Raw Art Day ideas for OSHC
14 DIY activities for a raw art day at before and after school care or vacation care, usually run around International Mud Day (29 June) or Clean Up Australia Day (first Sunday in March). Pick and mix, or build a balanced day in one click.
Found Object Collage
Children collect and arrange found and recycled items into collages, exploring texture, colour and composition.
Nature Play Day · Science Week · Raw Art Day +3Homemade Natural Paints
Children make paints from kitchen ingredients like turmeric, beetroot and herbs, then test the colours on paper.
Messy Play Day · Nature Play Day · Raw Art Day +2Mud Painting
Children mix mud to different thicknesses and use brushes, sticks and fingers to create earthy paintings outdoors.
Rock and Gem Day · Raw Art Day · Art Through the Ages +2Natural Pigment Mural
Children grind soft rocks, clay and earth into natural pigments, mix them with water and paint a mural outdoors.
Nature Play Day · Raw Art Day · Art Attack Day +1Nature Paintbrushes
Children bind leaves, grasses and twigs onto sticks to make paintbrushes, then test the marks each one makes.
Raw Art Day · Nature Play Day · Outdoor Explorers +2Nature Walk Sketching
Children sketch interesting plants, bark and textures on a walk. Slows them down to notice details.
Art Through the Ages · Time Travellers Day · Dinosaur Day +2Ochre-Style Cave Painting
Children paint animals and patterns on scrunched brown paper with earthy colours, exploring how early people around the world recorded life in pictures.
Art Attack Day · Messy Play Day · Raw Art Day +3Outdoor Splatter Painting
Children flick, drip and splatter paint onto a large sheet outdoors, enjoying big, free movement and bold abstract results.
Recycle Day · Art Attack Day · Budding Artists +2Paper Bag Painting
Children paint big, bold artworks on opened-out paper shopping bags, which make sturdy, free paper for large-scale painting.
Clean Up Australia Day · Recycle Day · Sustainable Superstars +3Rubbish Art Sculpture
Children turn clean collected rubbish into a creative sculpture to display.
Raw Art Day · Beach Day · Craft Day +1Sand Art Bottles
Children layer coloured sand in clear bottles to make patterns. A calm, creative craft.
Raw Art Day · Clay and Pottery Day · Beach Day +1Sand Mould Plaster Casting
Children press shapes into damp sand and fill the moulds with plaster to make casts. Hands-on sculpture with real materials.
Water Play Day · Art Attack Day · Colour Fun Run +2Squirter Splash Painting
Children squirt watered-down paint at large sheets of paper using water pistols or spray bottles, creating bold splash art.
Raw Art Day · Woodwork Day · Maker Day +2Wooden Box Building
Older children hammer or glue timber offcuts into a simple box. Real tools and real skills.