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Sunflower preschool art lesson
As we read and studied our way through the United States geography, we reached Kansas and I thought of two things: Wizard of Oz and sunflowers. As a kid when I stopped at the Kansas Welcome Center they gave me a package of sunflower seeds. These would sit in our car and we’d have fun looking at them, and we would stop and get sunflower seeds to eat. Fast forward a few years or so and I’m preparing for a sunflower preschool lesson with my kids and I remembered Van Gogh’s painting. So for this book and activity-inspired geography lesson, we’re making sunflower artwork.
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Starting with the boring part of the sunflower preschool lesson
I found this super cool site with some sunflower ideas and used their sunflower life cycle page as part of our Kansas study after reading. First, we read about how they grew from Sunflowers: First Step Nonfiction. I have to say this is my favorite book about plants so far because it had great pictures and a great explanation of how plants grew.
Now to the fun part of our sunflower preschool lesson
We read Sunflower House by Eve Bunting, I love her books, she can write about so many different topics well. Then Mortimer’s First Garden, which is a great book. Karma Wilson is amazing. The kids super loved it.
Then I made this fingerpaint recipe from Pocketful of Posies, and she’s right it makes A LOT. So, now I have a whole tub full of finger paint waiting to be turned into different colors.
Side note, if you are completing this lesson with older kids, then you might try these paper plate flowers.
At first, I was very strict on the whole you must paint a sunflower. That was their first index card (and let me just say I’m loving this whole index card art, it’s a great size for displaying and keeping in lapbooks and such, and it’s not overwhelming for when they don’t feel like painting).
After the first one, they just had at it, and I added in a few more colors. I’m looking forward to when we try this again.
More book inspired activities
Comments
14 responses to “Sunflower preschool art lesson”
I like the idea of index card art. I wonder what my kids would think of it. I'll have to try it. The sunflowers came out great!!!
Their sunflowers are so cute!
Oh, I like the idea of index card art too – sounds like just the right size for daughter 🙂 So he drew the first sunflower in the set of three?
I still haven't tried to make homemade finger paint. Sounds like a good project next time we have a free day! Your sunflowers are very nice.
There is an explosion of Kansas going on right now! That's what we are doing…along with like 3 other blogs.
I'm doing Wizard of Oz, tornadoes, buffalo, sunflowers, and meadowlark. Maybe a couple of other things thrown in, with all of the ideas that I am sure to get along the way 🙂
Index card art sounds like fun, I'm not sure my daughter is ready to keep herself contained to that small a space yet
I never thought about using index cards. That would make a fun collection. They turned out nice.
I'm so glad that the finger paint recipe worked out for you. I love the idea of using index cards. What a great size. I will have to try that.
Also, I really like your blog layout. I am not sure when you did it, but I haven't been here in a while.
Great painting! I love the colors you put together for them.
ha – what are we doing the same cirriculum? We did birds @ the sametime & now sunflowers! we are growing sunflowers – our post will be up soon. It's so funny! nice job! great minds think alike! 🙂
Pretty pictures! I love the colors.
What lovely sunflowers!
I hadn't seen your index card idea before – brilliant – we are currently collecting our art for a calendar to give to grandparents at the end of the year – your index cards would be a GREAT size for this.
But I could also imagine my son enjoy “the pocket sized” paintings and not wanting to part with them!
Thanks for linking up!
Maggy
This makes me wanna say,
“There's no place like home, there's no place like home…”Never thought of doing art on index cards but you are so right that it is the perfect size.
Stopping by from JDaniel4's link.[…] finger paint- this like it says is intended to be painted with fingers, it spread easier to my mind and to me feels slightly slimy, it doesn’t seem to stick to you as much as tempara paint does, it washes off your hands easier. You’re supposed to use special finger paint paper, but in reality I don’t think everyone does. My kids don’t really like it all that much because of the sensory feeling of it on their fingers. I also wrote about a homemade finger paint recipe. […]
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