3 in 1 Flower Preschool Activities

3 in 1 FLOWER ACTIVITIES FOR PRESCHOOLERS

YOU WILL NEED:

• Real flowers
• Water
• Sensory bin container
• Paper Plates
• Markers
• Food Coloring
• Fun stuff to put in the sensory bin

FLOWER ACTIVITY 1:  ICE MELT

STEP 1:  First, you want to get your flowers ready to freeze in ice for the ice melt science activity. Have the kids help you pull apart the flowers but save a few for the next activity! Add the flowers to different shape containers or molds. Fill with water and place in the freezer until frozen!

STEP 3: Once your flower-filled containers are frozen, get ready to explore the fun of melting ice to free the flowers. Set up a large bowl of warm water along with meat basters and squeeze bottles. I suggest putting all of the frozen flowers into a large bin. The kids will know what to do!

FLOWER ACTIVITY 2: PARTS OF A FLOWER

STEP 1:  While your molds and containers are in the freezer, you can easily explore the parts of a flower with a few real flowers you saved! Grab some paper plates and markers and write out a petal label on each paper plate.

STEP 2:  In small groups or individually get kids to identity the petals of the flower and if possible, pull the flower apart and tape or glue the petals to their paper plate.

Have your kids compare the petals of different flowers.  How does the color, size, smells, and textures vary?  You can also talk about and introduce the 4 main parts of a flower and how each is important for pollination.

Note: Some flowers are easier for identifying the 4 main flower parts than others.  The best flowers are those with large obvious petals, easy to recognize stamen (the male part) and a large pistil in the middle of the flower (the site for pollination).  The sepal is usually green and lies underneath the petals.  Its purpose is to cover and protect the flower bud.

Once you have melted all the flowers, turn it into a water sensory play activity! The water will be pretty chilly, so I suggest, adding warm water! You can also add a drop or two of food coloring!

You can also add fun sensory bin items such as colanders, ladles, scoops, and even a small water wheel!

To complement this activity, why not set up our spring sensory bin and preschool math activity.

FLOWER PLAY IN THE CLASSROOM

This is the perfect activity to get everyone involved. Kids will get wet, so be prepared for little spills and damp sleeves.

For another fun flower activity, why not set up our colored carnations activity? The kids will be able to observe how plants “drink”  while learning a little bit about capillary action.

Have your kids explore the flowers with their 5 senses:

• • What colors do you see?
  • Do the flowers have a smell and is different or the same as each other?
  • What do real flowers feel like?
  • Where do you think flowers grow?
  • Why do you think plants have flowers?
  • Are there flowers blooming outside now?

If possible, explore and observe real flowers by going outdoors! Don’t pick them! Rather make observations and drawings! Kids can even take measurements and check on their flowers. Will they grow taller? Will there be more buds? Wouldn’t it be fun to observe these flowers over several weeks!