OBJECTIVE

Students will make prints using different vegetables as stamps, increasing their recognition and familiarity with a wide range of produce.

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS

What are our favorite fruits and vegetables?

MATERIALS NEEDED

• Veggies for printing. Some good examples include: mushrooms (cut in half), bell peppers (cut longitudinally), celery (trimmed flat), apple (cut longitudinally), scallions (cut the roots off and use flat circular end), carrot top, kale leaves, etc.
• Paint + Paper plates
• Paper (Label papers with child’s name and title it “Veggie Printing” -This way parents will know what they are looking at when they take it home.
• Paper towel

PROCEDURE

Introduction
Ask students what their favorite fruits and vegetables are. Hold up examples of the different fruits/vegetables you have brought in for stamps and see which ones the kids recognize. Explain that today we will be exploring these and making art with them.

Activity

1. While sitting together, review with children the different fruits and vegetables they have available for printing. See if they have ideas about what they will look like when printed.
2. Put a little bit of paint on a plate, and spread it out. Demonstrate using only a small amount of paint at time, dipping the vegetable into the paint and pressing it straight down onto the paper, and continuing to use the paint on the plate until it is all gone.
3. Let kids start printing! Ask them which of these fruits/vegetables they like to eat? Which makes their favorite print?

FOLLOW UP & EXTENSIONS

Work with the early writers to label their work, writing the vegetable name next to the print made with the vegetable