Most preschoolers draw only scribbles or things they see in their imaginations. Introduce them to the concept of drawing real things by sketching trees. Trees have simple shapes, and taking children to a quiet area outside will allow them to be creative away from the stimulation of the classroom or home. Spread blankets out around a tree and pass out paper and crayons. Ask children to draw the tree in front of them. Some children may still draw scribbles, but they'll all get a chance to focus on their artwork.
Outdoor races will get children moving, and playing unusual versions of traditional games will make preschoolers giggle. Children can race while hopping on one foot or walking like crabs, with their hands on the ground behind them and their bellies pointing toward the sky. Encourage children to work together by holding relay races. Break up children into two teams and give one child on each team a wet water balloon. Children must run down to a teammate and pass the balloon off without breaking it. Have some extra balloons on hand in case a balloon does break.
Most preschoolers love to play pretend, so get them excited about nature by pretending to be detectives or explorers. Collect binoculars and magnifying glasses and make "nature explorer" badges for children to wear. Pretend you're seeing the area for the first time, and encourage children to look at the trees, leaves and grass through their binoculars. Challenge children to find objects that have particular shapes or textures. For instance, ask them to find something that is fuzzy or something that is round.
Creating artwork outside keeps indoor surfaces clean, and these creations will wash away in the next rainstorm. Collect spray bottles of water and buckets of chalk and let children draw pictures on the sidewalk. Choose an area far away from cars and explain the boundaries of where children are allowed to go. Let children spray their pictures with a little water to see how the colors change. If you don't have chalk on hand, fill spray bottles with water and several drops of food coloring so children can spray colorful shapes onto the sidewalk.