Fruit and Veggie Prints

This idea came to me from a book called The Little Hands Art Book: Exploring Arts & Crafts with 2-to-6-Year-Olds, which was given to me by a friend. Mia and I made these fruit and veggie prints yesterday and it is really quite fun! Plus, the resulting prints are pretty cool to look at. I think they are nice enough to frame and hang in the kitchen or dining room. I was also thinking they would look nice if done with fabric paint on aprons or kitchen towels, perhaps.

{I stuck with realistic colors for Cucumber, Carrot, Tomato, Celery.}

{Apple/Cucumber/Celery/Carrot by Mia, Age 4}

Materials:

• fresh fruits/vegetables 
• knife and cutting board (adult use)
• paint (any color)
• paper (any color)
• something to hold paint 
• foam paint brush (optional)
• newspaper (to protect work surface)
• paper towels, wipes, etc. (for clean-up)

{I got more inventive here.}

Directions:

1. Cut fresh fruits or vegetables in half. Most any would work. We used apple, banana, strawberry, celery, tomato, cucumber, and carrot because that's what I had on hand. I also think mushrooms, broccoli, and raspberries would be cool to try.
2. Protect your work surface with newspaper. (You may also wish to protect your clothing. Mia wears an old tee-shirt of mine as a paint smock.)
3. Pour some paint onto a paper plate or similar. (We used acrylic paint, which stains clothing, so take care if using acrylics.)
4. Either dip your fruits and vegetables into the paint or spread it on with a foam paintbrush.
5. Stamp the fruit or vegetable onto the paper to leave a print. (Experiment with various amounts of paint by printing repeatedly if desired. I found that the less paint on the fruit/vegetable made for a "cleaner" and more distinct print.)
6. Allow paint to dry and display your artwork.