a lesson on giving : marigolds

this week in home school our science lessons have been about the parts of plants and seeds. we have scavenged our yard looking for flowers and remaining garden goods to dissect. eleanor is so sweet galloping around the yard, pulling things from the dirt and yelling, "mama! how about this?!" well, during our plant and seed study, eleanor decided to pull up the rest of our marigolds and bring them inside. she dumped her basket on the table and started dissecting each one to look for their seeds. we had the idea to make seed packets for friends. she loves making things for her family and is always looking for a good excuse to get the glue and scissors out. this is an easy activity to do with your little ones. i love it because it teaches the art of giving and that is a wonderful thing for our babies to learn.

step one: grab a small basket and send your little one on a hunt for marigolds.

step two: once they have come inside and dumped their flowery goods, pick out the flowers that have dried and pull them apart. these are the seeds to use. if the flowers haven't dried yet, just sit them aside until they have lost their moisture.

step three: find an old seed packet to use as a template. carefully take it apart and trace on any paper you chose. if your child is able, have him or her do the tracing and cutting! of course for our tots you will need safety scissors!

step four: fold into place and glue. we used elmers rubber cement. it is easy enough for eleanor to use, but it can be quite messy!

step five: have your little one draw a picture of a marigold and sign their name! now you can stuff your packet with seeds (about three flowers worth is what we used) and seal. voila!

step six: the best part!  now you can have him or her hand them out or mail to a distance friend or relative! enjoy!