Materials
- long containers
- variety of fresh flowers and ferns
- paper towels
- wooden cutting board or firm surface
- scissors
- cardstock paper
- wax paper
- hammer
- construction paper
What to do
1. Place flowers in a long container with slightly damp towels to keep them moist. On a firm surface, layer a paper towel and cardstock paper.
2. Let the children choose flowers. Cut the flowers so there is very little stem.
3. Ask each child to arrange her flowers face down on the paper. Place wax paper over the flowers.
4. Hold the wax paper firmly so the flowers stay in place while the child taps gently on the flowers with a hammer. This makes the "ink" come out of the flowers and onto the paper. Note: Supervise hammer use closely.
5. Remove the wax paper and gently pick off any flower or fern remains.
6. Allow the paper to dry.
7. Help the children fold the paper to make a card. Encourage them to sign their cards and give or mail them to someone.
8. This activity can also be done on cloth.
-Penny Barsch, Meriden, CT
Instructions
1. Prepare "ingredients" for an "ice cream sundae." Cut
out an imperfect, wiggly circle shape and thin
wiggly strips to resemble chocolate syrup from
brown tissue paper.
2. Give each child brown tissue paper "syrup," a
Styrofoam ball, and fiberfill. The children glue the
Styrofoam ball in a cup, glue tissue (syrup) on top
of the Styrofoam, and fiberfill on top of the
tissue for whipped cream. Provide red
pompoms for a cherry.
3. To make "ice cream scoops," wrap
yarn around cardboard at a width
you want the yarn pompom to
be (2" or more), until the yarn is
wrapped about 1" thick.
4. Slip the yarn off the cardboard,
tie the yarn tightly in the middle to
make a bowtie shape, and cut the loops to make the pompom.
5. Put various colored pompoms in a cone, cup, or banana split dish. Add plastic
fruit to make a split.
6. To make a cone, cut out a circle from corrugated paper, and then cut out one
third of the circle. Twist into a cone and attach with glue or staples. This
resembles a waffle cone. Paint the cone tan or brown, if desired.
Related poem Ice Cream Cones by Mary Brehm
When I am hot and sticky,
And don't know what to do,
I go to the ice cream store,
And get a cone or two.
Then I give one to my friend,
For it is fun to share,
And if it drips a little bit,
We don't really care.
For we enjoy the taste of it,
And it makes us cool.
And we can get the sticky off
in the swimming pool.
