MmMmmmmmmMMMMmm fruits and veggies! Not only are they good for you, they’re good for making dyes and tasting and staining your nice white uniforms! I apologize again and thank Jen Smoker for thoughtfully posting to the listserv about practical ways to remedy the art room blues.

In preschool, we’re learning about how artists and cultures throughout the ages have relied on natural dyes to color their clothing and artwork. Tying in with our weaving unit and brief look at the American Indians, we began experimenting with edible pigments after reading one of my favorite books from the art library, Weaving the Rainbow.

We hypothesized about which leafy green or tangy berry would stain the best. In the running was kale, sweet potatoes, carrots, cranberries, red cabbage, and radishes. Can you guess which ones were vibrant and which were flops? Ask your kiddos. I bet they can tell you.

Some had a lot of luck with cranberries, while others went to town with the kale and radishes.

Some students decided they were more inspired by collaging or designing 3D sculptures with their produce. Fine by me!

Kale sandwiched between a carrot and a radish. I bet we’ll be seeing this at the Hirshorn in no time.

NEXT, it was onto painting with coffee!I made it extra black to get a darker hue.

On his way to painting the next coffee masterpiece and doing it with a smile!

It was a bit sticky but Mr. Scott thanked us for making his room smell like a cozy cafe on Sunday morning.