Flowers & plants

LEARN & DISCUSS:

*Parts of flowers: roots, stem, leaves, bud, petals, pollen, etc.

*Characteristics of flowers & plants: texture, fragrance, color, silky, thorny, smooth, etc.

*Poisonous plants & flowers

*What do plants need to grow? Science project below.

*Why do some plants grow in the mountains and not in the tropics? (desert, forest, jungle, prairie, etc.)

*What is your state flower? Go here to find out.

*What can you do with flowers? Plants? Leis, necklaces, bouquets, corsage/boutonniere, etc.

*What flowers and plants are in your garden or home?

*What tools do you need to plant plants & flowers?

*Types of trees: coniferous & deciduous

ACTIVITIES:

*Dry flowers

*Press flowers

*Plant flowers & plants in pots or the garden

*Make a flower bouquet

*Weed the garden

*Paint with a branch of pine needles, a flower, weeds, tree/plant leaves, etc.

*Nature walk: go for a walk and look for different flowers & plants. Take pictures and put into a nature photo album. Or make a list of different flowers & plants that need to be found.

MAKE:

*Hair clips: I found a cute tutorial here.

*Paper flowers: view Kristine's (a guest blogger on D &D) tutorial here!

*Egg carton flowers

*Flower hand prints: paint or ink your hand. Press onto paper. Draw a stem and leaves to make your hand print a flower.

*Flower mask: use paper plates or material. Which flower will you be?

*Make a flower or plant collage: glue different parts of flowers/plants on to a piece of paper.

Tie dye flowers: you will need coffee filters, color markers, spray bottle with water, pipe cleaner, construction paper and glue. After the children have finished coloring with markers on the coffee filters, spray water directly onto the filter. Watch the colors mix. Scruch the middle of the flower up and wrap pipe cleaner around it to make a stem. Cut out leaves from construction paper and apply to pipe cleaner with glue.

SCIENCE:

*Flower tinting: put a carnation into water dyed with food coloring. As the flower drinks the colored water the petals will start to change colors.

*Compare different kinds of seeds. Observe with magnifying glass or microscope. Sort them by color, shape, size, etc.

*What makes plants grow? Have the same seed growing different ways. In a pot or cup put the items with "x" plus a few seeds. Which seeds grew & why? Try different types of seeds. Is there a difference.

SEEDS:

#1: sun

#2: soil

#3: water

#4: sun, soil

#5: sun, water

#6: soil, water

#7: sun, soil, water

*Try making dye with flowers and other plants. Paint/draw with your new colors. Find instructions and ideas for which plants make what colors here.

BOOKS:

The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle

Flower Garden by Eve Bunting

Changes by Marjorie N. Allen

Amelia's Road by Linda Jacobs Altman

Anna's Table by Eve Bunting

One Child, One Seed by Katheryn Cave

Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert

Oliver's Fruit Salad by Vivian French

Have You Seen Trees? by Joanne Oppenheim

This Year's Garden by Cynthia Rylant

SONGS:

*Popcorn Popping: find this LDS children's song here.

* In the Leafy Tree Tops: find this LDS children's song here.

*Little Purple Pansies: find this LDS children's song here.

*On a Golden Springtime: find this LDS children's song here.

*ONCE I WAS A SEED

(tune: Once There Was A Snowman; to hear this LDS children's song tune click here)

Once I was a seed, seed, seed. (squat in a ball on the ground)

Once I was a seed, small, small, small.

Then I stared growing, growing, growing. (slowly start to stand)

Then I started growing, tall, tall, tall. (stand as tall as you can with your arms reached high)

*FLOWER SONG

(Tune: The Farm in the Dell)

The flower has some roots, the flower has some roots,

The roots will carry food and drink, the flower has some roots.

The flower has a stem, the flower has a stem,

The stem will make is stand up tall, the flower has a stem.

The flower has some leaves, the flower has some leaves,

The leaves will cate the rain and sun, the flower has some leaves.

The flower has some petals, the flower has some petals,

The petals call the birds and bees, the flower has some petals.

*DIG DIG

Dig, dig, dig the Earth (make a digging motion)

Plant seeds in a row

(pretend to plant seeds)

A gentle rain

(flutter fingers down)

And a bright sunshine

(circle arms above head)

Will help our seeds to grow

(hold one arm paralleel to the ground and move the other arm up behind it with fingers extended to represent a plant growing)

*FLOWER EVERYWHERE

(Tune: Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star; Source: Jean Warren)

Flowers, flowers everywhere

In the garden, in my hair.

In the vase, at the store,

On the table, on the door.

What a lovely time of year,

Flowers blooming, bringing cheer.

*FAVORITE COLORS:

(Tune: Six Little Ducks)

So many flowers in the vase for you

Red ones, yellow ones, blue ones too

But the one little flower that rhymes with _____.

It's my favorite color, it's the color ______.

(bean:green, clown:brown, shoe:blue, bed:red, stink:pink, gak:black, jello:yellow)

*GREEN GRASS GREW ALL AROUND

There once was a tree

(audience repeats: There once was a tree)

A pretty little tree

(audience repeats: A pretty little tree)

The prettiest little tree

(audience repeats: The prettiest little tree)

That you ever did see

(audience repeats: That you ever did see)

Oh, the tree in a hole

And the hole in the ground

And the green grass grew all around, all around

And the green grass grew all around

Now on this tree

(audience repeats: Now on this tree)

There was a limb

(audience repeats: There was a limb)

The prettiest little limb

(audience repeats: The prettiest little limb)

That you ever did see

(audience repeats:That you ever did see)

Oh, the limb on the tree,

And the tree in a hole

And the hole in the ground

And the green grass grew all around, all around

And the green grass grew all around

Now on this limb

(audience repeats: Now on this limb)

There was a branch

(audience repeats: There was a branch)

The prettiest little branch

(audience repeats: The prettiest little branch)

That you ever did see

(audience repeats: That you ever did see)

Oh, the branch on the limb,

And the limb on the tree,

And the tree in a hole

And the hole in the ground

And the green grass grew all around, all around

And the green grass grew all around

Now on this branch

(audience repeats: Now on this branch)

There was a bough

(audience repeats: There was a bough)

The prettiest little bough

(audience repeats: The prettiest little bough)

That you ever did see

(audience repeats: That you ever did see)

Oh, the bough on the branch,

And the branch on the limb,

And the limb on the tree,

and the tree in a hole

And the hole in the ground

And the green grass grew all around, all around

And the green grass grew all around

Now on this bough

(audience repeats: Now on this bough)

There was a twig

(audience repeats: There was a twig)

The prettiest little twig

(audience repeats: The prettiest little twig)

That you ever did see

(audience repeats: That you ever did see)

Oh, the twig on the bough,

And the bough on the branch,

And the branch on the limb,

And the limb on the tree,

and the tree in a hole

And the hole in the ground

And the green grass grew all around, all around

And the green grass grew all around

Now on this twig

(audience repeats: Now on this twig)

There was a leaf

(audience repeats: There was a leaf)

The prettiest little leaf

(audience repeats: prettiest little leaf)

That you ever did see

(audience repeats: That you ever did see)

Oh, the leaf on the twig,

And the twig on the bough,

And the bough on the branch,

And the branch on the limb,

And the limb on the tree,

and the tree in a hole

And the hole in the ground

And the green grass grew all around, all around

And the green grass grew all around

Now on this leaf

(audience repeats: Now on this leaf)

There was a nest

(audience repeats: There was a nest)

The prettiest little nest

(audience repeats: prettiest little nest)

That you ever did see

(audience repeats: That you ever did see)

Oh, the nest on the leaf,

And the leaf on the twig,

And the twig on the bough,

And the bough on the branch,

And the branch on the limb,

And the limb on the tree,

and the tree in a hole

And the hole in the ground

And the green grass grew all around, all around

And the green grass grew all around

Now in this nest

(audience repeats: Now in this nest)

There was a bird

(audience repeats: There was a bird)

The prettiest little bird

(audience repeats: The prettiest little bird)

That you ever did see

(audience repeats: The you ever did see)

Oh, the bird in the nest,

And the nest on the leaf,

And the leaf on the twig,

And the twig on the bough,

And the bough on the branch,

And the branch on the limb,

And the limb on the tree,

and the tree in a hole

And the hole in the ground

And the green grass grew all around, all around

And the green grass grew all around

Now on this bird

(audience repeats: Now on this bird)

There was a feather

(audience repeats: There was a feather)

The prettiest little feather

(audience repeats: The prettiest little feather)

That you ever did see

(audience repeats: That you ever did see)

Oh, the feather on the bird,

And the bird in the nest,

And the nest on the leaf,

And the leaf on the twig,

And the twig on the bough,

And the bough on the branch,

And the branch on the limb,

And the limb on the tree,

and the tree in a hole

And the hole in the ground

And the green grass grew all around, all around

And the green grass grew all around

Now on this feather

(audience repeats: Now in this feather)

There was a flea

(audience repeats: There was a flea)

The prettiest little flea

(audience repeats: The prettiest little flea)

That you ever did see

(audience repeats: That you ever did see)

Oh, the flea on the feather,

And the feather on the bird,

And the bird in the nest,

And the nest on the leaf,

And the leaf on the twig,

And the twig on the bough,

And the bough on the branch,

And the branch on the limb,

And the limb on the tree,

and the tree in a hole

And the hole in the ground

And the green grass grew all around, all around

And the green grass grew all around

*HOORAY FOR SPRING TIME!

All the grass is turning green

Turning green, turning green

All the grass is turning green

Hooray for springtime!

See the flowers start to bloom

Start to bloo, start to bloom

See the flowers start to bloom

Hooray for springtime!

All the leaves are growing back

Growing back, growing back

All the leaves are growing back

Hooray for springtime!

Now it's time to fly a kite

Fly a kite, fly a kite

Now it's time to fly a kite

Hooray for springtime

Hear the birds sing their songs

Sing their songs, Sing their songs

Hear the birds sings their songs

Hooray for springtime!

Feel the rain on our arms

On our arms, on our arms

Feel the rain on our arms

Hooray for springtime!

Watch the worms twist and wiggle

Twist and wiggles, twist and wiggle

Watch the worms twist and wiggle

Hooray for springtime!

Yellow dandelions pop right up

Pop right up, pop right up

Yellow dandelions pop right up

Hooray for springtime!

Feel the sun shining down

Shining down, shining down

Feel the sun shining down

Hooray for springtime!

RECIPES:

Eat edible flowers: go here for some tips and hints

Flower sugar cookies: easy and yummy recipe here