Go on a nature walk to collect rocks and bring them back to the classroom. Children can decorate the rocks with washable tempera paint, as suggested by the Kaboose website. Toddlers can paint the rocks using their fingers, sponges, cotton balls or paintbrushes. Preschoolers can use cotton swabs or fine paintbrushes to paint spots, stripes or other designs on the rocks. School-aged children might decorate painted rocks by gluing on wiggly eyes, yarn hair or craft pom-poms.
Children can design customized sun visors to wear on the playground with an idea adapted from MakingFriends.com. Toddlers can apply stickers to plastic sun visors, while preschoolers can use tacky glue to attach beads, pom-poms or foam shapes on a foam sun visor. School-aged children can squeeze three-dimensional fabric paint onto visors to create designs.
Give children a chance to try out ice cube paints, as suggested by the Busy Bee Kids Crafts website. Older children can make the paints independently, but adults should prepare them for toddlers well before the activity. Fill an ice tray with water and squeeze five drops of food coloring into each compartment. Cover the tray with plastic wrap. Poke holes in the plastic wrap to insert a wooden craft stick into each compartment. Freeze the ice cube paints and then use them to paint on paper, the sidewalk or the fence.
Make simple bug jars for children to use as temporary homes for bugs they collect on the playground. Cut a small square of netting and wrap it around the top of a canning jar, securing in place with a rubber band. Alternatively, leave the lid on the jar and an adult can poke air holes in it. School-age children can refer to a field guide to identify the bugs or draw the bugs to include in a handmade field guide for the classroom. Preschoolers can add sticks, leaves and rocks to make a temporary bug habitat. Toddlers can observe the bugs crawling or flying around inside the jar. Remember to release all the bugs back to the playground after the activity.