Juniors
OUTDOORS
Junior Outdoor Art Explorer Badge Activity
Make an Outdoor-Themed Impression
Get artistic with leaves, shells, or other unique objects.
Activity Details
Time needed: 15-30 minutes + time to bake clay impressions
Materials Needed:
- Clay or salt dough
- Access to an outside area
Make an outdoor-themed Impression.
Using clay or salt dough, make an outdoor-themed impression. You might collect leaves or shells, or anything that’s unique to the area where you live.
Press your found objects into the clay or dough, then remove them and return them to the place where they were found. If you’d like to hang your impression when it’s finished, make a hole at the top for string. (You may need to re-poke the hole a few times as your impression dries to keep it from closing up.) Your impression can be dried in the oven on low heat—ask an adult for help—or outside in the sun on a hot day.
For More FUN: Make your own salt dough!
Materials:
- 3 cups flour
- 1 cup salt
- 1 cup water (plus up to 1/2 cup extra water, if needed)
- Food coloring (optional)
- Electric mixer
- Stainless Steel Straw, Chopstick, Skewer, Stick (optional)
- Parchment paper or aluminum foil
Instructions:
- Mix the flour and salt together in a bowl
- Add 1 cup of water to the flour mix. To make colored dough, add 15 drops of food coloring to the water before mixing it into the dough.
- Use the electric mixer to mix the dough on medium speed until a ball forms. If the dough is dry, slowly add water (1 tablespoon at a time) until the dough comes together.
- Remove the dough; knead until smooth.
- Form the dough into disks and make your impressions. If you want to hang your finished project, use a straw to poke a hole at the top.
- With adult help, preheat the oven to 275 degrees.
- Bake dough pieces on a foil- or parchment paper-lined cookie sheet for 2 hours. Cool completely before handling.
Note: Girls, volunteers, and families are encouraged to take the time and space they need to adjust to this period of rapid change and uncertainty. When they’re ready, we’re here to support Senior and Ambassador Girl Scouts to safely take action in their communities—whether it’s helping ensure kids are still getting the nourishment and enrichment they need out of school, responding to the possible ramifications of isolation during social distancing, adapting an existing project to positively impact local communities today, or something else entirely!
Troop Leaders: The instructions for all badge steps are available free of charge in the Girl Scout Volunteer Toolkit.
Girl Scout Activity Zone activities have been adapted from existing Girl Scout programming.
Adapted from Step 2 of the Junior Outdoor Art Explorer badge. Purchase the official Badge Booklet to complete all requirements and earn the badge.
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