“Spring makes the world a happy place
You see a smile on every face.
Flowers come out and birds arrive,
Oh, isn’t it grand to be alive?” – Anonymous

After an especially long winter, Spring is upon us and just the glimmer of sun and the popping up of tulips is making us smile! Spring is a time for new beginnings and creates a sudden boost of energy. This is the best time for heading to that cupboard or attic to sort out things that have been shut away all winter. Procrastination is at an all time low during April and May. Optimism breathes life into everyone and children love this time of year. Newborn animals, rosebuds in bloom, the glimpse of summer around the corner and longer days help us press re-set!

Here are my four favourite Springtime paintings to look at, talk about and hopefully inspire children to make some seasonal art themselves. (see images below)

Creating flower collages can be fiddly but fun with real petals and tissue paper or perhaps some little lambs made of cotton wool as in Ford Maddox Brown’s, The Pretty Baa-Lambs. For children aged 6 plus they may find it interesting learning about the different styles of these four artists and copying Van Gogh’s Peach Blossom or Botticelli’s carpet of flowers. Painting in the open air, in a garden or park, like the Impressionists, is also a fun way of imagining Monet painting his oil painting ‘Springtime’ (not to mention getting messy outside!)

Old fashioned games such as making daisy chains are still a favourite and great for fine motor skills for little ones. It also encourages your child to get creative with nature and it’s a fun activity with family or friends. Another floral activity is making, my favourite, flower crowns. This can be such fun for adults and children alike. You will need flowers (real or fake) florists wire, ribbon, scissors and tape and of course a handy Youtube tutorial!

So to sum up: clear out the attic, enjoy some Vitamin D (at last!), get creative this Spring and see how these famous artists from the Renaissance through to the 19th Century imagined this glorious season in their works of art!

The Little Grand Tour will be doing art tours at the Garden Museum this summer looking at the flower paintings of Cedric Morris, Flower Fairies and of course appreciating their beautiful garden.

Botticelli, Primavera, c 1478
Ford Maddox Brown, The Pretty Baa-Lambs, 1851-59
Monet, Springtime , 1886
Vincent van Gogh, Peach Trees in Blossom, 1888

Isabel Lamb is the founder of the The Little Grand Tour , providing small, tailored gallery and museum tours for children in London aged 6-12 years. All the top hour tours are delivered by fabulous ‘art wizards’ who engage children with carefully chosen artworks through a combination of listening, interaction and creativity, specifically deigned to match the rhythm of the child’s mind. Above all, The Little Grand Tour aim to give your child the experience that shows them that learning can be fun. They want to inspire an appreciation of art and history, which can compliment learning at school and tours will hopefully stimulate discussion at home, so children can share what they have learnt.

https://www.thelittlegrandtour.co.uk

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