Lemon drop painting

Surely there is nothing that could brighten a cold winter day more than lemon drop painting…

The children began their day by exploring lemons during our first morning circle.  We talked about different foods that might smell or taste like lemon, such as Jello or lemonade.  Then we passed whole lemons around our circle for each child to feel and smell…

Then Deborah cut several lemons in half and passed them around the circle.  She invited the children to squeeze a bit of the lemon juice in their hands so that they may taste it…

We were curious to see how many children would like the taste, so we made a chart.  Once all of the children had a chance to taste a lemon, we asked them to write their name in the column that best described how they felt about the lemons.  I think it was a tie…

Then we read a sweet story called The Lemon Drop Jar by Christine Widman.  In this story, an aunt shows her young niece how a lemon drop can brighten even the dreariest of winter days.  It just so happened that we were also having a rather dreary winter day at preschool.  We wanted to see if lemon drops could brighten our day, as well…

Deborah invited the children to gather round the art table.  She gave each child four lemon drops.  We asked the children to place their lemon drops in a cup and then invited them to pour a small amount of warm water in the cups…

 As the children gently swished the water around in their cups, the lemon drops began to dissolve, transforming the water into beautiful lemon drop paint…

The children were given small paintbrushes and pieces of paper to create a bright, sunny picture.  We also offered yellow tempera paint, which we scented with lemon juice (the lemon drop paint is very pale in color).  The children began painting their masterpieces and exploring the different types of paint…

Many of the children chose to mix the paints, either in a cup or on their paper.  For this little guy, the process became more about exploring the consistency of the two paints.  He sat patiently diluting and mixing the two paints over and over until he was satisfied with their consistency, and only then could he begin painting…

When all of the lemon drop paintings were complete, Deborah and I decided that they should be hung on the wall for the remainder of the winter because they really did seem to brighten our day…

Available on Amazon

Links to grow on:

Lemon sensory sink by My Nearest and Dearest

A little taste of science in the preschool classroom by Teach Preschool

When life hands you lemons by let the children play

L is for Lemon by Preschool Daze