Mandalas are traditionally sand paintings that form a circle and are used as meditation symbols for protection and healing.
A wonderful thing about making nature mandalas is that there are no special tools or supplies since everything you need can be found in the environment around you (or maybe items that you have found in nature somewhere else and brought home with you, such as seashells).
Instructions:
Step 1: Gather your materials (leaves, flowers, sticks, rocks, pinecones, and petals)
Step 2: Start your mandala with a design in the center.
Step 3: Begin adding your items to form rings or bands around the center design. Remember to create a circular design.
Step 4: Take photos of your family with their creation and share them via email with friends and family. You can leave your mandala intact to decorate your yard and inspire more nature family fun!
Reading Suggestions: (these eBooks can be found on Overdrive via www.aclib.us)
Mandala for the Inspired Artist, by Louise Gale, Andrea Thompson, Marisa Edghill, and Alyssa Stokes
Coloring Dream Mandalas: 30 Hand-Drawn Designs for Mindful Relaxation, by Wendy Piersall
The Art of Stone Painting: 30 Designs to Spark Your Creativity, by F. Sehnaz Bac
20 Ways to draw a Tree and 44 Other Nifty Things From Nature: A Sketchbook for Artists,Designers, and Doodlers, by Eloise Renouf
Fairy Gardening: Creating Your Own Magical Miniature Garden, by Julie Bawden-Davis
Pinkalicious: Fairy House, by Victoria Kann
The Everything Kids' Nature Book: Create Clouds, Make Waves, Defy Gravity, and Much More!, by Kathiann Kowalski
Every Day is Earth Day, by Jane O'Connor
Springtime Blossoms, by Jerdine Nolen