Exploring Wild Flowers through Pounding Process Art

All of my kids love to pick flowers; really I think most kids love to pick flowers. Well there are only so many dandelions and violets I can keep in vases, so I decided we should try to make some art with them.

I had the girls pick the flowers and leaves they wanted to include in their picture.  They even got their hands on some of the tulip petals from the flower their brother had been demolishing.

I had them lay their plants on a piece of paper however they wanted, and we laid a second sheet of paper on top. Then we beat on them with a hammer. The girls used a plastic toy hammer and I used the big hammer. I was hoping to find my small metal hammer, but it was not in it's normal location.

 

As they pounded you could see the colors bleeding through the top sheet. Once they decided they were finished, we removed the top paper to reveal smushed flowers.

Carefully remove the smushed plants to reveal your picture!

Now not only do you have some natural prints of flowers, but you actual have symmetrical prints since there was a paper on the top and on the bottom and a great way to bring those dandelions and violets inside!