Although it’s started to feel like Spring in Northern NY, there aren’t any flowers yet. If you’d like to get your little ones excited about the coming season and want to add some color to your altars and nature tables, here’s a craft I came up with. It will take a few hours or a couple of days depending on how long you let the stems dry, but that lesson in patience can easily relate to waiting for real flowers to sprout and bloom. It also encourages hand-eye-coordination and practice with colors. My daughter is almost three, and she really enjoyed this activity. She loves seeing her art on our family altar! It makes her feel part of the celebration.
Materials:
- popsicle sticks
- non-toxic green paint
- brushes
- lots of rags or paper towels to clean up (inevitable!)
- a variety of colorful ribbons cut into small strips (older children practicing their cutting skills could help with this part)
- tacky glue
- a vase, flower pot, or basket for display
Process:
- Give your little one a few popsicle sticks, green paint, and a brush. Encourage him or her to paint them, and talk about stems and their color. Let these dry for a few hours or overnight. Discuss patience and what that means. Maybe use this time to plant some seeds for real flowers!
- Once the stems are dry, show your child all the pretty ribbon petals. Maybe look at some photos of flowers for inspiration, and show how the petals look.
- Adults can put a small dot of glue at the top of each stick. Toddlers can then place a petal. Keep adding glue and petals until the child feels it’s done. If your child is anything like mine, they will look a bit wabi-sabi. That’s okay!
- Repeat for each stick and let dry for a few hours.
- Display on your altar or nature table, or give as seasonal gifts!
Author M. A. Phillips 