Printmaking was always a favorite art process of mine dating back to college and then later when teaching. Printing is a fun process for children to engage in because of the surprise aspect of lifting the object to see what remains. It is also a bonus to be able to make the same design over and over!
There are endless possibilities when it comes to printing. Many found objects make great prints…food, toys, bubble wrap, shoes, blocks, etc…so for this activity we used CELERY!. The cross section of celery resembles a rose. How cool is that?! These beautiful prints would be a great activity for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, or gifts for family.
I cut the ends off of two bunches of celery (this does not waste food! The ends are typically not used anyway and the stalks can be saved for later). I tied a rubber band around them just in case they loosened or wiggled a little when printing. I poured a THIN layer of red and pink tempera paint on a tray and let the girls have a go at it.
You can see the excitement in Lila’s face after her first prints!
Isn’t that so pretty? I love how beauty can be found in unexpected things.
Willa loves stamps so this was right up her alley. She smiled the whole time she was printing her celery!
Once the girls were done making their artwork, we printed more roses on cards to give the grandmothers for Mother’s Day (spoiler alert!). We let them dry and then cut out stems and leaves from some textured paper we made from another project.
Finished cards: Willa 2 1/2, Lila 4 1/2