Here’s a green leaf,
And here’s a green leaf,
(show other hand)
That, you see, makes two.
(hold up two fingers)
Here is a bud,
(cup hands together)
that makes a flower;
Watch it bloom for you!
(open cupped hands gradually).
This is the way the flowers sleep,
(make fists of both hands)
Through the winter long.
This is the way the flowers grow,
When they hear the robin's song.
(raise arms up high as they represent full grown flower)
Need: scraps of brightly colored construction paper, glue, crayons, markers, construction paper.
Give each child a piece of construction paper. Encourage the children to use the brightly colored scrap pieces to create flowers on their paper.
After the "flower collages" are dry, staple (left side) a sheet of paper on the back of of collage to create a book. Ask the child what he/she would like to say about their flower collage, child writes or an adult writes what child says.
Flower Petal Designs
Need: toilet paper rolls, construction paper, bright paint
Have the children glue pre-cut flower pot shapes onto the bottom of a
piece of black construction paper. Dip a slightly flattened toilet
paper roll into brightly colored paint, and stamp it onto the paper,
stamping the "petals" in a circle, creating a flower
design. The children can paint a stem, or use a green pipe cleaner
for a stem. Use sponges cut as leaves for the leaf stamp, finishing
off the activity.
Contributed By: Terra Vaughn
Sponge paint blossoms on crayoned tree trunks drawn on construction paper.
Cut easel paper into flower shapes.
Artificial flowers and containers can be placed in the dramatic play
area. The children can make centerpieces for the classroom tables.
Add sand (or soil) and plastic flowers to the sensory table.
Can place water and watering cans in the sensory table.
catalogs, magazines, file folders or cardboard cut to be cards , glue
Let the children construct flower picture cards. Have the children look through catalogs and magazines and cut out pictures of flowers. Glue the pictures onto old folders or cardboard.
When finished the cards can be used for sorting: Place a variety of colors of construction paper on the table and have the children sort the flower cards by color. Count the number of flowers by each color. Can create a graph. Place pieces of construction paper (can tape together and fold) and flower cards in a bag and place on the math table.
Place a variety of flowers on the science table. The children can
compare the color, shape, size, and smell of each flower.
Silk flowers, flowerpots, watering cans, gloves, plastic vases, seed packets, styrofoam balls, cash register, telephone, paper pads and pencils.
Children can stick the flowers into the styrofoam balls and put them into the vases. This eliminates the need for dirt or potting soil. Set up one part of the area as the flower arrangement area and a growing area. In another part of the area have the cash register, telephone, and pads for taking orders for the flower arrangements. Include pictures of flowers that have been cut from magazines as the flower shop brochure.
Plant flower seeds in a styrofoam cup. Save the seed packages and
mount on a piece of tagboard. Place this directly behind the
containers on the science table. The children can compare their
plants. When the plants start growing compare the seed packages to
the plant growth.
Tall Flower from TeachPreschool
Make a tall flower from construction paper. Lay the flower on the floor. Children lay next to the flower. Which is taller the flower or the child?
Sequence Cards to Print - planting, growing a flower
Circles flower-trace the circles
*Planting a Rainbow
Add water to plastic cups or water bottle. Add about 10 to 20 drops of food color to each cup. Cut the stem of each carnation at an angle and place one carnation in each cup/bottle.
Make a multi-colored carnation. Take two plastic cups. Add a different food color, such as blue and red, to each cup. Cut the carnations stem at an angle then starting at the bottom of the carnation split the stem up the middle with a sharp knife (split stem about 1/3 to 1/2 length of flower stem).
Place each half of the stem into separate cups. Check often to see how things are progressing.
If you use two colors, such as red and blue, when the colored water is drawn up into the flower there will be purple too. Ask the child where did the purple come from.
Rainbow Flower Bouquet from TeachPreschool
Pans of paint and tools to paint with, round sponges work great. White construction paper to create the flower bouquet on. Strips of green construction paper to glue down as stems.
*Things to Print
Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary color page.
Set out a variety of plastic fruits and vegetable. Set up a shopping
area with carts, cash registers, and play money. Provide a balance
scale for children to weigh the produce.
A Peanut Sat on a Railroad Track (song)
A peanut sat on a railroad track,
Its heart was all a-flutter.
Engine Nine came down the track,
Toot! Toot! Peanut butter!
Climb Right Up!
Need: Brown and green construction paper, scissors, markers, glue.
Invite children to cut, tear, and draw pictures of beans, bean
sprouts, and bean stalks to decorate under the window in the science
area. Encourage children to think about what they might find if they
could climb to the top of their bean stalks.
Grow like a bean!
Great activity to do after reading the story "Jack and the Beanstalk".
Need: Cassettes of rhythmic instrumental music.
Can children imagine they are magical, growing beans? Put on the
music and encourage them to move their bodies as if they were just
sprouting and then growing into strong, tall plants.
In clear containers place several celery stalks with leaves. In each
container add water and drops of different colors of food coloring.
The leaves of the celery should turn colors in a few hours.
Try splitting a celery stalk in half, but do not spit the stalk all
the way up to the top. Put one half of the stalk in red water, and
the other half in blue water. Watch what happens to the leaves.
The Big Turnip-Creative Dramatics
After reading the story "The Great Big Enormous Turnip",
dramatize the story. Pass out identifying pieces of clothing for each
character. Hats work well for people and collars or signs for the
animals. Retell the story, letting the children act the story out.
Use as many characters as you have children. This would be a good
The Great Big Enormous Turnip Movement Activity
Pair children and tell them to face each other holding hands. One
child, pretending to be the farmer, stands straight. The other child
pretending to be a turnip, squats.
The farmers chant:
Grow little turnip,
Grow little turnip,
I'll pull and pull
and pull and pull,
'Til you pop right
out of the ground.
On the last line, the turnip pops up and the farmer squats down. Let
children change partners after each round.
Sweet Potato Plants
Help children insert 3 to 4 toothpicks horizontally around the middle
of a sweet potato. Then balance the toothpicks on the rims of glass
jars and add enough water to cover the bottom parts of their potatoes.
Keep water filled to this level. In about 2 weeks vines will begin to
sprout and the children will have sweet potato plants.
Cut ten large potato shapes from brown construction paper and number
them from 1 to 10. Tape the shapes to the floor in from number 1 to
10. Let the children take turns hopping from one potato to the next
as everyone chants the rhyme below.
One potato, two potato,
Three potato, four,
Five potato, six potato,
Seven potato, more,
Eight potato, nine potato,
Here is ten.
Now let's start all over again.
Give each child a green construction paper circle and a red
construction paper circle (slightly smaller). Have the children glue
the red circle onto the green circle. Then have the children glue
watermelon seeds or black paper punch circles all over their red circles.
Use the recipe"The
Best Cooked Play Dough" and add watermelon flavored kool-aid
Sink or Float
Have students predict whether or not the watermelon will float in a
tub of water. Record predictions and then place the watermelon in the
tub of water
Have each student lift the watermelon and estimate how much it
weighs. Write down the estimates and check with a scale.
How Many Seeds?
Have each student estimate the number of seeds in the watermelon.
Write down predictions. After the watermelon is cut and eaten, be
sure to save all the seeds. In groups have the children place 10
seeds in a cup. Then gather the cups and place the "tens"
into hundreds and figure out the final total of seeds.
Planting watermelon Seeds
Have children plant watermelon seeds in egg cartons, small cups, or
small milk cartons; use potting soil.
Watermelon Promoting Board
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include your favorite garden activity in this theme!