Flower Explorations
What is more charming than a field full of wildflowers? Whether you come upon them on your next family hike or have a few growing in your backyard, learning about flowers helps children better understand the way in which our ecosystem works.
Be sure to take along our Wildflower Guide, clipboard, magnifying glass, basket for collecting, your nature journal, and some colored pencils. Then when you’re out in nature, encourage children to notice and document all of the different colors, sizes, shapes, patterns, and smells they discover. And remember … looking at flowers up close helps children hone in on those observation skills!
If you’re able to, bring home a bouquet of freshly cut flowers (if you’re at a park or a public area, it’s best to just sit and observe the flowers or take photographs that you can look at when you get home). Ask children to tell you which flower is their favorite and invite them to draw and write about that flower. For added engagement, put out a few additional art materials like buttons and small paper flowers.
Need a vase for your wildflower bouquet? Learn how to make DIY Recycled Vases & Flowers from materials you can find in your recycling bin!
And be sure to discuss the importance of wildflowers and how they support the environment by:
- Offering a habitat for pollinators, beneficial insects, and other wildlife
- Helping make the soil healthy
- Filtering groundwater and storm water
The more we teach children about the wonder of flowers, the better equipped they’ll be at taking care of them!
MATERIALS
- Printables
- Clipboard
- Crayon Rocks or Colored Pencils
- Optional: Magnifying Glass, Basket, Nature Journal
MORE TO EXPLORE
BOOKS TO INSPIRE
- Botanicum: Welcome to the Museum by Kathy Willis
- The Big Book of Blooms by Yuval Zommer
- The Reason for a Flower by Ruth Heller
Looking for more ideas? You can download the rest of our curriculum by joining us over at Members’ Lounge.
