Last month, the kids helped us plant flowers around the deck and in a large pot. The flowers in the pot started as seeds that the girls help me sprinkle and cover. For the flowers around our deck, the kids went to the local greenhouse with me and selected their favorites. The girls helped me prepare the bed and plant the flowers.
Since, they have both been little sponges, seeking new information about flowers.
Today we did an activity to build on their knowledge of colors and flowers. Just like I mentioned in my last post, an activity can be the bare minimum and still be beneficial, but there are several ways to be intentional with your activities.
Our supplies were two pieces of white card stock, tape, red/orange/yellow/green/blue/purple paint swatches from Lowes, two flower focused magazines, scissors, a 2.5 in circle punch, and a black, fine tip Sharpie.
I attached the paint swatches (in rainbow order) to the top of the card stock pieces. Then the girls got to work finding flowers to sort. When they were done, I wrote the names of the flowers/plants. . . at least the names I could find. My clean up crew was quick to throw away their scraps!
So what are all of the benefits of this activity? How can we elevate the activity to make it more beneficial?
Flowers- As the girls cut their flowers/plants, I did my best to read the name aloud. Some of the flowers and plants had a blurb about them. Some were perennials, some were annuals. Some were better for birds, some where better for butterflies. It was a great way to build schema. Want to learn more about schema? Check out this article written by Paul Cline.
Sorting- This was a pretty easy sort for my girls, but sorting and classifying helps children building thinking skills.
Color- My girls already know all of their colors, but it was interesting to see my oldest’s confusion when she found a pink flower. It gave me a chance to expand upon her knowledge of color in an organic way. I explained that pink is light red. If we had a paint set, we could start with a blob of red and add white until we got pink. That makes pink a tint of red. In the same way, we could make shades of red by adding darker colors.
Motor Skills- The girls had to flip pages, maneuver scissors, press the circle punch, and stick the circles to the card stock. Lots of fine motor movements there.
Social Skills- While completing this activity, the girls had to take turns with the magazines, scissors, and circle punch. Once all of their pieces were cut, they had to work together to sort the flowers into the correct categories.
Life Skills- Just like with any activity, this one required clean up. The girls were responsible for making sure their scraps ended up in the trash.
Differentiation/Choice: This was my favorite part of the whole activity. I intended on my oldest to use the scissors since she is headed to kindergarten next year. My younger daughter has fine motor challenges and is unable to efficiently use scissors, so I anticipated her using the circle punch.
And when I provided the materials, my oldest grabbed the scissors and my younger daughter waited for her turn to use them. Ellis quickly learned that she was not going to be able to continue using the scissors and opted for the circle punch. After seeing how much “fun” the circle punch was, Emmy started using it too.
Giving children many choices and allowing them to pick freely- chef’s kiss!
