STEAM Preschool Art Challenge: Fall Bug Habitat

Preschool art is filled with coloring, painting, molding, and creating. Most often, parents, teachers, and caregivers give young children the opportunity for some directed learning projects along side open-ended art exploration.

Preschool Activities for STEAM #STEM: Art Challenge Fall Bug Habitat, a paper plate, clay, and paint nature educational craft for kids

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For this challenge, we have used a variety of art mediums to connect science, nature, and art into one simple, but fun educational activity: Create a Bug Habitat.

This activity is re-printed with permission from STEAM:Preschool Activities for STEM Enrichment.

We encourage you to try this activity with the preschoolers in your lives. Then let us know by posting in the comment section how it went.

This is week 4 of the Free STEAM Enrichment E-Course for parents, teachers, and care-givers of preschoolers. Here are links to the previous STEAM preschool activity Challenges.

Science Challenge

Technology Challenge

Engineering Challenge

Create a Fall Bug Habitat with Mixed Art Mediums

Learning Objective

Create a bug’s environment with a variety of art mediums.

Materials Needed for Fall Bug Habitat

Air Dry Clay / Clay

Crayons

Watercolor Paint or Tempera Paint

Nature Objects (twigs, leaves, or flowers)

Paper Plate

School Glue or Hot Glue (optional and adult use recommended)

Directions for Making a Fall Bug Habitat

1. Paint the paper plate fall bug habitat with fall colors. Discuss the time of day this setting will take place in. My preschooler decided on sunset and chose bright colors for the sky.

2. Go on a nature walk to find a twig for the main tree of the fall bug habitat (Nature +Art = AWESOME!)

3. Glue a small branch or twig on to the paper plate to create the main tree trunk.

Children making a paper plate fall bug habitat

4. Add details such as leaves, dirt, and other branches on the paper plate, being careful not to break the stick.

5. Create different bugs and leaves from the clay. Follow the directions on the package for the clay drying time or just use a small piece of clay or play-dough. (Whatever you have on hand will work great! No need to run to the store for this simple preschool art and science activity!)

Kid-made clay ladybug for fall bug habitat

4. Paint the bugs if needed and once the paint is dry, arrange and glue them to the paper plate. OR – keep them unattached and carry them around all day (which is what my kids did!)

Additional Preschool Art Resources:

STEAM: Preschool Activities for STEM Enrichment

30+ STEM + ART Hands On, Minds On activities to compliment and enrich preschool learning.

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Preschool Art: It’s the Process, Not the Product! Every book by MaryAnn F. Kohl is fabulously informative and easy to follow. This book on preschool art is no exception!

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Ed Emberley’s Drawing Book: Make a World My preschooler loves all drawing books, but these are some of his favorites as the drawings are simple and practical, yet still cute!

Read the full book description here

Art Lab for Kids: 52 Creative Adventures in Drawing, Painting, Printmaking, Paper, and Mixed Media-For Budding Artists of All Ages (Lab Series) This book is great for learning the process and exploring different art mediums.

Read the full book description here

The Great Big Art Activity Book This book is exactly as the title says. I have had it in my collection for over 10 years and refer to it often for ideas and inspiration. The kids like to read it and choose projects to do too. Full color, easy to follow instructions.

Read the full book description here

The Kids’ Multicultural Art Book: Art and Craft Experiences from Around the World (Williamson Kids Can Books) Science connects well with art, but so does social studies and learning about the world. Explore global art with this multicultural kids art book.

Read the full book description here