Learn how to make nature paintbrushes with sticks, leaves and flowers. A fun activity for toddlers and elementary kids. This is a fun spring or summer kids craft.

My kids were super excited to make paintbrushes from nature. They love painting and they love being outside.

They had so much fun selecting the materials for the paintbrushes. I thought they would quickly grab some leaves and then start painting.

I was wrong. They spent almost an hour selecting the right material to make their paintbrushes.

They kept exclaiming, “this would make a great paintbrush because” or “this won’t make a great paintbrush because”.

I loved how they were analyzing everything. It is great to see their minds at work.

After we gathered our materials, it was time to make the paintbrushes. My daughter was able to make the paintbrushes on her own, and my son needed some help.

This is a great nature craft to make one summer afternoon.

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Keep reading for more summer kids craft ideas.

Nature Paintbrushes Supplies

• Sticks that you find in your yard or on a nature walk.
• Leaves, grass, flowers
• Rubber bands
• Paper
• Paint

Nature Paintbrushes Instructions

First, you will need to gather your supplies to make the paintbrushes. You can either walk around your yard or go on a nature walk.

We used pine needles, evergreen branches, tall grasses, leaves and a flower to make our paint brushes. What will you find to make yours?

Also, gather small sticks. These will be the handles for your paint brushes. Larger sticks can be broken into smaller pieces.

Use a rubber band to attach your leaves or grasses to the sticks. You may find it easier to put the rubber band on the stick and then place the leaf or blade of grass under the rubber band.

After you made your paintbrushes, now it is time to paint. Grab your favorite paint and use your nature brushes. We used washable paint to make cleanup easier.

As your child is painting, you can talk about the different patterns that each brush is making. You can also ask him to predict what the brush stroke will look like. This will help him understand the process of art.

Ways To Modify This Craft

You don’t need to rubber band your nature collection to sticks. My son only made 2 paintbrushes with sticks and then he just held the leaf by the stem and painted.

My son also found a pinecone that he wanted to paint with. He just dipped it in paint and then pressed it onto his paper.

Any nature that you find, you can try to paint with it. It doesn’t necessarily need a stick handle.

Other Summer Kids Crafts You May Like

While you are collecting nature for your paint brushes, you can also collect flowers for this nature suncatcher craft for kids.

This paper plate beach ball is a fun summer craft.

To make your next family walk more fun, try this neighborhood scavenger hunt.