Lesson 34 - Cherry Blossoms

                     

Wishing for spring, (and who isn’t!), we decided to make our own cherry blossom art this week.

We began by using an unusual painting tool, a straw and our own breath. This is why I love teaching art to young children; for them, anything goes; as a matter of fact, the more unusual or innovative the tools, the better. Each child was given a plain piece of paper. At its base, we squirted drops of brown, diluted paint. Each child then took a straw, pointed it on the paint, took a deep breath and blew as ferociously as he was able. This spread the watery paint up and around the paper, creating a tree trunk and branches. The children were encouraged to blow their paint aggressively onto the paper, filling in as much of the white space as possible.

Some trees were majestic, while other children created smaller bush-type young trees. All children enjoyed this task; however, some of the younger children became tired quickly after blowing the paint around, and they used their straw to “draw” the branches of their tree.

Once this was completed, a grassy area was rendered underneath the tree. After that, the children had the option of using a brush, a rounded small sponge, or their thumb to make beautiful pink cherry blossom petals on their tree. Some children used all three methods, filling their tree branches with a multitude of pink petals, some even falling on the ground, just like the real cherry blossoms. Others were more conservative with their petal placement, and others still opting for small buds on their tree with many more green leaves.

The final product was colorful and serene, ushering spring’s arrival at Top Hat Montessori.

 HAPPY SPRING!!