Wonderful Oklahoma surrounds us with the grace and beauty of nature, from the wooded forests of the east to the rolling prairies of the west. The leaves, flowers, branches, and rocks all have individual patterns which join together to form a larger design in nature.

During your travels, take a few art supplies and record nature’s patterns—you will become more aware of shapes and textures through this process of observation. When you have completed a summer’s worth of investigative collecting, printing, and painting, bind the pages into a book to create your personal impression of the world you explored.

Materials
• White and/or various colored papers cut to the same size
• Watercolor box with brush
• Water container
• Box of crayons
• Glue stick
• Scissors
• Fine tip marker or pencil
• Yarn or embroidery floss

Printing: Collect various leaves from your surroundings and select a piece of paper on which to print. Dip brush in water and work the bristles into the end of the glue stick until a paste covers the brush—the glue will help the paint stick to the leaf. Apply this paste to the underside of the leaf. Clean brush in water and stroke into watercolor; brush onto leaf. Place leaf on paper, put a piece of newspaper over leaf, and gently rub with one finger. Lift leaf to see print. Repeat printing with different colors and leaves. Experiment with patterns and overlapping to create an interesting composition. Note the names of the leaves and where you found them.

Stones, moss, and cattails may also be used for printing (without glue). Brush paint directly on stones and press onto paper. Dip moss into wet watercolor and dab on paper. Soak cattails in a jar of water for a few minutes before applying paint; more than one color may be applied to cattail as stripes. Roll, pat, or rub cattail on paper to from patterns.

Rubbing: Some items like tree bark, cornerstones of buildings, or brass markers can’t be printed, but would make good rubbings. To make a rubbing, place paper over the object to be recorded and rub with the side of a peeled crayon. This makes a colorful impression of the object.

Painting & Collecting: When you want to leave the beauty of nature to be appreciated by others, create a watercolor painting of leaves, flowers, or whatever scene inspires you. Collect brochures, ticket stubs, and other things that you may want to incorporate into your collection, then cut paper and use the glue stick to form pocket pages for these items.

When you finish recording your travels, make a front and back cover and clip all pages together with binder clips on three sides. With an adult’s help, drill holes ¼” from the side that will form the spine of the book. Sew book together with yarn or embroidery floss. You now have an artistic record of the variety of nature and design in our wonderful state.