Flower Crafts

Making flowers in preschool, daycare or any early childhood environment is a fun spring activity. The following blog entry provides some ideas for flower crafts.

Daffodils: mini cupcake liners turn flower designs into cute daffodils. Prep the craft activity by cutting out a flower shape or fold a piece of yellow construction paper in half and draw half a flower for the children to cut out. A stem and leaf can be glued onto the flower with the cupcake liner placed in the middle to finish the craft.


From Musings of Me


Flower Stamps: many craft stores have flower foam stamps for prints, but did you know that old thread spools make cute flower designs as well?                     



From Growing a Jeweled Rose

Handprint flowers: the children's hands become the main flower either with fingerpaint or construction paper. By having the children trace and cut their hands out by themselves, it becomes a great fine motor activity, building up the skills for cutting. The flower can be their individual hand, or many hands can be glued for the petals by gluing the palm part of the hand in the center of a paperplate and fingers outwards. The latter choice is a long project if the child is cutting each hand, and might work best with an adult's assistance.

From DLTK

                                                                              

Coffee filters: when food coloring and water is dropped onto coffee filters with eye droppers, the filter absorbs the liquid and it turns into a tie-dye look. When the filter is all dry, then it can become a cute flower which can be glued onto paper or attached to a pipecleaner.



From Crafts for Preschool Kids


Paperplate Daisy: a small paperplate with white large petals for the edge, make a cute daisy. The children can finish the flower with a big happy face in the middle.

 

Flower Collage: place flower pictures from used birthday cards, calendars, wrapping paper and so on, onto the table with a large piece of construction paper. Add some drawing tools, such as felt pens, and lots of glue and scissors. Provide strips of paper and other small pieces of paper with different textures and let the children create their own spring flower creations.


Still Life Painting: place real or fake flowers in a vase on a table. Provide children with pencils for tracing, and then paint or felts for filling in the color. You will be amazed at how many young children are able to create art in this manner. Each masterpiece is unique.It helps to present this art activity with a quick introduction beforehand, showing the children some paintings and discussing what still life means.


Open Ended Craft Table: encourage flower making by providing material conducive to making flowers and allow children the space and time to create their own flowers. Material to consider:

• circle shapes
• popsicle sticks
• coffee filters
• sticks
• cupcake liners
• paper doilies/liners
• pom poms
• single egg cartons
• pipe cleaners

From Buggy and Buddy

  

Egg carton flowers: individual foam eggs turn this craft project into a one day, simple activity. If using cardboard eggs, they can be painted beforehand. Both choices the egg cartons can be decorated, for instance, with jewels or sparkles and trimmed at the top in a zigzag manner. A pipecleaner becomes the stem by glueing it to the bottom of the egg carton, or by poking a small hole at the bottom and placing the pipecleaner through slightly and bending for attachment.

Flower Pots: sometimes it is the flower pot that is needed for an art craft. Perhaps, the children are making Mother Day Presents. Individual clay pots work well for children can paint them. Paper plates stapled together also work: one plate is cut in half and then stapled to a full plate. The children can decorate afterwards. Used glass bottles can be used for vases, and children can be provided with fun stickers or glass paint to decorate.


Good Luck and happy flower making!                           

More Resources

Flower Pinterest Board

Online Early Childhood Workshops with Circle of Ideas 

Playdough Ideas

Playdough is a wonderful physical and creative activity for young children that fosters a variety of developments and skills in children. Playdough can easily be made in the kitchen. Most recipes include instructions to  make playdough over the stove. An alternative choice is to use boiling water from the kettle. When making the playdough, it is a good idea to stir the ingredients quickly and knead right away to create the desired consistency. Ingredients can be added after if the playdough is too dry or too wet. The playdough mix should be kept in a plastic bag or closed container when it is not being used and depending on the air quality of a room, and the amount of hands that play with the dough, it should last for a least a week or longer.
This website is an awesome resource for playdough recipes: www.playdoughrecipe.com

 Following are some variations and suggested items to put out with playdough in addition to the classic rolling pin and cookie cutters:

• koolaid package inside the playdough recipe will make it smell fruity and provides color
• a touch of tempera paint or food coloring while making the recipe
• sparkles inside the playdough
• vanilla or other spices
• place buttons out with the playdough
• candles along with baking sheet or cupcake liners
• little plastic animals
• plastic utensils
• container lids that have a raised image for making prints
• ice cube trays
• craft sticks, popsicle sticks
• googly eyes