking a nature walk and collecting items for different nature related crafts, or spending time on a bad weather day to do some drawing or painting tutorials.

During the summer my boys love to take walks in our neighborhood to hunt for toads. They love to catch turtles at the nearby ponds, and make friends with the baby bunnies that nest in our yard. Nature journaling has helped us to document these magical moments.

What surprised me the most…

I originally purchased this as a curriculum or activity for my kids to do. What I came to realize, was how much I enjoyed doing it along with them. I especially enjoy the art tutorials and find myself stealing moments away to create on my own. It is a great way for me to relax and clear my head at the end of the day, or when there is downtime between work and the kids’ sporting activities.

I hope you will join us!!

Make nature a bigger part of your life. I know you will see many benefits, not only in learning more science and fine arts, but you will find you have more gratitude, plus better mental and emotional health by connecting with God’s creations. Check it out for yourself here!!