Materials
- Collecting basket or box
- Drying table or floor area
- Newsprint
- Heavy books
- White typing paper
- White glue in squeeze bottle
- Three-ring binder or notebook
- Plastic sleeves for three-ring binder
What to do
1. Take the children for a walk and collect a variety of blossoms in a basket or box. Try to identify the blossoms as you collect them.
2. Select a drying area that can be left undisturbed for several days, such as a table or a corner of the floor, and spread out several sheets of clean newsprint.
3. Have the children arrange the blossoms on the newsprint so they are not touching and cover them with another sheet of clean newsprint. Place some heavy books on top and leave undisturbed for three days.
4. Remove the books and the top layer of newsprint. Demonstrate how to carefully peel away any blossoms stuck to the newsprint. Ask the children to help.
5. Invite the children to create interesting arrangements with the dried blossoms on white paper. Tell them they can arrange the blossoms by color, size or type, or just put one blossom on a page. The children then glue on the blossoms one at a time. Allow to dry overnight.
6. When dry, carefully slip the glued blossom paper into the plastic sleeve and place it in the three-ring binder. Continue until all the blossom papers have been inserted in the book.
7. Place the book in an area of the classroom where everyone can enjoy it.
More to do
Art: Use the dried blossoms to decorate note cards or create framed pictures with blossoms. When plastic sleeves will not be used, cover the blossoms with clear adhesive plastic or wide shipping tape to protect them.
- Create pictures with leaves instead of blossoms.
- Use picturesof flowers and leaves from gardening magazines in place of real items.
Original poem
Blossom Fingerplay by MaryAnn Kohl (c) 1997
Little blossom, closed up tight, (hold one hand up like a fist, fingers and palm up)
Start to grow with all your might. (begin to unfold a few fingers slowly)
Big sun warm you, help you grow, (use other hand to send rays of sunlight)
Rain drops feed you, here you go. (use other hand to send raindrops, while opening blossom more and more)
When your time is almost right, (peek through visor of other hand at blossom)
BURST! and BLOOM! Oh, what a sight! (explode both hands into one fully formed flower, turning it and looking at it with proud admiration)
-MaryAnn F. Kohl, Bellingham, WA
