Japanese Cherry Trees

In Art class, second graders studied Asian art and learned all about Japanese cherry trees. Japanese people have a great respect for nature, and nature has been inspiring Japanese art since the first paintings were produced there. The cherry blossom is an important part of Japanese culture and has always been a popular subject matter for artists. During the spring people come and picnic under cherry trees and enjoy the beauty of the blossoms. In 1912 Japan gave Washington DC 3,000 cherry trees as a gift to show its friendship to the United States. Second graders created these lovely mini cherry trees by blowing paint around with a straw! They then created their own signature stamp called a chop, just like Japanese artists do. Beautiful work second graders!