Relay Ikebana for Children

This week, we decided to try a different approach to ikebana. Rather than make an arrangement each, my daughters decided that they wanted to make a combined arrangement. To make the lesson fun, we decided that they would make a relay style arrangement. One would start, while the other would finish.

The materials.

These days, all “important” decisions in our house are made with the game ‘stone, paper, scissors’. As the winner of the game, Isabel was given the decision: to choose the vase, or to choose the flowers. She decided to choose the vase and selected a pair of plastic vases I made last year. Amelia chose pink Ranunculus as the flowers. They both decided to use my favourite leaf, Aspidistra.

Balancing the vases.

As she had selected the vase, Isabel started the arrangement. She arranged the vases on top of one another.

Cleaning the Aspidistra leaves.

To my surprise, without any prompting, she began to clean the Aspidistra leave. She then tore strips in the leaves and twisted them into different shapes.

Tearing and twisting the Aspidistra leaves.

Rather than using a kenzan, she used the folds in the plastic vases to hold her material. Once finished, she then passed the baton on to Amelia.

Using the folds of the vase to hold the Aspidistra leaves.

Amelia took on the challenge by selecting just one pink Ranunculus and placing it between the Aspidistra leaves.

Adding a single flower

She then decided to give the arrangement more depth by placing another twisted Aspidistra leaf low and at the back of the arrangement. With the placement of the last leaf, she had completed the relay.

Placing a final leaf for depth.