Lesson Plan: Monoprinting with Nature
The Field Trip Newsletter: #90
Hello! I can’t believe it’s time to think about returning to school. The children have started back where we live, but we will homeschool again this school year and have another month left of summer, starting after Labor Day. It's still hard to believe how fast time has flowed by.
It’s lesson plan day here at the newsletter, and it has me thinking a lot about what will go into Tom’s sixth-grade year. I try to build around his interests while also covering the standard requirements for our state. As a parent, it's hard to know if we are teaching all the right things, but I know my strengths and weaknesses and when to outsource. For example, I turned to Outschool for a math class, which meets weekly via Zoom with a teacher and other students. He did one on the site this summer and loved it! I think with the routine, he will thrive in that setting.
We all have a million things going on, so I will jump right into a lesson that you could add to your home school lessons or supplement with your child’s traditional education.
Sidenote: I get a lot of questions about what homeschool program we are using, how I got started homeschooling, resources, etc. I will list some of our favorite resources at the end of this newsletter: places where I’ve found some really interesting topics to build from, free coursework, and more.
- Enjoy! -Erin
Field Trip Lesson Plan
Subject: Art
Activity: Monoprinting
Ages: Ages 5+
Supplies:
Tweezers (for lifting the paper off the surface)
A flat piece of cardboard or recycled food box, like a milk carton or cereal box or a thick piece of plastic
A towel you don’t mind getting dirty or paper towels
Foraged leaves or flowers
Steps:
Cut two pieces of paper to the size you would like your prints.
Roll a layer of ink out onto the cardboard or plastic, whichever you are using.
Lay your foraged leaf or flower onto the rolled-out ink and roll over it again with the roller, pressing slowly so as not to damage it.
Once the leaf is fully covered, using the tweezers, lift it off and lay it onto one of your pieces of paper. With the second piece, press down, making sure to rub the leaf into both sides of the paper. At this point, your leaf should be sandwiched between the two sheets of paper.
Slowly remove the top sheet, then, using your tweezers again, lift the leaf off the paper. You will now have two prints that you can frame or gift!
It’s an easy craft that will get your child excited about foraging outside and about this fun art activity. Monoprinted evergreen branches or holly leaves would make great holiday gifts.
You could also add monoprinting to a seasonal study, exploring what blooms each season or looking for the same leaves year-round and comparing the leaves throughout the year. There are multiple ways to make this simple activity part of several different lessons. If you travel a lot, look for leaves while you are out and about, tuck the found leaves into a book to press it, and enjoy a monoprint travel memory when you return. If you are on a road trip, you could easily tuck the supplies into a ziplock and take them with your children for an early morning activity before everyone wakes up. I’d love to see what you create! Tag me on Instagram or Facebook if you share your children’s creations. I’d love to see it and share it with my community. We could also start a new hashtag, #fieldtriplessonplans, to share.
*Disclaimer: I earn a tiny bit of commission on a few of the supplies list linked items. It doesn’t cost you extra to buy from those links. If you can buy from your local art supply store, please support local first. I am not doing this for the commission; I simply link there just in case you do want to buy that way. At the least, I want to give you the resources for the items needed.
I hope you enjoy this fun nature art activity! And if you have a few more weeks of summer left, like us, I hope you are soaking it all up.
As always, I’m so glad you're here. Thank you for reading the Field Trip Newsletter. You can also find me on Yahoo! sharing more family travel ideas. -Erin
Resources we love to use for homeschooling: