Fun with Flowers

Down here in the south it’s definitely springtime! The weather is (mostly) warmer, our crepe myrtles are starting to sprout leafy branches, the magnolia trees are budding and flowers that were dormant for our short winter are blooming in our yard…plus it’s raining pollen instead of water and making us all wonder if it’s allergies or Covid! LoL My favorite part of springtime is the bright pops of color as flowers start to spring up everywhere- especially the beautiful cherry and dogwood trees that are covered with blooms instead of leaves this time of year- they’re SO gorgeous! To celebrate all this new life, of course I had to do a spring themed week full of fun and colorful flower activities. If it’s still cold and snowy where you live- no worries! You can bring springtime into your home by buying a bouquet of flowers at the market and starting your garden plants in small indoor containers then transplanting them when the weather defrosts a bit more! Happy learning everyone!

–Egg carton flowers: Cut an egg carton so you have 4 “petals” (the bumps made by where the eggs sit) and have your little paint them in pinks, oranges, yellows and purples. Hot glue a pom pom in the center and you have a pretty flower- great for displaying for spring!

–Plant part process art: I love process art activities for littles because they truly develop artistic exploration and creativity. For this one I taped some brown paper we got as padding in a package (yay reusing!) to the little’s school table, then gave them various colors of paint and plant parts to paint with. Then I just let them explore!

–Flower pot painting: I gave my littles each a flower pot to paint in cheerful spring colors! I decoupaged them when they were dry to protect the paint, then we filled them with dirt and planted flower seeds inside!

–Flower walk: I drew a vase on a piece of cardstock then hole punched around the top. I drew stems for each hole, then we all went on a nature walk and searched for flowers. When my littles found a flower, I had them poke it through one of the holes. I taped the stems down on the back so they wouldn’t fall out. My mom shared this idea with me on Facebook but I can’t for the life of me find the post!

–Flower arranging: I actually got this idea from my neighbor Joan who happens to be a florist- she had a picture on her website of her grandkids arranging flowers and I was like “GENIUS!” LoL So anyway- I just tucked some floral foam into some old tea cups we had, then gave my littles several spring stems and let them poke them into the foam until they had a beautiful arrangement of flowers! We’re going to use them as centerpieces on our Easter table this Sunday!

–Grow a garden sensory bin: My littles both loved this activity- especially my toddler- and I actually had fun playing with it too! You just fill your sensory bin (I use an old cake pan) with dried beans (we used the ones from our Black history month plans), give your littles some terra cotta pots, flowers (fake or real) and gardening tools and let them fill the pots and “plant” the flowers in them again and again! I got this idea from Jessica Etcetera.

–Frozen flowers sensory play: After my littles were done playing with the flower planting activity above, I popped the flowers off of the stems then froze them in a pie pan filled with water. The next day we took the icy flowers outside and I had my littles squirt water on the ice to melt it and set the flowers free! I got this from Little Bins for LIttle Hands.

–Sprout seeds in a baggie: This is a great way for even tiny littles to start learning about plants. Just wet a paper towel, place a few different seeds in it, and tape it to a window. Every few days have your little look at the seeds and talk to them about what they see.

–Plant part puzzle: Make a puzzle out of construction paper that shows all the parts of a plant- roots, stem, leaves and flower. Then have your little put the puzzle together by hanging the pieces on the wall with tape (you may have to give them instructions, which helps them work on directionality…for example have them start with the stem then add the roots on the bottom of the stem, the flower on the top, and the leaves on the sides. When the puzzle is finished, ask them to point to each part of the plant (ie. Where are the roots? Can you point to the flower?)

–F is for flower craft: I drew a large F on a piece of paper and had my little use flower stickers to cover the lines and make his own letter F!

–Supply/shopping list:

• flower seeds
• terracotta pots (medium and 2-3 small)
• potting soil
• egg carton
• pipe cleaners
• various plants from the yard (or a purchased bouquet- or both!)
• broccoli
• cardstock or cardboard
• floral foam
• old teacup, coffee cup or other container
• flowers (real or fake)
• dried beans (we used our set from Black History Month)
• cake pan
• shovel
• trowel
• flower stickers
• Condiment bottles