Art and Design · Year 1

Active learning ideas

Creating Nature Collages

Active learning works particularly well for nature collages because children develop tactile and visual understanding through direct contact with materials. Moving between outdoor collection and indoor arrangement keeps engagement high while reinforcing art and science links about texture and structure.

• National Curriculum Attainment Targets
• KS1: Art and Design - Drawing
• KS1: Art and Design - Sculpture

• 20–45 min
• Pairs → Whole Class
• 4 activities

Activity 01

• Experiential Learning
• 30 min · Pairs

Outdoor Hunt: Texture Collection

Pairs search school grounds for leaves, twigs, petals sorted into texture bags: smooth, rough, bumpy. Back indoors, they describe feels to the group and select items for collages. Lay out on bases without glue first to test arrangements.

Design a collage that uses natural materials to create an interesting texture.

Facilitation Tip

During the Outdoor Hunt, have children collect at least three different textures in closed containers to prevent scattering.

What to look for

As students collect materials, ask them to hold up two different items and name one descriptive word for each texture. For example, 'This leaf is smooth, and this twig is rough.'

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

Activity 02

• Stations Rotation
• 45 min · Small Groups

Stations Rotation: Build and Balance

Set up stations: sorting textures, sketching plans, arranging dry collages, evaluating balance. Small groups rotate every 10 minutes, noting changes in photos or journals. Final station glues selected designs.

Compare the textures of different natural objects in your collage.

Facilitation Tip

At the Build and Balance stations, model how to arrange items without glue first so children see composition possibilities.

What to look for

Display a few finished nature collages. Ask students: 'Which collage has the most interesting texture? How did the artist create that texture? Point to an area that looks balanced. How did they arrange the items there?'

• Remember
• Understand
• Apply
• Analyze
• Self-Management
• Relationship Skills

Activity 03

• Experiential Learning
• 20 min · Whole Class

Whole Class Share: Texture Talks

Children present collages to class, passing items for all to feel textures. Class votes on most balanced or imbalanced pieces and suggests tweaks. Record explanations on shared chart.

Explain how arranging natural items can create a sense of balance or imbalance.

Facilitation Tip

After the Whole Class Share, ask students to point to one example of balance in a peer’s work before sharing their own.

What to look for

Give each student a small piece of paper. Ask them to draw a quick sketch of their collage and label one part that shows good balance. Then, they should write one sentence about their favorite texture in their artwork.

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

Activity 04

• Experiential Learning
• 25 min · Individual

Individual Design: Nature Scenes

Each child sketches a simple scene then builds collage matching it, focusing on one texture type. Swap with partner for feedback on balance before finalizing.

Design a collage that uses natural materials to create an interesting texture.

What to look for

As students collect materials, ask them to hold up two different items and name one descriptive word for each texture. For example, 'This leaf is smooth, and this twig is rough.'

• Apply
• Analyze
• Evaluate
• Self-Awareness
• Self-Management
• Social Awareness

A few notes on teaching this unit

Experienced teachers approach this topic by framing collage as both art and science. They explicitly connect texture vocabulary to science objectives while keeping the artistic focus on composition. Avoid rushing to glue—children need time to explore arrangements through dry building. Research shows that letting children manipulate materials before securing them leads to more thoughtful final pieces.

Successful learning looks like children confidently discussing texture differences, making deliberate choices about placement, and explaining how their arrangements create balance. They should demonstrate curiosity about natural materials and willingness to revise their work based on feedback.

---

Watch Out for These Misconceptions

• During Station Rotation: Build and Balance, watch for children assuming balance means placing everything in the center.

  Ask students to test asymmetrical arrangements by placing heavier items like a large leaf or smooth stone near the edge and lighter clusters opposite. Have them explain which version feels more stable, using the term balance in their descriptions.

• During Outdoor Hunt: Texture Collection, watch for children describing all natural textures as similar.

  After collection, ask children to partner up and sort their items by texture. Provide word banks like rough, smooth, bumpy, soft, and spiky to help them articulate differences.

• During Station Rotation: Build and Balance, watch for children gluing items immediately without trying different arrangements.

  Remind children that dry building is part of the process. Model rearranging items multiple times while asking, 'How does this change the way it looks?' Provide small mirrors so they can view compositions from different angles.

---

Methods used in this brief

• Experiential Learning
• Stations Rotation