Cyanotypes

This past week we had fun learning about an early form of photography called cyanotypes. This type of photography, called a photogram, is done without a camera and instead uses only a special type of paper, sunlight, and water.

Cyanotypes have been associated with plants from the very beginning, as Anna Atkins, the first female photographer, used this invention in the mid 1800s to capture types of algae. 

We used plants from the Garden of Wonders  and the results were pretty great! What a fun way to savor the sunshine as the rainy season approaches.

This week we...
-Made watercolor paintings of nasturtiums and borage in the garden.
-Continued harvesting wheat berries from the wild wheat field along the west side of the playground (an entire wheat organization has sprung up)
-Tidied up the garden together
-Planted lavender, artichokes, and cardoons in the bed between the figs
-Planted marigolds and herbs in the kitchen garden
- Weeded and watered daily
-Made cyanotypes of various types of foliage from our garden
-Collected seeds from marigolds, calendula, and nasturtiums
-Ate a lot of popcorn and vegetables in the garden
-Harvested delicious Italian plums with our newly found orchard fruit picking tool!
-Played or gardened in groups during free time
-Weeded and watered daily
-Building with mud and bricks

Happy Gardening!

Mel and Jess