SunPrint
Education Lab
Written by Miller Zhang
Why Cyanotype？
Cyanotype felt especially suitable for this kindergarten workshop because it turns simple observation into discovery. Children could touch, choose, and arrange ordinary leaves, then watch sunlight transform them into something completely different. The process encouraged curiosity, imagination, and a closer look at the nature they usually pass by.
And, of course, it was also a little celebration for their kindergarten graduation !
What Happened?
In July, we brought our cyanotype workshop to Yangguang Baobei kindergarten, a local kindergarten. The children were only three days away from graduating, making this one of their final activities together before leaving kindergarten.
At the beginning of this workshop, we picked several torn, curled, spotted, and partially eaten leaves and asked the children a simple question: “What do you think happened to this leaf?” Instead of treating damaged leaves as less interesting, students used their details to invent stories about where the leaves had been and what might have happened to them.
After the storytelling activity, each child chose natural materials that caught their attention and arranged them on cyanotype paper. They then brought their compositions into the sunlight and watched the paper gradually change before rinsing the prints in water.
At the end, we placed the original leaves beside the finished cyanotypes and invited students to look again. The workshop encouraged them to see that even an ordinary or imperfect leaf could become something worth noticing, imagining about, and turning into art.
