What happens when children, caregivers, and color come together to experiment, make discoveries, and leave their marks behind—literally? In We Are the Leaves, young artists and their grownups were invited into a shared space of possibility, curiosity, and creative exploration. This caregiver-and-child workshop unfolded as a time to explore new materials, notice small details, and build something together—both on the page and in relationship.

We began with color mixing in acrylic—primary colors, open-ended questions, and plenty of room to wonder. What kind of green appears when this yellow meets that blue? What does it feel like to drag a large, flat brush across the page versus a small, pointed one? What can we learn when we slow down and really look at what’s happening?

As they painted side by side, pairs tested out tools, noticing textures and lines—how a brush holds paint differently than a fingertip or the back of a spoon. And then we introduced a new kind of tool—one that had been underfoot all along. Leaves, gathered from the block outside the school, became part of the process: as stamps, as printmakers, as shape-leavers. Children experimented with laying painted leaves onto their papers, pressing them down, and peeling them away to see what remained. They painted around the leaves too, leaving behind quiet outlines—traces of where something once was.

The process—not a finished product—continues to be the point. What mattered most was the act of exploring side by side. Conversations flowed as easily as the paint did: “Try this one,” “Look at what you made,” “Can I do that too?” These moments of shared attention and co-creation became opportunities for closeness, patience, and play—offering a way for families to connect outside the routines of everyday life.

Art, in this case, was a bridge. It supported self-awareness (“I feel proud of what we made”), social awareness (“I see how you did that—can I try?”), and relationship skills (“We figured it out together”). More than a product or finished painting, what mattered was the shared process of wondering, experimenting, and noticing—together.

At the heart of this project was a quiet metaphor. If the child is the leaf—vibrant, growing, full of movement—then the caregiver is the tree: steady, rooted, close enough to offer shade and space at the same time. As children pressed leaves to paper, layering color and shape, they created lasting impressions. But more than that, they mirrored the kind of imprint a connected adult can make in a child’s creative life: supportive, open, and enduring.

We Are the Leaves invited pairs to slow down, try new things, and be present with one another in the process of making. It was grounded in the principles of social and emotional learning—especially around meaningful family engagement—and reminded us that exploration and expression don’t have to be solitary acts. They can be shared, relational, and deeply meaningful, especially when done hand in hand.