Preschoolers can explore vegetable stamping while creating their own garden art! This fun process art project for kids is perfect for any unit on gardening or plants and only requires a few materials.
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Recently I had the opportunity to create some garden art with 3 and 4 year olds in Theo’s preschool classroom. I provided a few simple materials for creating and modeled how to use vegetables for stamping and then let the kids go at it!
I loved watching how each child approached the project in a different way. Some students seemed to have a plan as they were creating, knowing exactly what they wanted their gardens to look like, while others just became absorbed in the process, and their artwork was constantly changing. A few preschoolers even turned their art into a story, telling me all about what was going on in their gardens as they were painting! (This post contains affiliate links.)
Garden-Themed Process Art for Preschoolers with Vegetable Stamping
Materials for Garden-Themed Process Art
- Paper to paint on (We used brown cardstock similar to this, but you could also use regular art paper or even some cut up paper grocery bags.)
- Tempera paint in brown and green (This is my favorite tempera paint!)
- Paintbrush
- Various vegetables to use for stamping (We used celery, turnips, and brussels spouts.)
- Optional: Seeds or beans and liquid glue
Directions for Creating Garden Art
1. Prep your vegetables for stamping. I cut some small stubs of celery and trimmed the tops off of a few brussels sprouts. Theo’s teacher added some turnip tops to vegetable selection!
2. Place your cut vegetables on a paper plate with green tempera paint to use for stamping. The kids will use the vegetables and green tempera paint to stamp plants in their gardens.
3. On a separate paper plate (or other container) place some brown tempera paint and some paintbrushes. This will be used to make the soil in the garden.
4. Before beginning our artwork, we observed the different shapes of the vegetable surfaces and talked about how to use them for stamping.
Kids were then invited to begin creating on their papers! Some children painted their dirt first and then stamped their plants into their gardens. Others did the exact opposite- stamped some plants and painted dirt around them. Most of the kids alternated back and forth between the two paints!
5. Optional: Once the kids are finished you can invite them to glue some seeds or beans onto their gardens.
I think it would be fun to do this project at various times throughout the year using seasonal vegetables and fruits. I can see pumpkin patches and apple orchards being made in the fall!
Some of our Favorite Children’s Books about Gardening
- Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt by Kate Messner
- My Garden by Kevin Henkes
- Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert
More Gardening- Themed Crafts and Activities for Preschoolers
- Plant some seeds together and use this free printable to record your observations as the seeds begin to sprout!
- Observe plant growth by planting bulbs in water.
- Make your very own fairy garden to inspire imaginative play!
- Practice the alphabet with this alphabet flower garden!
- Go on a garden ABC hunt– such a fun way to practice letter identification!
- Does your child love trains? Make this simple outdoor garden train table!
- Make these gorgeous stepping stones to add to your classroom garden or garden at home!
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