April 23, 2009 | 20 Comments

Giant Sunflower Craft

It was cold, dark and dreary today, so we made our own cheer with this giant sunflower craft. This is a great craft for a day when you are stuck inside because there are so many steps. You can plant a seed or act out how a seed grows into a plant while you are waiting for your sunflower to dry.

Gather your materials. You will need a paper bag, a paper plate, some black rice, glue, yellow and green paint, a marker, scissors, a bath poof or sponge and double stick tape.
Start by cutting open your grocery bag and drawing a long stem along one edge and multiple petals on the rest of it.
Cut the stem outline out and have your child paint it green. My son loved using the roller paints for this because it was so easy to make long straight lines. Let dry.
Paint the petals with the bath poof or sponge. I find that when we are painting a large surface it’s much better to use a big tool that covers easily.
Paint the bottom of the paper plate with the yellow paint too. Let dry.
Cut out the stem and petals
Add glue to the center of the paper plate. More is better so this is a great time to have your child control the glue.
Add the rice. My son added a few at first then dumped the whole dish on. Let dry. This actually dried to the touch pretty fast.
Flip the plate upside down and using the double stick tape to tape the petals on.
Tape the stem on.
Brighten even the darkest day!

Books!

“The Tiny Seed” by Eric Carle is a story about a tiny seed who unlike the other seeds from his flower makes it against all odds to continue the cycle of life. I really enjoy this book and love how it shows all the obstacles along the way for a simple little seed. My son liked this book but didn’t make it all the way through, which I expected since it is a long book for a 2-year-old.

“Planting A Rainbow” by Lois Elhert is a wonderful book to use for teaching about flowers and colors. The illustrations are bold and bright, perfect for little curious minds. I have always liked this book because you can sit down and dive into it reading each flowers name on every page, or browse it more casually with a younger child simply noting the colors.

Additional Activity

“Grow Little Seed!”

I love teaching through acting things out and just like all the classes I have had my son loves it too. For this theme, we started as little “ta ta tiny!” seeds deep in the dirt. Then it rained and we started growing roots (ours looked a lot like jazz hands) and then started to push through the dirt to the sunlight. Then the sun was bright and strong and we grew and grew, and finally blossomed. With older children, I would have gone into more detail, maybe include a strong wind blowing us to and fro, sprouting leaves etc…However you do it, go big, take your children’s suggestions and have fun!

How do you brighten up your day? Do you have a sunflower craft that you like to do? Comment below, or share on my Facebook page!

For more quick tips on helping your child learn to read check out my book; Raising A Rock-Star Reader. It is packed with fun ideas for families, book lists, and advice for parents.