Spring is the perfect time to enjoy all of the beauty that nature provides us. One really fun way to involve children in nature play is by creating and playing with real flowers! Whether you plant a flower garden or find wildflowers on a nature walk, there are plenty of kids’ activities you can do with them. Here are a few to get you started.
Kids Arts & Crafts Using Flowers
Flowers can actually serve as really great inspiration for some beautiful kids’ artwork! Here are some fun ways to combine nature with art:
- Make nature paintbrushes by attaching flowers to sticks or bundle flowers in a bouquet to paint with
- Use flower seeds to create homemade seed paper to plant your own flower garden
- Make a beautiful sun catcher using flower petals
- Investigate and explore flowers and use them as inspiration for still-life drawings
- Turn pressed flowers into bookmarks that kids will love to use
- Arrange dried flowers and add some eyeballs to turn your nature finds into an adorable flower bird craft
- Dry petals and adhere them to a mason jar to make a flower candle holder that allows you to enjoy your flowers all year long
Play Prompts with Real Flowers
Engaging the senses creates lasting impressions and allows for greater processing of information. These hands-on play experiences using real flowers are not only fun, but are also educational:
- Observe whether or not flowers float with a sensory bin, or turn them into flower soup (you can even add glitter to make this fairy flower soup!)
- Allow kids to practice creating flower arrangements, add a pair of scissors for trimming and water for filling a vase to encourage a flower arranging practical life activity
- Use fresh flowers to make a discovery bottle for fun flower observation
- Turn handpicked woven daisies into a beautiful flower crown or laminate flower petals and cut into the shape of a flower crown
Using Flowers for Learning
Fine and gross motor practice are important components of early learning, and incorporating nature into these practices is a really fun way to make learning enjoyable. Here are some ideas to try:
- Practice scissor skills by using flowers for cutting practice
- Laminate flowers to make the exploration of them a baby-safe activity
- Make a loom out of sticks and weave with flowers
- Place white flowers in jars with water and food coloring to create a color changing flower science experiment
- Add cut up dried flowers to water to make homemade potpourri
As we know, there are great benefits to outdoor play, and kids love to collect flowers while playing and exploring outdoors. These kids’ activities using flowers are such fun ways to incorporate a little bit of nature into early learning and play, and will put all of those collected flowers to good use!
Would you like to be the first to hear about our new products and more?Sign up for our Nature’s Path Newsletter.
About The Author
Katie is a content developer and mom. She loves to create and explore and believes that learning through play allows for rich educational experiences.
RELATED BLOGS
-
The results are in: Discover the latest organic oat breeding research from OSC III
| Nature's Path
Science is at the root of organic agriculture. The more we understand about soil health, ecological cycles, wildlife, water...
Read blog
-
Cultivating change: The regenerative organic oats journey
| Nature's Path
Climate change and agriculture are locked together in a complex relationship – while climate change poses a significant threat to...
Read blog
-
A Path to Powerful Change: Organic Research, Education, and Advocacy
| Organic Farming Research Foundation
This year marks a decade of support from Nature’s Path Organic Foods for the work at Organic Farming Research...
Read blog
Our Best Sellers
As an expert and enthusiast in the realm of nature-based education and kids' activities, I can confidently say that the article by Katie Chiavarone resonates well with the principles of hands-on, experiential learning for children. Katie beautifully captures the essence of incorporating flowers into various activities, fostering not only creativity but also educational engagement.
Let's break down the concepts discussed in the article:
-
Kids Arts & Crafts Using Flowers:
- Nature Paintbrushes: The article suggests attaching flowers to sticks or bundling them to create paintbrushes, providing a unique and organic medium for children's artwork.
- Homemade Seed Paper: Flower seeds are utilized to make seed paper, fostering a connection between art and gardening, encouraging kids to plant their own flower garden.
- Sun Catcher: Creating a sun catcher using flower petals adds a delightful aspect to artistic endeavors, combining nature's beauty with craft.
- Still-Life Drawings: Encouraging children to investigate and explore flowers as inspiration for still-life drawings enhances observational skills and artistic expression.
- Pressed Flower Bookmarks: Pressed flowers are repurposed into bookmarks, offering a practical and aesthetically pleasing outcome.
-
Play Prompts with Real Flowers:
- Sensory Exploration: Engaging the senses through activities like observing whether flowers float in a sensory bin or creating flower soup enhances sensory perception and play.
- Practical Life Activity: Allowing kids to practice flower arranging with scissors and water promotes fine motor skills and practical life skills.
- Discovery Bottle: Fresh flowers are used to make a discovery bottle, turning flower observation into a captivating educational experience.
- Flower Crown: Handpicked woven daisies are transformed into a beautiful flower crown, promoting imaginative play.
-
Using Flowers for Learning:
- Scissor Skills: Flowers are employed for scissor skills practice, integrating nature into the development of fine motor skills.
- Laminated Exploration: Flowers are laminated for safe exploration, catering to the developmental needs of younger children.
- Loom Weaving: Sticks and flowers are used to create a loom for weaving, combining nature with gross motor skill development.
- Color Changing Flower Science Experiment: White flowers in jars with water and food coloring create a color-changing flower science experiment, introducing a scientific element to play.
These concepts not only make learning enjoyable but also align with the benefits of outdoor play for children. Katie's article stands as a testament to the enriching experiences that can be derived from integrating nature into early learning and play.
