Eight Great Ways for Kids to Have Fun with Flowers
Springtime has arrived and it’s time to get outside and enjoy the beauty of the season. And what better way than to have your family dive into some creative activities involving flowers. Here are 8 great ways for YOUR kids to have fun with flowers, and you too!
1. Make a mandala.
A nature mandala is a geometric design created using natural materials. Collect signs of spring for your mandala like flowers, seeds, branches, petals, leaves, etc. Start with a central spoke and then make circular patterns around the center. Use different numbers and colors of specimens to create symmetry. Then take a photo of your finished creation to share before it blows away!
2. Stop and smell.
Find five different flowers that have a scent. Uncover them on a nature walk. Different flowers have their own special scents. Do they have a strong smell? Sweet? Spicy? Fruity? Musky? Vanilla-like? Pick one that is your favorite so you can smell it the next time you walk by.
Paint a Picture.
Do a watercolor of a tree in bloom. Bring an inexpensive watercolor set, pencil, clipboard with watercolor paper, a small jar of water, paintbrush, and a few paper towels with you on your next walk. When you see a beautiful tree, find a seat in the grass, and paint it!
4. Bother a bee.
Be the bee paparazzi. Find a bush or tree that is a magnet for pollinating insects. Have your camera at the ready and catch a bee, butterfly, or other insect in action!
5. Lay down and look up.
There is nothing quite like laying down under a beautiful tree that’s blooming and looking up. Listen to the rustling of the leaves and soak in the beauty of the colors, especially if they contrast against a deep blue sky. If you’re lucky and a wind kicks up, try catching a falling petal. It’s more challenging than you might think!
6. Pound a flower.
With a hammer! Did you know that you can make gorgeous flower prints just by hammering them? If you don’t have the patience to wait for a pressed flower to come to fruition, then try this quick and easy method. Check out “Flower Pounding 101: A Beginner’s Guide” on how to do it well.
7. Check the sex.
Did you ever look closely at those long thin parts sticking out of the middle of a flower? Those are the male and female parts where pollination occurs to produce seeds. But how do you tell the male part from the female? Try rubbing your finger across the top. The male has pollen while the female is sticky on the top. The pollen blows or is transferred by an insect or bird and lands on the female part. It then grows a tube down to the eggs at the bottom.
8. Attend a flower festival.
If you want to go big this spring, then consider going to a flower festival. The most famous one is the National Cherry Blossom Festival in Washington D.C. from late March to mid-April, but there are plenty of others from which to choose. Topiaries at Epcot, Dallas Blooms, tulip festivals in Washington State and Michigan, dogwoods in Tennessee, lilacs in New York, azaleas in North Carolina. Indoor ones also count! There is even the world’s largest INDOOR flower festival, The Philadelphia Flower Show! Check your local area to see what your family can attend.
I hope one of these ideas has sparked your interest. And if you want to take a deep dive into the magic of flowers, consider joining our membership here at The Field Trip Academy. This month’s focus is on observing cherry trees as they bud and blossom. And you’ll help support scientists at Project Budburst who want to mitigate the effects of climate change! Check out our blog post and consider joining our growing community of homeschooling families. Click here or below for details.
