Paint with flowers

Outdoor learning is a great way to educate children (and adults!), to help them discover and appreciate the natural world on their doorstep, whether that’s a public space or their own back garden.

For this activity, we’ve taken inspiration from some of our fabulous gardens across the country – Falkland, Crathes, Threave, Greenbank and Inverewe – so why not get creative and have some fun by making natural art using all the colours of the garden.

What you’ll need

• Flowers • Paints • Cornflour • Water • Natural colourants

Note: This can be messy, so it’s best done outside if possible.

Step 1

Pick some flowers (please make sure you have permission first). If you can, choose varieties that have different shapes as well as different colours. We also picked some woody shrubs, such as rosemary sprigs, to make prints, plus twigs to draw lines.

Step 2

Create natural ‘paint’ by making a base of water and cornflour, then adding ingredients to provide the colour. Beetroot juice, turmeric and squashed blueberries are really effective. But you could use normal poster paint if you prefer.

Step 3

Use the flowers as paintbrushes to create some art. Observe how the different sizes and shapes of the petals create different ‘brush strokes’ on the paper. Be careful not to overload the flowers with paint.

Step 4

Why not create a gallery of your work?

We’d love to see your creations! Remember to tag us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.