Make a natural collage
You’ll need
- Natural materials
- Glue
- Something to cover the tables (optional)
Before you begin
- Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. There's also more guidance to help you carry out your risk assessment, including examples.
- Make sure you’ll have enough adult helpers. You may need some parents and carers to help if you’re short on helpers.
Planning and setting up this activity
- If you’re collecting natural materials, make sure your items are responsibly sourced. Always check before taking items from nature, as it may be against UK laws, or you may need landowners' permission. It’s best to pick things that have fallen, but always check any laws or rules. You could use craft versions of natural items, such as shells, leaves, pebbles, moss, bark and pinecones from a local craft store.
- It’s always a good idea to check for dangerous rubbish, such as glass, metal or sharp objects, and be on the lookout for dog poo. If you see any, it’s best to find somewhere else to explore.
Collect the materials
- Explain to everyone that they'll be going outside to collect materials to make a natural collage. You could provide visual or written reminders, so everyone knows what they can and can’t do or touch while exploring nature. For example, you could use photos to show which leaves are safe to touch and which ones to avoid.
- You may wish to make a collage using the templates attached of the Gulliver’s World mascots. If so, make sure to show everyone the pictures, so they know what shapes or colours to look for.
- Remind everyone to respect wildlife and to not cause any damage, such as pulling leaves off the trees. They can collect fallen leaves or petals instead.
- When everyone is ready, head outside and collect enough materials for the collages. You may need to take some bags with you to put the items in.
- After enough materials have been collected, head back inside.
Make your collage
- When you get back, spread out all the items you collected on the floor or on a table. You may wish to talk through them, and you may need to wait for the items to dry.
- Explain that people should use the natural items they collected to create a picture or pattern.
- When everyone’s ready, give everyone some paper or card, or a copy of the Gulliver’s mascots, for them to make their collage on.
- As well as natural objects, people could also use paint, felt tips, colouring pencils or craft materials.
- When someone has finished their collage, place it somewhere safe to dry.
- When the collages have all been finished, you could look at each other’s collages or create a display. Anyone who wanted to could talk through what they made.
- You could then gently and carefully return any unused materials to the places where you found them.
Reflection
This activity was all about making a collage out of natural materials. What natural objects did you find and collect? Which thing was your favourite and why? How did you find making pictures out of the materials? What did you make? What did you like about your picture? Is there anything you'd change?
Some people may have used the Gulliver’s World templates. Did you use any items because of their shape, colour or texture?
You might not have used all the items in your picture. Why didn’t you use some items? What did you do with the materials you didn’t use?
Safety
All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always get approval for the activity, and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.
- Glue and solvents
Always supervise young people appropriately when they’re using glue and solvent products. Make sure there’s plenty of ventilation. Be aware of any medical conditions that could be affected by glue or solvent use and make adjustments as needed.
- Gardening and nature
Everyone must wash their hands after the activity has finished. Wear gloves if needed. Explain how to safely use equipment and set clear boundaries so everyone knows what’s allowed.
- Outdoor activities
You must have permission to use the location. Always check the weather forecast, and inform parents and carers of any change in venue.
Crafting with younger sections
Be well prepared, with everything ready before you begin. Make sure equipment and materials are age appropriate. Make sure small objects are not put in mouths, ears and noses. Remind young people not to put anything in their mouth and wash hands regularly.
To make this activity easier, you could print or draw out the Gulliver’s world templates on larger sized paper, and everyone could make the collage together as a team. You could also collect all the natural materials before the activity.
- If activities involve getting messy or touching certain textures, make sure everyone is comfortable. People could wear gloves, work with a friend to help them, or choose alternative materials and methods, such as painting directly onto card, rather than using natural items. No-one should be forced to touch or use something, as it may be distressing for them. Always speak with the person, and their parents or carers about what materials they’re comfortable with.
- When planning an off-site visit outdoors, make sure the location, route and equipment are accessible for the entire group. For example, you may need to find wheelchair-friendly paths, avoid steps, consider public transport and have benches to rest. Places with well-maintained footpaths or purpose-built roads are often more accessible than wild land. The best way to determine if the site meets your group's needs is to visit it beforehand. If you can’t visit in advance, you could contact the landowner or manager with any questions.
All Scout activities should be inclusive and accessible.
If you enjoyed this activity, try our other nature activities.
Young people can choose their own items and decide on what they want the picture to be.