Children learn best when they are doing, seeing, touching, and just experiencing. So, it’s important that they understand the elements that make up a plant before moving toward outdoor gardening. How can you achieve this? Allow them to have fun and create!
Below is a fun and easy to create paper plant idea that will help children understand a plant’s structure and what aspects are needed to achieve plant growth.
Gathering materials
The convenience of this paper plant craft is that it’s easy to make and affordable, and you’re likely to find some of the materials around the house. Therefore, before heading to the teacher store, it’s a good idea to contact your student’s parents through Child Journal so you can share the supply list with them and have them bring any materials they are no longer using at home. Your parents will potentially thank you for helping to clear their cluttered cabinets, and it will save you a few bucks by only buying what you need. See the full list of materials below
1. Yellow, blue, and green construction paper
2. Glue
3. Tape
4. Scissors
5. Green straws (for stem)
6. Muffin cup liners (for flower)
7. Black or Brown markers (for drawing roots)
Creating the plant
Start by creating circles on the yellow construction paper to resemble the sun and then draw leaves on the green paper. You can have these ready for the children to cut, or you can cut them beforehand to keep the activity short and interesting to the kids.
Next, locate the blue construction paper and turn it vertically. Draw a horizontal line on the bottom of the construction paper (about 3 inches above the bottom of the paper). Poke a hole in the center of the newly drawn line and have the kids insert the green straw to resemble the stem. Then, tape the top tip of the straw so that it could hold in place.
Now, locate the muffin cup liners and let the children cut between them so that the cups could resemble petals. Make sure the children are using safety scissors, if you’re going to need help obtaining ouch-free scissors, message the parents through Child Journal and have them bring kid-friendly scissors to make the activity possible.
Next, Let the children paste the flowers on the top tip of the straw/stem and leaves on the sides of the straw/stem. They should also paste the sun on the top of the blue paper next to the flower. When they are finished, you can have them draw roots on the plant's bottom with a brown or black marker, and label each part.
Discussing the parts of a plant
Remember to discuss each plant part amid the activity so the kids can understand its structure and have them repeat the name of each plant part after you as you point them out. Talk about how the sun plays a role in the life of the plant. The kids should understand that most plants thrive under the sun and should be cared for regularly with sufficient water and light. Explain the role of the leaves and how they convert sunlight into food for the plant. Ensure that they also understand the role of the plant's roots and how they are vital for the absorption of water and minerals from the soil. The children should know that the roots also help the stem remain steady so that the plant doesn’t fall over.
Finally, photograph the activity and share it with the parents using Child Journal. They’ll enjoy seeing the outcome of their kid’s creation and how they used some of the supplies they brought.
Need a visual of the activity? Click the link here: