FLOWERS By Melissa Klinker

Transcription

1 FLOWERS By Melissa Klinker

2 Vegetable Flower Art About Not only are vegetables good to eat, they can be used in art too! For this art activity you will use some vegetables to print fun and colorful flower shapes. Supplies - 1 Romaine lettuce head 1 carrot 1 celery stalk Paint Paper Paper plate Knife for adults to cut vegetables {Optional} Paintbrushes Prep Work - Before your kids join you, prep the area by laying down paper. Directions - 1. Start off by having a parent cut the vegetables with a sharp knife. {An older child with supervision may be okay with this step too.}

3 Directions {cont.} 2. Next, add paint to the paper plate. 3. Using the vegetables, stamp them in paint and then stamp out some flower shapes. 4. Use the celery for flower petals, the carrots for flower centers, and the romaine lettuce for an entire flower. Extensions - Try other vegetables or even fruits to see what other different flowers you can make. Instead of paper, try printing on a t-shirt to make a colorful tee. Use fabric paint instead of regular paint so that it is washable.

4 Colored Flowers About How do flowers drink water & what parts of the flower does the water go to when it drinks? You ll find out with this simple and fun science experiment! Supplies - 2 packets of Kool-Aid Water 1 straight-sided glass or cup Scissors 1 white carnation Tablespoon {Optional} Ruler {Optional} Magnifying glass Directions - 1. Start off by having your child add both packets of Kool-Aid to the glass, along with 4 tablespoons of water. 2. Next, your child can trim the flower stem to about two inches taller than the glass.

5 Directions {cont} 3. Next, have your child place the flower and stand it up in the glass of Kool-Aid water. 4. Lastly, it's a waiting game. Place the flower in a warmer area in the room and let it sit still. Every few hours the flower will gradually change showing where the dye is going. Look closely at the flower and you will notice the little veins that carry the water to each part of the petals - these veins will be stained with the Kool-Aid. Extensions - Try this experiment with several different colors at once. Will each color dye the flower(s) at the same rate?

6 Extensions {cont.} Try this experiment with alternative coloring methods such as food coloring, ink, marker ink, or fabric dye. Will they all work the same way? Try this experiment with other white flowers, such as daisies. Will they have the same effect?

7 Counting Petals About Get your child excited about learning with this fun math activity. Using a couple of simple materials, just roll and count to build a colorful flower. Supplies - Number die {attached} Color die {attached} Colored construction paper matching your dice Scissors White glue Small paper plate Directions - 1. Start by having your child cut all of the colored construction paper into 4" strips or "petals". 2. Next, have your child squeeze white glue around the inside perimeter of the paper plate.

8 Directions {cont} 3. Finally, have your child roll both the number die and the color die at the same time. Add the number of "petals" rolled in the color rolled to create your flower. For example, if your child rolled a number two and a blue, she would add two blue petals to her flower. Extensions - Use two number dice and have your child add the number of "petals" rolled instead of concentrating on the color. Play this math activity with several children, each taking a different color. Omit the color dice and just take turns rolling the number dice to see who can fill their flower with petals first. Try it with real flower petals, like rose petals. Roll the dice and add the petals.

9 Directions: Cut along the outside border of the die below. Then fold along the inner lines and tape or glue the ends together to make a cube die. Playdough to Plato 2014.

10 Directions: Cut along the outside border of the die below. Then fold along the inner lines and tape or glue the ends together to make a cube die. Playdough to Plato 2014.

11 Flower Rubbings About With a couple of simple tools, try your hand at this simple craft project that with bring some flowers indoors in a colorful way. Supplies - Various grits of sandpaper Crayons with labels removed Paper Scissors Assorted flower shapes {stencils, cookie cutters, etc.} A pencil Temporary adhesive {stick-tack or double stick tape work well} Directions - 1. Start off by having your child trace the flower shapes onto the backside of the sandpaper using the flower stencils and pencil. 2. Next, have your child use the scissors to cut out the assorted flower shapes from the sandpaper.

12 Directions {cont.} 3. Attach your flower shapes to a hard flat surface to create the rubbings, using either the sticky-tack or double stick tape. 4. Have your child place her paper over the flower shapes and grasp a horizontal crayon on its side. 5. Lastly, invite your child to rub the crayons over the flower shapes creating a flower rubbing.

13 Extensions - Add a scene for your flower rubbings with stems, a sun, grass, clouds, and birds. Try using double color crayons {crayons with colors on both ends} to alter the color effects. Move the flower shapes around creating different scenes. Blindfold your child & have them find the sandpaper flowers to rub, purely by rubbing the crayons and distinguishing the different textures.

14 Candied Rose Petals About Not only can you pick roses, you can eat them too! Did you know all roses are edible? With this recipe you can just add a little sugar to the petals to candy them. Let me show you how! Supplies - 1 ORGANIC rose. Make sure they are organic and have not been sprayed with pesticides or other chemicals on any part of any plant that produces blossoms you plan to eat. Egg white Granulated sugar Basting brush or paint brush Parchment paper Baking sheet Oven Prep Work - This project involves using the oven and adult supervision. Before your kids start the activity with you, prep the baking sheet by covering it in parchment paper and preheating the oven to 300 F.

15 Directions - 1. Have your child pull off the rose petals and place them on the parchment lined baking sheet. 2. Next, have your child carefully paint the petals with egg white using the brush. 3. Next, have your child sprinkle the petals with sugar. 4. Lastly, a mom step (or a supervised older child step), place the tray in the preheated oven for about 45 minutes. Let cool & eat your candied roses!

16 Extensions - Use miniature rose varieties to garnish ice cream and desserts. Larger petals {like the ones used in this recipe} can be frozen in ice cubes to make a beautiful addition to a summer punch. Another great edible flower are violets. Try this recipe following the same steps but using organic violet blossoms instead. {Like mentioned previously, make sure they are organic and are not sprayed with pesticides or other chemicals on any part of any plant that produces blossoms you plan to eat.} Keep in mind too, that NOT ALL FLOWERS ARE EDIBLE. Make sure an experienced adult has looked at them prior to ingesting.

17 Picking a Flower About Similar to Duck, Duck, Goose - this simple outdoor active game is perfect for all ages to get a little exercise and some fresh Supplies - An artificial flower 3 or more children Directions - 1. Have all the children sit in a circle, place the flower in the center. Choose one player to be "it". Everyone else sits down in the circle. 2. The player chosen to be "it" walks around the outside of the circle singing "I'm picking a flower. I'm picking a flower. I'm picking a flower, and I pick...you!"

18 Directions - 3. The player that was it, drops the flower behind the "picked" person. The picked person picks up the dropped flower and chases the "it" player. The "it" player grabs the open spot and sits down before the "picked" player can catch them. If the "it" player is caught before sitting down, they take another turn. If the "it" player makes it to sit down, the "picked" person now becomes the "it" person. 4. Keep repeating the process and song until everyone has a chance to be "it" and be "picked". Extensions - Try it with alternative material and mix it up to fit the song. For example, use a hat and say, "We're trying on hats. We're trying on hats. We're trying on hats and this one fits... you!" Try a combo of Hot Potato and Musical Chairs {without the chairs}. Turn on the music and pass the flower around the circle until the music stops. The person holding the flower when the music turns off is out of the game. Repeat until one person is left. That person is the winner!

19 Recommended Books Counting in the Garden By Kim Parker In this counting book, readers can count from one to ten while they search among the colorful flowers for various creatures hidden among lush garden scenes. It Could Still Be a Flower By Allan Fowler This book discusses different types of flowers in terms of where they grow, how they blossom, and other characteristics. Beautiful color photographs provide examples of many kinds of flowers. Sunflower House By Eve Bunting A young boy creates a summer playhouse by planting sunflowers and saves the seeds to make another house the next year. The Reason for a Flower By Ruth Heller With beautiful illustrations, this book explains the different parts of a flower, pollination, and growth, using a rhyming text.

20 Grow Flower, Grow! By Lisa Bruce A simple, silly, and interactive book that explains growing plants and helps determine what is appropriate to feed a flower. The Flower Alphabet Book By Jerry Pallotta Learn the alphabet while learning fun facts about flowers. The book has detailed research, humor, and realistic illustrations. Flower Garden By Eve Bunting A little girl and her father purchase pansies, tulips, daffodils, geraniums, and daisies that are lovingly planted in a window box. The Boy Who Grew Flowers By Jen Wojtowicz This story is beautiful, lyrical, and unusual. It celebrates being slightly different from the crowd. The main character, a boy, meets a charming girl. They discover themselves and each other and go on to lead a happy and fulfilling life.

21 Wanda s Roses By Pat Brisson Wanda finds a thorny bush in a vacant lot and decides that it must be a rosebush that needs a little attention. It's a story of one person's faith against all odds and a caring community. Garden Flowers Coloring Book By Stefen Bernath A fun and educational coloring book of garden flowers.

22 Word Family Garden {Playdough to Plato} Easy Fine Motor Activities Using Fresh Flowers {Laly Mom} Flower Garden Yogurt Parfait {Mama Papa Bubba} Day 3 of Creation: Flowers, Plants and Trees {I Can Teach My Child} 10 Flowers to Grow with Kids {Educators Spin On It} Footprint Butterfly Flower Pot {Mama Papa Bubba} Flower Patterning with Lemongrass Scented Playdough {I Can Teach My Child} Floating Flowers Fun for Pools and Baths {Mama Papa Bubba} Garden Art {Educators Spin On It} Consonant-Digraph Garden {I Can Teach My Child} Spring Flowers Felt Board Set {Mama Papa Bubba} Flower Fairy Costume {Mama Miss}