Flower Crafts for Kids

Drying flowers preserves the beauty of flowers, although the scent won't remain. Dried flowers also preserve memories and are a reminder of spring during the colder months. Even fragile types of flowers can be dried to enjoy for years. What You'll Need:

How To Dry Flowers:

Step 1: Cut the flowers early in the day, after the dew has dried.

Step 2: Pour a layer of sand into a box.

Step 3: Lay your flowers on the sand with at least an inch of space between them. Gently spoon more sand over the flowers, making sure it gets between petals, until the flowers are covered. If the box is deep enough, you can add another layer of flowers.

If the flowers are delicate, find a box deep enough for them to stand upright in. Pour a layer of sand on the bottom and stick the flower stems into it. Carefully pour more sand around the flowers until they are covered.

Step 4: Leave the box alone for at least two weeks. At the end of that time, carefully pour out some of the sand and check your flowers for dryness.

Larger flowers will take more time to dry than smaller ones.

On the next page, learn how to make flowers in a bottle, similar to a ship in a bottle.

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For more outdoor activities or nature crafts for kids, see:

Flower bottles make great gifts for anyone who likes dried flowers. A flower bottle is similar to a ship in a bottle but even prettier. The bottle will protect the flowers for years to come. What You'll Need:

How To Make Flower Bottles:

Step 1: Collect bottles, such as salad dressing or vinegar bottles. (Keep in mind, little fingers may work better using wide-mouthed jars. If necessary, use peanut butter or canning jars instead.) Clean and dry the bottles and remove labels. You can also buy attractive bottles at a crafts store.

Step 2: Now collect small flowers, seed pods, and seed heads. Keep the size of your bottles in mind as you collect your flowers.

Step 3: Dry your flowers, seed pods, and seed heads.

Step 4: Cut the stems to different lengths to form a pleasing arrangement.

Step 5: Mix two parts clean sand with one part plaster of Paris. Add enough water to make a thick liquid. Pour one or two inches of the mixture into the bottle.

Step 6: Stick the stems inside the bottle into the sand mixture using the tweezers to help you.

Step 7: Allow the sand mixture to dry. Close the bottle with a cork.

You can also make small dried flower scenes by using low, wide jars instead of bottles. Add small figurines or polished rocks and decorate the lid of the jar.

On the next page, find out about some real stranger-than-fiction flowers, and make your own crazy flower.

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For more outdoor activities or nature crafts for kids, see:

Invent a flower by combining parts of other flowers. Try to create a flower that's stranger than the carrion flower or more unique than the bee flower. To find out what those flowers are like, keep reading and be inspired!What You'll Need:

How To Invent a Flower:

Can you guess just how big the world's biggest flowers are? Well, they're called rafflesia and they can be as much as three feet wide and weigh as much as 15 pounds. They have almost no leaves and no stems -- they're all flower! You've probably never seen one, since they only grow in the rain forests of Indonesia.

Other unusual flowers include the bee flower, which looks so much like a bee that real bees get confused. And there's actually a flower called the carrion flower ("carrion" means dead flesh) that looks and smells like dead meat.

What wild kinds of flowers can you come up with? Find out by inventing a flower. Gather parts of different flowers and plants: leaves, stems, flowers, seeds, etc. Or, cut out plant and flower parts from pictures in old magazines. Glue the parts together on a piece of cardboard or poster board to make a crazy new flower. On the next page, learn how to make potpourri using flowers from your own garden.

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For more outdoor activities or nature crafts for kids, see:

Potpourri -- a mixture of dried flowers and herbs -- has been used for centuries to sweeten a home with soft scents. However, potpourri is lovely to look at, too. Follow our instructions to make your own potpourri and a pretty container for it.

What You'll Need:

How To Make Potpourri:

Step 1: Gather sweet-scented garden flowers early in the day after the dew has dried.

Step 2: Pick the petals off larger flowers, pick leaves off herbs, and spread the petals and leaves out to dry on paper towels. Smaller flowers may be dried whole. You can also cut the flower spikes from herbs such as lavender and dry them whole. Experiment to see which flowers keep their scent after drying. You may want to dry petals of colorful but unscented flowers to add color to your potpourri.

Step 3: Blend your herbs and flowers together to make a pleasing scent. You can add spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, or bay leaves. Try some of the following mixes, or make up your own combinations.

Step 4: Put your mixture (called "potpourri") into glass containers with lids and decorate with ribbons. To make sachets: Cut circles of fabric. Place a few spoonfuls of potpourri in the middle of the circle. Draw the fabric in over the potpourri and tie the bundle with ribbon.

On the next page, learn how to cut, plant, and grow wildflowers at home.

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For more outdoor activities or nature crafts for kids, see:

Tame the wildflowers! They're called wildflowers, of course, because they grow wild. But you can also grow wildflowers in your garden. Wildflowers are hardy plants that are used to growing and blooming without a lot of pampering. You may be able to buy wildflower seeds, or you can collect them in nature. (First check to see if there are laws in your area about harvesting wildflower seeds.)

What You'll Need:

How To Tame Wildflowers:Step 1: Pay attention to what wildflowers grow in your area. You'll often see them in parks and meadows and along roadsides. Of course, they're most noticeable when they're blooming. Different wildflowers bloom at different times, from spring through summer and into fall.

Step 2: When you see a type of wildflower that you like, watch it closely. The seed heads of most wildflowers are ready to pick three or four weeks after they bloom.

Step 3: Use a small garden clipper to clip off the seed heads, including the stems. Put them in a small paper bag or envelope and store them at room temperature in a dry place. Only take a few seed heads in any area. That way, you'll leave plenty of seeds for nature to grow next year's wild crop. And, of course, if you're on private property, get permission first.

Step 4: In most cases, you'll plant the seeds in late summer or early fall. Wildflowers like lots of sunlight. Plant them in broken up soil, and be sure the seeds are covered with soil. Otherwise, they'll become bird seed!

Step 5: Water the seeds well when you first plant them. If it doesn't rain, keep the seeds watered. The following spring, you'll have "tame" wildflowers.

On the next page, find out what your official state flower is and how to grow it.

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Stately flowers are lovely flowers intended to symbolize a state. Each state has an official flower, usually one that grows in the state. You can grow your state's flower. Or, if you prefer another flower, don't worry! You can grow that one, too! What You'll Need:

How To Grow Your State's Flower:

Find out from the list below what your state flower is. Why do you think that flower was picked as a symbol of your state? What about other states? Do any states share the same flower? Does your town or county have its own official flower?

You can grow your state flower, either from seeds or from a seedling you buy at a nursery. Or pick another state. Maybe you want to try to grow all the states!

The following is a list of each state's flower:

Alabama: Camellia

Alaska: Forget-me-not

Arizona: Saguaro cactus blossom

Arkansas: Apple blossom

California: Golden poppy

Colorado: Rocky mountain columbine

Connecticut: Mountain laurel

Delaware: Peach blossom

District of Columbia: American beauty rose

Florida: Orange blossom

Georgia: Cherokee rose

Hawaii: Yellow hibiscus

Idaho: Syringa

Illinois: Native violet

Indiana: Peony

Iowa: Wild rose

Kansas: Native sunflower

Kentucky: Goldenrod

Louisiana: Magnolia

Maine: White pine cone and tassel

Maryland: Black-eyed susan

Massachusetts: Mayflower

Michigan: Apple blossom

Minnesota: Pink and white lady's-slipper

Mississippi: Magnolia

Missouri: Hawthorn

Montana: Bitterroot

Nebraska: Goldenrod

Nevada: Sagebrush

New Hampshire: Purple lilac

New Jersey: Purple violet

New Mexico: Yucca

New York: Rose

North Carolina: Dogwood

North Dakota: Wild prairie rose

Ohio: Scarlet carnation

Oklahoma: Mistletoe

Oregon: Oregon grape

Pennsylvania: Mountain laurel

Rhode Island: Violet

South Carolina: Yellow jessamine

South Dakota: Pasqueflower

Tennessee: Iris

Texas: Bluebonnet

Utah: Sego lily

Vermont: Red clover

Virginia: Dogwood

Washington: Western rhododendron

West Virginia: Big rhododendron

Wisconsin: Wood violet

Wyoming: Indian paintbrush

On the next page, find out how to grow an unusual type of flower -- one that only blooms at night!

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For more outdoor activities or nature crafts for kids, see:

Moonlight blooms are special, because unlike most flowers, they only bloom at night. Night-blooming plants are pollinated by night-flying moths, and they smell great. You can plant your own moonlight blooms to enjoy in the evening hours. What You'll Need:

How To Plant Moonlight Blooms:

In late spring, plant some night-blooming flowers such as the ones listed below. Or ask at a plant nursery for the names of other night bloomers that grow in your area. You can grow the flowers from seeds or from seedlings. Plant them in the ground or in pots. Either way, plant them in a place where you'll be able to enjoy their sweet scents.

The following flowers bloom at night:

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