With our Sonlight Science curriculum, we’ve been studying various animals and their habitats and habits. We’ve spent a good deal of time looking at animals of the rain forests – and of course, rain forests themselves. A suggested activity was to draw a rain forest with the kids. Normally, we don’t do many of the suggested activities due to time and my lack of motivation. But the idea of creating a wonderful art project to reinforce what we’ve learnt really appealed to me.
Paint doesn’t come out of our craft cupboards nearly as much as it should, purely because it is MESSY and, well, messy. But, it’s also fun and I loved painting as a kid. Actually, I still do 
So, out they came. We mixed up three different greens, a couple of browns and blues and began to create our very own rain forest backdrop!
And we had such fun!
The kids donned their oversized t-shirt art smocks. We kicked the playroom carpet aside to make room for the cardboard (once an oven-box, now a bona fide rain forest!) We brainstormed, looked at our Sonlight books and then brought out the paints.
First the tree tops. Dark green, then lighter green and the lightest green dotted on top. We played “Monet” and the kids got into it big time! The green smoodge suddenly became leaves and tree tops! A wonderful transformation that had them oohing and aahing!
Then the trunks and branches. Katie got fully into creating realism, and started painting moss all over the trees. It worked!
Then the river, some logs and plenty of foliage at ground level…
Wallah! They are so proud! And so am I! And I had such fun too filling in bits here and there.
The plan is to add the animals we’ve been learning about, as well as more vegetation over the next few days. But we’ll use different media for each animal and stick them to the board.
Keep posted for the finished product!
ETA: I need to edit the post to explain just HOW much mess there was afterwards… the entire playroom floor, the couch throw, the carpet we’d kicked out the way, the passageway to the kitchen, the kitchen-dining room inter-leading door, the kitchen floor, the kitchen table, the kitchen sink, the passage to the bathroom and the bathroom… and US! But, it took about 20 minutes to clean up properly. Thank goodness for dishwashers which took thorough care of our paintbrushes and ice-cream-lid-palettes! Next time, I’m using a drop cloth and plenty of newspaper. That should turn 20 minutes into 2 minutes.
Wow! Impressive. And u r so right about us and our paint fears – I also need to learn to let go! Good job sis. Sam is now unrecognisable – I wouldn’t know it was him!
That is SO good.
My boys would have made a far more “abstract” forest! I can’t believe you didn’t put a mat down
I also only reluctantly bring the paint out, I don’t like washing all the little dishes afterwards. Well done, it is huge!!
I did about 1/5 of it – so it’s not completely their work! But it was deeply satisfying doing a project like this with them that turned out to actually look recognisable! Now for the animals! Oh, and I edited the post to add the following…
ETA: I need to edit the post to explain just HOW much mess there was afterwards… the entire playroom floor, the couch throw, the carpet we’d kicked out the way, the passageway to the kitchen, the kitchen-dining room inter-leading door, the kitchen floor, the kitchen table, the kitchen sink, the passage to the bathroom and the bathroom… and US!
But, it took about 20 minutes to clean up properly. Thank goodness for dishwashers which took thorough care of our paintbrushes and ice-cream-lid-palettes! 
Next time, I’m using a drop cloth and plenty of newspaper. That should turn 20 minutes into 2 minutes.
What fun!!!!!!! They did a brilliant impression of a rain forest. Love the trees! I love the pic of Sam in his paint shirt. They all were totally absorbed in their project. Must have been worth the mess! Well done Hayes family! Love you
Wow guys that’s impressive! How did you get Sam to participate without adding his own interpretation? My 3 year old would not have been able to resist mooshing all the colours together
We also use oversized T-shirts to paint in! When it’s a nice sunny (wind free day) we paint outside on the grass/large table to avoid messing up our home. Putting the sprinkler on cleans up the paint and the artists!
I really didn’t expect it to turn out so well. And I really expected Sam to “moosh” as you say, Nikki
Somehow giving him very specific things to do helped – and we started with the treetops which was really fun big round mooshy strokes and it took some time, so by the time we got to detail Sam was happy to paint specific stuff (lines for trees, round strokes for bushes, the river). Any big messes he made, the girls and I covered up and blended in 
Love the sprinkler idea! We also used to paint outside when they were little. We cleaned up in the pool this time 
Looks soooo cool! and yes I’ve swiped the computer to finally get to all my mail. Love tarzan boy. Jesse was just talking about Sammy and how he and Sammy like the same things like Lightening Mcqeen!