It's not the language of painters but the language of nature which one should listen to, for reality is more important than the feeling for pictures.
-Vincent Van Gogh
Flower Sprouts welcomes children into the bountiful world of art and nature. Children who participate in the Flower Sprouts program not only engage in essential art making skills but also learn to honor the earth and its seasons through cultivation, care and creating in partnership with the land. Each participant will receive an apron and custom patch upon the completion of each 6 week session. There will be 4 sessions throughout the year. Can’t make all four sessions? No big deal, sign up for individual 6 week sessions as you are able.
Early Fall Session: “Cultivators” for ages 4-6
Wednesdays, September 17th-October 22nd, 2025
4:00-5:00pm
Cultivators
A Foundations class
Flower Clvb is offering a 6 week foundations course for children ages 4-6 interested in developing elemental skills in art and design. Flower Clvb’s unique program allows kids to explore a wide array of mediums that not only get their hands moving but their minds oriented to concepts of nature and science. Whether your child attends a cultivators class in the fall or spring, each session is unique and particular towards the seasonal harvest occurring during that moment in time. Cultivators will embark on the following activities:
Drawing from observation
Identifing various seasonal plants and native flowers
Mixing and painting colors to create value and their own personal designs
Using found objects as mediums of art and play
Creating personal floral works based on the elements of art
Hone dexterity for working with various tools such as pencil, paintbrush and scissors.
Designing floral arrangements!
Early Fall Session: “Navigators” for ages 7-9
Thursdays, September 18th-October 30, 2025
(no class on Oct. 2)
4:00-5:00pm
Navigators
An Intermediate Class
Flower Clvb is offering a 6 week intermediate course for children ages 7-9 interested in building upon their skills in art and design. No matter where your child is in their artistic journey, these classes meet each individual child where they are at in their skillset. This class is perfect for individuals who love art and science. With an emphasis on botany and exploration, students will learn techniques to improve both their art skills as well as their attention to details occurring in the natural environment. During the first 6 weeks, children will learn:
To hone their drawing from observation skills
Identify various seasonal plants and native flowers
Create value, depth and perspective through painting
Sculpt with natural materials and objects
Create a personal floral work based on the elements of art
Create collages that help them express thoughts and feelings
Not only will students walk away with various artworks and skills but they will receive a personal sketchbook that they will be able to take home and continue working in each day. Encourage your kids to draw EVERY DAY!
Why Flower Sprouts?
Flower Sprouts encourages curiosity and exploration in children while inspiring them to care for their environment and create beauty in the world.
Children, by nature are explorers and have a unique relationship to the earth. This is due not just to their proximity with the ground or premonition for mud baths, but rather their wild ability to imagine other worlds. Allowing children from a young age to find wonder in the land and its creatures is essential for inspiring the next generation to care for our wounded planet. The endless fascination of bringing together found materials, whether clusters of wild flowers or piles of motley sticks, invokes delight leading to a deeper reverence and connection to all living beings.
Learning to see the design elements found in nature will inspire the art children create during Flower Sprouts. By creating a series of arrangements, participants will understand that the parks and sidewalks even within the city scape offer a sanctuary and beauty to all who embrace it. There is something magical about giving flowers to a friend or loved one. Cultivating a spirit of consideration both for the earth and humans alike through the giving of blooms is one of the key elements of Flower Sprouts.
All participants are led by adults who have had the appropriate clearances to work with children as required by the city of Philadelphia. Classes are led and taught by Grace McDonald using an inquiry based approach to education. Read below to learn more about her.
Grace McDonald
Prior to beginning her flower business, Grace McDonald, owner of Flower Clvb, spent over ten years directing youth art programs in schools, libraries and community gardens in both Texas and NYC. With a masters degree in Arts Administration, Grace has studied and practiced education methods that inspire children to follow their senses into a more profound experience of the world. Seeing the ways children are drawn to flowers and the joy they receive from making a bouquet is the reason Grace decided to do these classes for children.
