Painting with Petals

One young visitor proudly shows off his finished petal painting.

One thing you can bet on during late summer is that we will have a riot of color in the Children’s Garden.  Another thing you can bet on is that we will have a gaggle of kids in WaterPlay trying to cool off! With cooler temperatures and lower humidity this summer it has been exciting to see families venturing out of WaterPlay to explore other inviting and creative spots in the Children’s Garden.

While wandering about, several lucky families happened upon Miss Dawn’s weekly Drop in and Dig program last week. After reading a story in the shade of the crape myrtles, they ventured out to pick a sunshiny cosmos flower in the Farm Garden. As they carefully placed the flower on a small muslin bag, they were encouraged to pound the flower with a wooden block. “But what are we DOING?” one little visitor asked. “We’re pounding and painting with petals!” Miss Dawn replied. Sure enough, after pounding the petals and dusting away the debris, the children began to see the painting they had created with the plant’s pigments. “Mine looks like a butterfly!” one exclaimed. “Mine looks like a fish!” the other said. From flower to fish in mere minutes — who would’ve imagined such a thing?

The youngest visitors are some of our most enthusiastic artists when pounding petals is involved!

One thing is for sure – pounding and painting with petals always produces a masterpiece. Find Miss Dawn and her popular Drop in and Dig activities in the Children’s Garden every Wednesday through the end of October! You never know what you might learn. It’s free for Garden members, and included with regular Garden admission.

Cosmos thrive in the summer-time sunshine and are some of our favorite petals to use for painting!