We went to a local farm the other day for fruit, vegetables and eggs. The kids always love it, and this time we cut flowers so we could draw them. Teaching my almost four-year-old daughter to look closely at something and translate it to a 2-D drawing was more fun than I expected. I thought she'd do one or two but she persisted and completed six entire drawings. Her first three are above.
Annabel selecting a flower she wanted to draw.
Figuring out how to 'snap' a snap dragon and proudly showing her brother.
Colton finding a hidden bloom.
Inspecting the cut end that just came off the plant.
Happy to be able to hold what we'd just collected!
She chose a flower and we pulled it out of the arrangement so she could draw it singly. I didn't give her much instruction. She wanted help and I insisted she look closely and draw what she saw. I talked her through the first one but did not pick up a pen myself. I asked her about the colors she could see, what shapes were there, and which textures. She insisted on adding the vase to each drawing.
I encouraged her to hold the pens up to the flower to help choose colors. We use Crayola Washable Markers (64 count) for e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g around here. They're easier than crayons for babies and toddlers, and they really do wash off. We've had to do a lot of 'tests'. :)
She touched the flower to be able to feel the texture.
She was surprised to discover all the colors that a single blossom contained.
She happily and busily worked on her flower studies for over an hour.
This is my favorite. I love how it turned out, but I also enjoyed listening to her talk herself through the drawing.
A snapdragon.
It's just a bonus that we now have a lovely arrangement. If you're ever near Hampton Falls, New Hampshire, Applecrest Farm Orchards is worth a visit! It's the oldest and largest apple orchard in the state, run by four generations of the Wagner family. You get to shop in a 200-year-old barn that also sells antiques, pick your own fruit if you wish, and they also have festivals for peaches, pumpkins, etc. Did I menton the ice cream barn? Be sure to pick up some yummy cider donuts, too. Annabel is already asking when she can go pick her pumpkin. I'm not quite ready for that yet. Fortunately, Applecrest isn't either!
xo Karin
