Art in the Garden: Herb Painting Activity

We are so glad to have you here at The Educators’ Spin On It, learning and growing with your children. This month we have a very special celebration of kids in the garden. We started the month off with some gardening tips and inspiration and are now focusing on bringing academics into the garden. Reading, math, science, and now art! The garden classroom has so much learning potential! Without further adieu, today we have guest writer Melissa from Mama Miss, who writes a little sprinkle of everything! We are so glad to have her here today! ~Amanda

Art in the Garden: Painting With Herbs

By Melissa of Mama Miss

I’m am beyond thrilled to share today on the Educators Spin On It, and to be included in this fabulous “Kids in the Garden” series.

Painting with herbs in the garden, art connections with kids

Art in the Garden: Herb Painting Activity for Kids

I am the daughter of a botanist and an artist, so having those two things co-exist together only seemed fitting in the activity I am sharing with you today.
I have been surrounded by plants, flowers, and herbs my entire life, and I am even named after one (so is my sister). Melissa officinalis is commonly known as lemon balm, a fragrant lemony herb.

My little ones love to paint and love the process of painting, painting with different materials, and using different mediums in painting. Now, why I don’t happen to have any lemon balm in our garden this year just yet, we do have several other herbs, that are quite common, that we are experimenting with today for painting. So get your little ones out in the garden, identify some common herbs, and bring them in to paint with.

You’ll need:

various fresh herbs from your garden (we used rosemary, basil, & mint)
washable paint
thick cardstock or watercolor paper
sponge brushes
paper plate
optional: sticky tac

The how to:

Lay your flat leafed herbs on your paper (basil & mint), and while holding them down (we used sticky tac to help), dab your sponge brush in paint and dab around the herbs, creating a silhouette.
Rosemary we decided to use as a paintbrush
Let your paintings dry, and then play a little game of herb identification!
They would also be lovely framed in your kitchen too!!

Some further learning extensions with Herbs could include:

Reading & Learning about Herbs, this book is a great place to start: A Kid’s Herb Book, For Children of All Ages, by Lesley Tierra
Cooking with Herbs and your children
Starting a Herb Garden with your child

Remember it’s the process, not the result 🙂

Yearning for more spring ideas?!

Here are some other ways we have been inspired by spring and the garden, be sure to stop by & say hello:

DIY TULIPS UPCYCLED VASE AND PRINTABLE

CARROT GARDEN SENSORY BIN

PRETEND PLAY INSPIRED BY TULIPS

Melissa of Mama Miss is a work-from-home, homeschooling, mama of two. When she’s not on her computer immersed in the blogosphere, you can find her behind the lens taking pictures of everything and everyone. Her background and education lie in fashion design and she is also a self taught photographer & graphic designer. She uses her creative skills to bring crafty original experiences to her kids and her home. You can find her blogging at her site Mama Miss and you can also connect with her on: Pinterest || Facebook || Twitter || Google +

For more kids in the garden, learning and growing at The Educators’ Spin On It stop by here for more than 50 ideas to do with kids.

Join us by sharing pictures of your garden adventures all season by sharing pictures on your favorite social media sites, use the hashtag #plantaseed to connect with other like- minded families!

For literacy in the garden articles, we recommend…