What colours can you find in nature?

The Basic Idea

Make up some small card sticky palettes with double sided tape. Take your group to a natural space with plants and natural materials. Explore the space and collect a range of tiny samples of natural colours by sticking as many as possible to the sticky card. Share your results as a group in a carousel passing you card for others to view.

Have a discussion at the start about mainly picking natural objects that have fallen on the ground and are not growing. If picking from live plants or trees only take a tiny sample so as not to damage them. Leaders should guide the group appropriately if there are poisonous plants or fungi in the area. Anything wet will not stick – so best not done on a rainy day.

How to take it even further or make it more challenging

Challenge the group to fit as many colours as possible on to the square.

Have seasonal or colour based themes – collect the whole range of seasonal colours in a given area.

If doing this with a big group create a mosaic by sticking cards back on to a sheet of card.

Create a wild face or figure.

Use the collected colours to make a letter and wear it as a badge.