Have you ever considered foraging for a dandelion kids activity? Also, look at my Foraging and Feasting Nature Unit Study and Lapbook.
I highly recommend foraging as an elective as well as part of your science/nature studies for everyone from preschool to high school.
You don’t have to go far to find a treasure trove of plants and flowers to forage, even as close as your own backyard.
Weeds and flowers can be used for everything from topical creams to tummy, soothing teas and soaps.
It puts a whole new spin on picking flowers for mom.
Books About Foraging for Kids
Also, add some of these books to your learning day.
They make for great unit studies.
9 Foraging & Feasting Books & Resources For Kids Who Love to Read and Be Read To
Add one or two of these books and resources to your learning day. Foraging and feasting covers many unit study topics from science and history to geography and nature study. Bring your day to life with these fun books and resources.
Whether you're a novice forager searching for a starting point or an experienced enthusiast wanting to expand your skills, this comprehensive guide has got you covered.
In today’s world of increasingly sedentary lifestyles and a growing detachment from the food that we eat, it has never been more important to encourage children to put down their screens, get outside and engage with the natural world around them. Foraging with Kids is a fun, practical book for parents to work through with their children that encourages families to interact with their environment and gain knowledge and practical understanding of the natural world through exploration and play.
A guide to 32 of the best and most common edible wild plants in North America, with detailed information on how to identify them, where they are found, how and when they are harvested, which parts are used, how they are prepared, as well as their culinary use, ecology, conservation, and cultural history.
FORAGING FUN FOR ALL - Gather the family and go on an imaginary adventure foraging plants through forests, trails, and waterfalls! Wildcraft!, one of our educational games, introduces the wonderful world of herbs to kids as young as 4 years old.
Planning an outdoor adventure? Make sure to consult this information-packed and photo-filled North American field guide—arranged by season and region—before you go! Already a huge success in previous editions, this must-have field guide now features a fresh new cover, as well as nearly 400 color photos and detailed information on more than 200 species of edible plants all across North America.
Foraging & Feasting: A Field Guide and Wild Food Cookbook by Dina Falconi and illustrated by Wendy Hollender is a truly beautiful book. It contains lavish art work and innovative recipes for those who want to eat local bounty. This wonderful volume highlights easily obtainable local foods and traditional foodways.
Great for unit studies.
Discover the flavors and uses of common wild plants with this herbalist guide featuring recipes and tips on foraging right outside your door.When we think of wild plants with medicinal or culinary benefits, we typically think of something exotic and obscure. But many of the plants growing in our own neighborhoods can be just as useful and tasty as anything sold in a health food store. In Herbal Adventures, herbalist Rachel Wolf reveals the properties and uses of ten common plants—including chickweeds, dandelions, catnip and others.
The Fascinating Story Of Early American Foods
And you can’t convince me that a bouquet of wildflowers isn’t just as beautiful as one made up of roses.
Today we’re learning about one simple flower that is typically looked at as a weed.
It can be turned into a moisturizing soap with many benefits.
The humble dandelion.
Did you know that the entire dandelion is edible?
From petals to roots, every part of this wonderful flower can be eaten.
Additionally, it can be used in everything from jelly to lotions and soaps.
We are going to use it to create a dandelion infused oil first.
Then use that oil to create a rich moisturizing soap that is great for detoxing skin, clearing up acne, cleaning out pores, and is ultra moisturizing.
Need an educational benefit for this activity?
How about life skills, math, science and nature study, and possibly even entrepreneurial experience?
Homemade soap after all is a great homemade item for homeschoolers to create and sell.
Besides that, it’s fun to do a simple project like this with your kids just for the pure fun and joy of working side by side with them.
Next, look at some facts about foraging.
What is Foraging
Foraging is the act of gathering wild food.
This is in the form of flowers, mushrooms, leaves, wild growing fruits, seeds, nuts, truffles, and herbs.
Your collection can be used for eating, creating beauty, self-care products and medicinally.
You should always take care when foraging, especially if you plan on eating what you find you want to make 100% sure that you have identified the correct plant.
A fantastic app to help identify plants is iNaturalist, just snap a pic and search.
Too, you want to collect from an area that has not been sprayed with any pesticides. Rinse your treasures when you bring them home.
Foraging Activities for Kids
- If you want to learn more about this simple flower include this Fun Kids Dandelion Flower Unit Study and Easy Tea Recipe & Notebooking Pages.
- Take a look at my Foraging and Feasting Nature Unit Study and Lapbook and get a closer look at wild foods for eating and health. In this book unit study you will learn all about living from the land, identifying plants, and ideas for cooking them
Finally, look at how to make this fun dandelion soap.
Dandelion Soap
You will need:
- Soap base-any
- Dandelion oil
- Shea butter
- Beeswax
- Silicone m old
- Optional-essential oil
To make dandelion infused oil:
- Dandelions
- Extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil
First, make dandelion infused oil.
Later, it will be added to the soap. And you can also use it for other creams or on its own.
Dry 1 ½ cups of fresh dandelions either with a dehydrator or you can lay them on a paper towel on a sunny counter or windowsill for a few days.
Add the dried flowers to a mason jar.
Start with the mild unscented oil like fractionated, coconut oil, castor, oil, or light olive oil.
Let it sit for a week at minimum, shaking several times throughout the week.
After one or two weeks strain the oil through a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth to keep all the
solid flower parts out.
Directions:
I don’t measure my pour soap precisely. I just eyeballed it.
Cut up the pieces into 1-inch cubes.
Place them in whatever mold you use to be sure that it will mostly fill.
Also, you will add a little oil to this as well.
Once you have your cubes chopped up, place them, shea butter, and beeswax in a microwave safe container.
We used a glass measuring jar.
Heat it up for one minute.
Stir and then heat in 30 second increments.
Heat in 30 second increments until the soap is completely melted.
Whisk to combine everything.
Once melted, stir in dandelion oil and essential oil if you are using it.
Carefully pour the mixture into your molds, filling, not quite to the top rim.
To remove bubbles, you can spritz it with a little spray bottle filled with rubbing alcohol. This will help the back of the bar have a smoother finished look.
Let your soap sit overnight to harden and dry out, then carefully remove it from the mold.
Store soap in a cool dry place wrapped loosely in waxed paper.
