There are two things found in abundance in my backyard so far this spring: dandelions and caterpillars (we're having an outbreak of caterpillars).
My boys love picking dandelions (or sunflowers, as they call them) and handing me little bouquets. But recently, we used those freshly picked dandelions for a simple process art project, as you will see shortly.
The idea came about because I asked my husband to help me brainstorm some ideas for the kids. He suggested stamping with dandelions because (a) they're everywhere, and (b) "Everyone has dandelions!" (direct quote). And I thought it was a great idea!
The result is this fun painting with dandelions process art for kids.
A version of this post originally appeared on the CBC Parents website.
What You'll Need for this Nature Process Art
For this art project, you will need:
- Washable paint - We used tempera paint in red, yellow, green, and blue.
- A handful of fresh dandelions - We picked these from our backyard.
- Paper - You could opt for a blank canvas instead, if you'd prefer.
Simply set out your materials for your child on an easy to wash surface, such as a table. We always use an old shower curtain as a drop cloth to protect our surfaces. Since I have two kids, I set up this art activity like so.
Painting with Dandelions
For this activity, you simply use the dandelions like paint brushes by dipping them into the paint and stamping them onto the paper (or canvas, if you're going that route).
There's also the opportunity to explore color mixing with this project. For example, my boys (ages 3 and 5) would dip their dandelion paint brushes into two or more paint containers to mix the colors together. Then they would stamp the dandelions to see what color it made.
My boys also experimented with different painting techniques besides stamping, though. For instance, they dragged the whole flower and stem through the wet paint versus stamping with just the top of the dandelion. Things got a bit messier here as paint now covered their "handle" of their paint brushes.
Overall, my boys had fun with this dandelion art. It was cheap and easy to set up, which is nice. And it gave the kids a chance to explore materials in new ways.
Will you be giving this painting with dandelions process art for kids a try?
