Toddlers and preschoolers can make their very own Van Gogh artwork only using washable tempera paint and plants from outside!

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How To: The Artwork

Supplies:

• Canvas boards (Jerry’s Art-a-Rama offers affordable options, but you can use paper or regular canvases as well.)
• Washable tempera paint (I LOVE the Colorations brand! We used light blue, white, and green because that’s what Van Gogh used for our inspiration painting.)
• Plants (I used marigolds, basil, tomato leaves, tree leaves – anything I could find in early September.)

Directions:

It’s pretty simple – have the kids use the plants as paintbrushes and paint on the canvas boards!

How To: The Program

My Young Artists class allows 2-5 year olds to explore art and engage the senses to help them understand the world around them. Exploring famous artists and their work allows kids to see that they are capable of making beautiful, creative artwork. Plus, exploring famous artists provides a unique way to teach children about basic art techniques.

Group Activity:

I LOVED this great nature-themed group art project! All I did was put out white poster board, brown and green washable tempera paints, paintbrushes, flower/tree-shaped sponge brushes, washable glue, and plants. Then, I let the kids get to it! They could use the paintbrushes and sponges to paint and the glue to stick down the plants! So fun! Plus, it was a great way to introduce the Van Gogh plant theme.

Group Story:

We read one of my favorite interactive books ever: Plant the Tiny Seed by Christie Matheson. It was perfect! It takes you through the growing of plants – from seeds to flowers. Plus, it has the kids “pushing” the seed into the ground, and wiggling their fingers for the rain to come, and deadheading flowers even! It’s adorable and this was the first book in a while that I actually read every word in the book. Shocking, I know! The text is easy enough for a three-year-old to understand, and the illustrations are gorgeous. I highly recommend this book as an asset for any sort of plant activity!

In addition, I told the kids about an amazing guy named Vincent who was really, really good at art. We talked about how he liked to paint plants, and I showed them a photograph of Almond Blossom, our project inspiration. They told me what colors Vincent Van Gogh used and how he painted the branches and the flowers. Then, I told them about how they were going to get to paint like Vincent, but we’d be using flowers in a different way!

Individual Art:

Finally, the kids got to go back to painting. This time though, I told them that instead of gluing the plants down, they would be using plants as their paintbrushes. They were so excited to use such cool paintbrushes! They loved trying all the different plants and seeing what kind of mark each plant made. Some of the kids asked for glue and glued their “paintbrushes” down to their canvases when they were done painting. I love their creativity!

I randomly put different plants out at each child’s place. There was a variety of choices for them.

Here’s a child who decided to glue on his paintbrushes when he was done painting with them!

Everybody had so, so much fun!

Have you ever done a project based on a prominent artists’ work before? Tell me more below!