V is for Vegetables- Vegetable Painting Fun

Let's face it.  Vegetables are often among a child's least favorite foods, especially if that child is a sensory picky eater.

My son is certainly no exception to this rule.  The only vegetable that he will eat with any kind of regularity is the carrot, and even then only in small amounts.

One thing that my son does love to do is to paint, so I decided to combine his love of painting with some sensory exploration of those dreaded vegetables.  Not only was he excited to take the project on, but he came up with his own creative approach to the experiment.

Step 1:  Gather the Vegetables

I had plenty of veggie options already on hand in the refrigerator.  Many were close to their expiration date since the little man wouldn't touch them, so they were perfect candidates for the project.  We chose to use celery, corn, potatoes, green beans, carrots, and mushrooms for our painting, but any vegetables will do.

Step 2:  Gather the art supplies

You will need paint (washable is best), art paper (or any paper you have on hand), and a covered work space.  Make sure to dress your little one in old clothes as it can get messy!

Step 3:  Create your stamps

My original intent was to have my little man use the vegetables as stamps on the paper.  I carefully used a knife to cut the potato into different stamp shapes, and I cut a flat surface on the carrots and green beans.  Ben, however, wanted to paint the actual vegetables and create a veggie art show, and so we decided to do both.

Step 4:  Use your imagination and have fun!

Veggie art is a great sensory experience!  Ben had fun smelling each vegetable prior to painting it.  He loved the sensation of pushing the vegetable into the paper and exploring the various textures of each type of veggie.  He even tried eating a bite of an unpainted mushroom at the end of the experiment, so I count that as progress!

Here are some of the veggie masterpieces that we made...

Celery Painting

Corn Painting

Green Beans, Carrots, and Mushrooms...oh my!

Potato Stamping

Read more about Ben's adventures and antics on his page Changed for Good Autism

The post is the Letter M of the Alphabet Sensory Activities hosted by The Jenny Evolution and The Sensory Spectrum!  26 amazing bloggers have gotten together to share a sensory experience based on the letter of the alphabet.  Be sure to check out all the other amazing activities that start with the other letters of the alphabet!