Produce Stamps

You can buy your kids stamps from a craft store, but there is something really fun and unique about making your own stamps, using only produce. Fruits and vegetables, including boy choy, potatoes, corn on the cob, apples, okra, oranges, cauliflower, carrots, mushrooms, bell peppers, lemons, pears and Brussels sprouts are just a few ideas to get started.

Supplies

You don’t need much in the way of supplies save for the fruits and vegetables you have on hand. If you want to get fancy, you can use a knife to carve shapes out of the flesh of apples or potatoes. If not, cross-sections make interesting stamps on their own and don’t require any work on your part. In the way of materials, you will need a cutting board to cut the produce. Depending on the project you would like to do with the stamps, you will probably need stamps, paint, paper plates, and poster paper.

How To

Clean the fruits and vegetables and use a towel to pat them dry. Prepare them by cutting them in half or carving a shape. You will find that simply cutting the vegetables lengthwise will result in interesting shapes. For larger fruits and vegetables such as corn and bananas, cut them in half so they aren’t too big to handle. You might want to insert a stick into some fruits and vegetable to make them easier to hold. Next, prepare the stamping area. Cover the table with newspapers if you don’t want to get paint on it. Pour a small amount of each color of paint into a paper plate. Paper plates work best because they make for easier stamping. Show your kids how to dip the fruit or vegetable into the paint and stamp it on the page. Each fruit or vegetable will provide a unique print. Your child’s sense of creativity will take over.

Fun Ideas

Round-shaped stamps can be used to make a picture of a flower garden with a wide variety of different flowers. Use a paintbrush to draw the stems. You might also want your kids to try making patterns by alternating different stamps. Of course, paper doesn’t have to be the only medium you use. Fruit and vegetable stamps can be used to decorate a blank canvas kitchen apron. They also make lovely patterns for homemade pillow covers or wooden picture frames. If you like making personalized greeting cards, fruit stamps are a great way to share this activity with your kids. You can make interesting and attractive patterns with the shapes of the fruit.

Summary

Fruit and vegetable stamps are an activity that the whole family can enjoy. If you like making crafts with your children, produce stamps are easy to make and can be used on nearly any medium to create stunning shapes, patterns, or pictures. All you need is some fruits and vegetables, a knife, a cutting board, paint, and paper. Cut the produce lengthwise, dip it in paint, and get stamping!