Monday, May 27, 2013

5 Ways To Have Fun With Dandelions



dandelion Collage

Spring weather is finally here for us and the girls have been having fun with the plethora of dandelions they are finding in our yard and around the neighborhood.

I'm certain this list could easily turn into a 100 but for today we'd like to share 5 of the ways we've been having fun with dandelions.


1. Make Wishes- Really, how much does this scream childhood! Kids love to pick wispy dandelions and blow wishes. They love it even more if you do it with them. We had fun asking how many wishes they each made and how many seeds do they think they blew away.

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2. Make a bouquet- Often it's the simple things that are the most fun! My girls had a blast walking around the yard and creating their own dandelion bouquets. After they create their bouquets it's a nice touch to add them to vases and use the as centerpiece for a meal time.

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3. Observe them with a magnify glass- This is a great way to discuss science words like magnify, comparing and contrasting, and observing. You can also discuss parts of the flower like seed, petals, and stem. 

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4. Make An Observational Drawing- I set up an "invitation to draw" for the girls using a clipboard, paper, and oil pastels (with the dandelion colors). I encouraged them to look at the dandelions to make their drawings. Again, another opportunity to discuss the various colors and parts of a dandelion.


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5. Paint With Them- I love finding ways to connect nature with art! The girls loved using the dandelions in lieu of paintbrushes to create a mural.

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My 4 year old used it to make dandelion prints. 


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My 3 year old enjoyed using it as a brush and making stokes and circles with it. 


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There you have it! Five of the many ways to have fun with dandelions! 

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6 comments:

  1. Fun ideas and great pictures! Thanks for sharing!

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  2. This is great--thanks for posting!

    My daughter used to love to make dandelion crowns out of them. Plus if they're pesticide free, I've heard they're a good food source and an herbal remedy for various things. Haven't tried this myself yet but maybe this will be the year!

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    1. Thanks so much Elizabeth! Glad you enjoyed it. Yes, dandelion crowns are another great way to have with them!!

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  3. I love dandelions too, thanks for sharing your kid friendly ideas. You know that you can also eat them and make tea from the leaves, flowers, or roots. I make dandelion jelly out of mine. I just blogged about making dandelion jelly if you ever want to try your hand at it. The neighborhood kids beg me for jars of the stuff :)

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    1. You are very welcome Karen! No, I had no idea about eating them and making tea! Wow! I will check out your post about the jelly. Fun!!

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