Pressing flowers – Kids Discover Nature

Nature Activity of the Week – Nature Cards

by Editorial Staff

For our nature activity this week, we’ll be creating Nature Cards. These are easy to make and work for children as young as 18 months. Thanks to Fiona Danks and Jo Scofield authors of the book Nature’s Playground (one of my favorites) for the idea.

Supplies You Will Need

Cardboard cards (white works best)
Double-sided tape

What to Do

Cut the stiff cardboard into small squares or rectangles
Cover one side with the double-sided tape, leaving the tape protector on the exposed side
Head outside to look for tiny natural items like flowers, leaves, grass, sticks, etc.
Remove the top tape protector
Stick found natural treasures to the cards to create beautiful mini mosaics

The Challenge

Collect as many different colors as possible.
Create patterns or pictures.
Cover the entire card.

Great Ideas

Use the little creations for greeting cards
Frame them to create pictures
Cover them with sticky-backed plastic to make bookmarks

Additional Tips

Take the back seat and allow the children to work on their own
Tell them not to collect the whole flower, and be careful to use commonly found species

Safety Tip
Direct the children away from poisonous or stinging plants.

Benefits to Your Children
Encourages exercise and concentration and promotes imagination and creativity.

Nature Crafts

Spring Flower Power!

by Jodi Valenta

Spending a lot of time exploring outdoors is a top priority in our family. There is most definitely a correlation between how much time we spend outdoors and the behavior of my kids: more = better! Since spring has arrived, we have been outside every day smelling (and picking) dandelions, violets, daffodils, and all the wonderful flowers that are blooming. It has been so great to run around and stretch our legs. We have also spent loads of time just observing all that is sprouting and blooming going on around us.

Here’s a great activity for your little sprouts (as excerpted from the “First Nature Activity Book):
Pressing flowers is a simple and magical way of preserving beautiful flowers and leaves so they last forever. Flowers with flat faces are best such as pansies, primroses, and daisies. Pick flowers that are dry and press them right away so they maintain their color.

Equipment:
Scissors
Heavy books
White paper for blotting

1. Open the book. Cut out a piece of blotting paper about the same size as the open book you will use. Fold the paper in half then open it out.
2. Lay the blotting paper across the book. Arrange the flowers flat on the right half of the paper, leaving space between them.
3. Carefully fold the left side of the blotting paper over the flowers. Then close the book over the blotting paper.
4. Put some heavy books on top of the book to weigh it down. Leave the plants to dry for at least four weeks.

After four weeks, they can be glued into a nature diary, onto a card for Mom (an especially nice idea!), or a picture to hang in your child’s room. The nice thing is that you will have the flowers to enjoy long after they have finished blooming outside.

Nature Activity of the Week – Nature Cards

Spring Flower Power!

Take the 30-Day Outdoor Challenge