Nursery activities: Art and craft

The sight of a field of ripening corn dotted with poppies would inspire any artist. In the absence of the real thing, show children a single poppy and introduce them to the paintings of fields of poppies by Claude Monet. Talk about the patterns created by the splashes of red among the greens and yellows, and suggest the children create their own poppy field images.

Let's work together

Invite a small group of children to create a large cornfield together. Spread thick paper on the ground outdoors and supply them with decorators' brushes to cover the surface with green and yellow watery paint. Comment on how the colours run to create the impression of ripening corn. Provide choices of 'poppy making' resources, such as red powder paint to scatter in clumps, drippy paint to splash in blobs, or sponge dish mops to create red prints. Invite children to try out the options on a smaller sheet of paper before deciding which one to use on the large field. Once the field is finished, display it on a board surrounded by green corrugated border roll to represent a hedge. Hang some prints of Monet's poppies alongside.