Reflecting on Art in Nature: Process Over Product

In nature-based education, art does not need to be something we make and take home. Instead, it can be something we notice, return to, and think with over time. When art is approached as a process rather than a finished product, it becomes a powerful tool for supporting imagination, curiosity, and creativity, while also deepening children’s relationships with place.

This way of thinking is strongly reflected in the work of Andy Goldsworthy, whose temporary sculptures made from leaves, stones, ice, mud, and sticks invite us to reconsider what art is clearly for. His work exists in conversation with the environment; it changes, collapses, melts, erodes, and disappears. The process is as meaningful as the outcome, often more so.

Process Over Product in Nature-Based Art

In many traditional art settings, the focus can drift toward producing something recognisable or display-worthy. In outdoor and nature-based contexts, this focus often shifts naturally. Materials are irregular, conditions are unpredictable, and outcomes are never fully within our control.

When educators lean into process over product, children are invited to:

• Explore materials without a fixed endpoint

• Experiment, problem-solve, and revise ideas

• Take creative risks without fear of “getting it wrong”

• Stay present with what they are doing rather than rushing toward completion

This approach supports intrinsic motivation. Children engage because the process itself is meaningful, not because there is an expectation of a final result.

The Environment as Co-Creator

One of the most powerful aspects of art in nature is that the environment actively participates in shaping the work. Wind moves leaves. Rain softens clay. Sunlight dries mud. Ice melts. Tides shift stones.

Rather than resisting these changes, educators can frame them as part of the artwork’s life cycle. This helps children understand that:

• Art can be temporary

• Change is not failure

• Nature has agency and influence

When groups return to the same spaces over extended periods, children begin to notice how previous creations have transformed or disappeared entirely. This invites reflection, memory, and storytelling, and it reinforces the idea that learning unfolds over time.

Revisiting Spaces and Deepening Creativity

Returning to the same natural spaces allows art experiences to build on one another. Children might remember where a pattern of sticks once stood, notice what remains, or decide to respond with something new.

This ongoing relationship with place supports:

• Long-term imaginative thinking

• A sense of belonging and stewardship

• Deeper observational skills

• Layered creativity that evolves with experience

Rather than asking, “What are we making today?”, educators might ask, “What is this place inviting us to explore now?”

The Role of the Educator

In process-focused nature art, the educator’s role is less about instruction and more about noticing, wondering, and holding space. Useful educator practices include:

• Offering open-ended prompts rather than examples

• Valuing children’s descriptions and intentions over adult interpretations

• Resisting the urge to preserve or perfect work

• Modelling curiosity about how materials behave over time

Language matters. Phrases like “Tell me about what you’re trying” or “I wonder what might happen next” help keep the focus on thinking and exploration rather than outcomes.

Why This Matters

Art in nature, when grounded in process over product, supports whole-child development. It strengthens creative thinking, fosters emotional resilience, and encourages children to see themselves as capable explorers and creators within their environments.

Inspired by artists like Andy Goldsworthy, educators can embrace impermanence, uncertainty, and change as central features of learning. In doing so, art becomes not something children produce, but something they experience, reflect on, and carry with them long after it has faded back into the landscape.