Simple Artistic Ways to Use Rocks in Everyday Play
Engaging children and tapping into their innate creative natures can be as simple as starting a rock collection. What child has not been caught with a rock in their pocket at some point or another, right? And if they haven't it's probably not been by choice. Any child who is given the freedom to venture outside and interact with the world around them, has found joy in discovering their own natural treasures. Rocks seem to be a favorite treasure at our house!
We pick up rocks on our walks through the woods, while we are exploring the creek beds, at the beach, and while digging in our own back yard. We also tend to pick up mineral excavation kits and purchase little bags of rocks and minerals at the local nature center gift shops. Over the past few years we've seen our little collection grow and grow.
The really fun thing about this collection is that is makes a wonderful nature display but it also doubles as the best jumping off point for numerous artistic endeavors. If you have a rock collection already and aren't sure how to put it into play, I want to share six ways that rocks have found their way into our creative play.
SIX SIMPLE ARTISTIC WAYS TO USE ROCKS IN EVERYDAY PLAY
Color Sorting
Drawing
Mandalas
Assemblage Art
Rocks Stacks
Chalk Rocks
COLOR SORTING
As seen in this image and the one at the top of the page, there are numerous opportunities to talk about the subtleties of color using rocks. As an Art Professor I taught several color theory classes. It's kind of my thing. But I'm not teaching collage age students at the moment so I've found ways to bring it down to their level and make it fun. All this to say, rocks can be a fantastic vehicle for introducing color or any topic discussed here for multiple age groups. It's all about how far you take it. For the toddler and preschool range we stuck with simply grouping like colors together. We worked as a team and while I picked out the subtle ranges they were more in tune with the broader spectrum. Very cool to see the grouping of color amass and watch as the rocks began to "make sense" and form really eye catching color relationships with each other.
DRAWING WITH FOUND OBJECTS
I am a firm believer in not instructing children as to how to draw the "right way" but instead leaving it to their creative minds to figure out what feels "right" to them. If you set a natural object on a blank sheet of paper, with drawing materials nearby, they naturally begin to interact with it. I see a lot of echoing of form and shape, along with growing confidence in their own abilities. It's really interesting to watch how the various objects effect and reflect the mark making as well.
MANDALAS
Mandala literally means circle in Sanskrit. It is an ancient practice that is said to represent the universe in each making. I made the one pictured here as the kids played one day. They ran over from time to time to add a rock or two or to watch. It a was a way for me to evoke a sense of calm within chaos of our day. My pre-schooler made a larger one on our front walk in the Fall with found natural materials. And the kids and I used sticks and flowers from the yard to make one in the Spring as well. It's such a great way to combine aesthetics, process art, and meditation. While any material can be used, rocks seem to be our go-to in the winter when they are easily accessible indoors.
ASSEMBLAGE ART
Assemblage art is the act of combining found objects on paper. For this activity I leave out trays of various natural materials next to sheets of paper. They gravitate towards their favorite objects first and then begin to find like objects or what they feel to be compliments to the objects they've already chosen. Before long I start to see stacks, piles, lines, and other interesting combinations. They single objects come together to form new objects as they intuitively explore shape relationships and creative decision making. I love taking pictures of these arrangements before they get rearranged or put back into the collection trays. Beautiful documents of their fleeting art!
ROCK STACKS
Stacking rocks, whether it is three or ten, little or big...takes balance and patience! In fact the art of rock stacking has actually been given it's own genre in the art world, known now as "balance art". These mini-sculptures can incorporate color, size, and shape to allow multiple creative options beyond simple balancing techniques. Depending on the age, the engagement in all or some of these design elements will vary. And even if the stacks don't always stay or don't come to be....it's really fun to try.
CHALK ROCKS
As my kids collect rocks, they often test to see if they've found a coveted "chalk rock"! Rocks offer up a seemingly endless array of colors. Some are soft enough to transfer that color onto other surfaces...and those are the ones we deem worthy of the "chalk rocks" status! At the age my children are at, mark making and color testing is far from a science. It is a creative endeavor that leads to simple experimenting, creating, and an eagerness to collect and explore. As the kids get older the chemical compositions that make up the color palette could be a really interesting route to take this as well.
Rocks are a prime example of the old adage,, "ordinary is extraordinary". They are great collection to start up if you haven't already, and a truly endless way to explore art with natural materials. Hope we gave you a little inspiration and hope to hear about all the ways rocks have found their way into your everyday play.
