Creative

Painted blossom trees

by Fellowship Agency June 8, 2018

To celebrate Chinese New Year, we completed some brilliant #WhatsInMyTray activities that we think you’ll love. Print your own beautiful blossom trees to use for cards or artwork using empty drinks bottles. This can be explored all year round and is a great activity for welcoming the Spring and Summer months.

Learning outcomes

You will be able to:

  • Use different materials to create a Chinese New Year design.

You will need (per group)

  • 1 x shallow F1 Gratnells tray
  • A4 paper printed with tree branches
  • Pale pink paint – mix fuchsia and white if necessary
  • Empty drinks bottles

What to do:

  • First, print some branch images onto A4 paper and place inside a shallow F1 Gratnells tray. This will help to minimise mess if any paint is dripped or spilt.
  • Mix some paint to make a pale pink shade that matches the colour of the flowers on a blossom tree. We mixed some fuchsia pink with white.
  • To print your flowers onto your tree, grab an empty drinks bottle (soda works best) and dip into your paint mix. Press the bottom of the bottle close to the tree branches to make up lots of little blossom flowers. Your beautiful artwork can be used for posters or cards.

Other things to try…

  • Try printing with different objects and materials e.g shapes or different foods
  • Share photographs of your shape creations on social media using #WhatsInMyTray.

Curriculum links:

EYFS– Development Matters-Expressive arts and design: Exploring and using media and materials- To provide a wide range of materials, resources and sensory experiences to enable children to explore colour, texture and space.

Year 1- Primary National Curriculum- Art- To use a range of materials creatively to design and make products.

Year 1- Primary National Curriculum- Art- To develop a wide range of art and design techniques in using colour, pattern, texture, line, shape, form and space.

Health and Safety

As with all Gratnells What’s In My Tray activities, you should carry out your own risk assessment prior to undertaking any activities with children.