Ingredients:
- Flowers
- Parchment paper
- Heavy books
- Construction paper
- Tape or glue stick
Recipe for Fun!
Picking and pressing beautiful flowers is not only fun, but also gives you the chance to decorate your home. Depending upon your child’s age, this is something your child can do alone, with friends or as a family together.
STEP 1: Go out to your backyard or take a walk to a nearby park and have your child pick a variety of flowers. (Option: Purchase wildflowers from a local nursery or farmer’s market.)
STEP 2: Help your child prepare the flowers by removing any excess or dead leaves.
STEP 3: Open a large book to the middle and place parchment paper on its pages.
STEP 4: Show your child how to place the flower face down on the parchment paper.
STEP 5: Close the first book carefully while your child chooses several other heavier books to put on top of the first book.
STEP 6: Leave the book stack completely alone for 3-4 weeks.
STEP 7: After 3–4 weeks, you will have a perfectly pressed flower. Using tape or a glue stick, have your child delicately attach the flowers to the construction paper to create their own work of art.
BONUS: This play activity may also encourage kids to take a more active interest in all things botanical – giving them an appreciation for the natural world.
Benefits of Play: Creative, Social, Emotional