Cherry Blossom Scroll

Cherry blossoms are so beautiful and delicate and they’re celebrated throughout Japan.  Their brief week in full bloom goes by in a flash.  Let’s celebrate the arrival of spring with a cherry blossom scroll that will last!

I absolutely loved every minute I spent in Japan and I was fortunate to experience Hanami three times in two years.  My second year I enjoyed it once in Takasaki before heading north for Golden Week vacation to explore the very north of the main island of Honshu.  I love how the Hanami (cherry blossom viewing) take over the castle grounds and people head out after work with families or colleagues and enjoy the views.  A friend of mine last year shared a photo of a cherry blossom scroll and we set right to work making our own.

The first thing we did was cut some paper off a roll to an appropriate size.  Then in keeping with the Japanese theme, I used some disposable hashi (chopsticks) taped together to make the ends of the scroll.  We used lots of double-sided tape to roll up the hashi into the ends of the scroll.  Tristan was a great helper with this task.

I showed the children the photo and told them the picture was of a sakura branch, just like the tree we have planted in our front garden.  They took out the paint brushes and made their own versions of a cherry tree branch.

Once the brown paint had dried they chose their plastic bottles we’d been saving up for ‘something’ and dipped the bottom of the bottles into sparkly pink paint.  How convenient is it that the bottom of plastic bottles have 5 ‘feet’ on them, just like a sakura blossom has 5 petals!

The children were so proud of their cherry blossom scrolls that they stayed hung up for a few months last year and they’re asking for them to be put up again this spring.

Do you like to make art with your children?  What inspires you and your family in the spring?

We have more information about Hanami in Northern Ireland.  If you’d like to see more of our cultural adventures about Japan and elsewhere that include crafts, recipes, field trips, music and more, please see our Multicultural Activities For Kids page.  Or hop over to our spring page for more springtime ideas.