Arts & crafts with dandelions

Arts & crafts with dandelions

As I was sitting in my backyard this week, admiring all the yellow flowers growing here and there, I came up with craft ideas to put dandelions to good use. I am constantly looking for new activities...so why not? After all, dandelions are readily available during spring and summer. What's more, children love picking them and using them to create decorative bouquets. Here are a few different suggestions.

To begin, provide scissors children can use to cut the dandelion stems. This simple activity will provide children with the opportunity to work on their cutting skills. No one ever said they had to learn to cut using only the traditional paper-scissors duo.

The sun

Glue the flower end of several dandelions in a circle on white cardboard or construction paper to represent a sun. Use flowers or flowers with the stems attached to add the sun's rays. You may also use flowers to add eyes, a nose, and a mouth as shown below.

Stamps

Pour poster paint in a plate. Show children how they can hold a dandelion by the stem and dip the flower end in paint before stamping it on a piece of dark paper. The colourful result will be quite pretty!

Three-dimensional bouquet

Draw a square on a piece of cardboard and have children cut it out. It will become a vase. Glue the vase at the bottom of a large piece of paper. Keep the flower end only of a dandelion (remove the stem). Glue the flower on the piece of paper, above the vase. Have children draw a vertical line linking the flower to the vase (stem). Repeat to represent a bouquet.

Reproducing a model

Use a dandelion flower. Set it on a piece of paper and have children trace its contour with a pencil. When they are done, have them set the flower next to the piece of paper so they can use it as a model. Let them color the dandelion to make it look exactly like the model. The actual flower can be glued next to the dandelion children traced and colored.

Dandelion centrepiece

To make a simple dandelion centrepiece, fill a clear glass or plastic container with water. Pick dandelions with your group, remove the stems, and drop the flowers in the vase. They will float on the water. Your dandelion centrepiece will last a few days.

Have fun!

Maude Dubé, Specialized educator