Pop-up Flowers with Roots!

Sometimes it is the simple ideas that capture a child.  The children loved this project!  This is one of those projects that reinforces the understanding of how a plant grows AND gives the opportunity for imaginative storytelling in its "pop-up" (the flower can hide  and grow up as it pops up.)   The set up is simple.

Needed Materials:
- small dixie cups with slit in bottom (I pre-slit the cups with the tip of my scissors)
- left over scrap paper to wrap around cup.
- green popsicle sticks for stems
- scrap paper for flowers and leaves
- yarn for roots
- tape  (I provide tape for my students to use in creating.  I think it is a valuable tool for construction and I provide tape in the big heavy tape holders.  This is one of those projects that requires tape!  Otherwise it will be too frustrating for the children - or you will have to construct the pop-up and that is no good!!!)

Step One:  Attach one end of a scrap of paper to the paper cup.  Wrap the cup and secure the other end.  Tape the paper to the top of the cup as well.

Step Two:  Cut out a flower.  I made strips of paper that the children could cut a design out of and then wrap it around the stick.  Attach it to the stick with tape.

Step three:  Cut off yarn to attach to the bottom of the stem (stick) to create the roots.  Attach the yarn with a piece of tape.  I did not control the amount of "roots" they added.  LOL! Some of our flowers had an intense root system!

Step Four: Push Stick through slit in the cup.

Looking in you can see the roots.

Tell the story of how a flower seed grows:

Once upon a time there was a little seed that was planted in the soft folds of the earth.  Slowly it grew roots deep into the soil.  Gently it began to peek up and stretch to the sun.   The little flower danced in the sunbeams.

"Can I make another one?"  asks this student.

"You have two, how many more are you making?"  I question.

"Only Five."  she answers.

Becoming Scientific Illustrators

This week we are dwelling in the world of flowers and plants.  I told the children I knew a "scientific illustrator" - a person who draws illustrations of nature.   We had our own bean plants growing and I took one and displayed the roots, stem, and leaves.    I told them we were going to be "scientific illustrators" and draw/label a flower plant.   We looked at photographs in books at the parts of real flowers and compared it to our bean plant.

They were so excited when we began drawing.  They kept telling me more to add to the drawing - such as the sun, dirt and rain!  One student inquired, "How do the plants stand up with out falling over?"  We observed the plant we had removed from the soil.  "What do you think?"   It was amazing - they knew!  It was the root system that "anchored" the plant.

Materials needed:  sharpies and cardstock for the drawing, watercolors

Here's how to draw this illustration:

Step One:  Draw a horizon line.  Put the seed in dirt.

Step Two:  Give the seed a solid root system.  Draw these like little wiggly worms.

Step Three:  Add the stem that has grown up out of the seed!  Use two lines to make the stem.

Step Four:  Make a circle at the top of the stem.  Add the pollen as dots.  Add the petals as ovals.

Step Five:  Finally, let's add two leaves.  I like making pointy ovals.

Step Six:  Label the roots.

Step Seven:  Label the seed.

Step Eight:  Label a leaf.

Step Nine:  Label the stem.

Step Ten:  Label the flower, sun, rain and dirt.

Step Eleven:  Watercolor!

Painted Paper Flowers

In my previous post, I shared how I love painted (monoprint) papers.  Here is one of the projects my class is creating with the papers.  This is a simple project that my students managed without assistance. 

 "A Vase of Spring Flowers"

How I do it:

1. I make tracers on old file folders.  VASE: I fold the file in half and trace half the vase so when I cut out the tracer it is balanced.   FLOWERS:  I cut out random flowers.
2. I pre-cut the stems.
3. I provide small squares of green paper for leaves, if desired.
4. The entire piece is created on a large construction paper sheet.

Stems are attached to back of vase and then glued to paper.  

Flower shape is traced on painted paper.

Glue is applied to back of flower.

Flower is pressed down on top of stem.

Leaves are added and ta da!  Done!  So easy!