• Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Tina's Dynamic Homeschool Plus

Activity, Change, Progress

  • HOME
  • How to
    • Preschool
    • Kindergarten
    • Middle School
    • High School
  • Planner
  • Lapbooks
    • Trioramas
    • History Games
  • Shop
  • GET STARTED NOW!
    • Learning Styles
  • 7 Step Planner
    • DIY Best Student Planner
    • Free & Easy DIY Home Management Binder
  • Unit Studies
    • Creation to Ancients
    • Middle Ages to Reform
    • Exploring to Revolution
    • World Wars to Today
    • Science
    • Free Art Curriculum Grades 1 – 8
  • Curriculum
    • More Unit Studies
    • Geography
    • Writing PreK to 12th
    • Geronimo Stilton
  • BootCamp
    • Resources
      • Dynamic Subscriber Freebies
      • Exclusive Subscribers Library
      • Ultimate Unit Study Planner

dandelion

Art of Foraging | How to Make A Dandelion Kids Activity Soap

May 29, 2024 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

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.

Art of Foraging | How to Make A Dandelion Kids Activity Soap

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.

The Foraging Bible for Beginners: How to Identify, Harvest, and Prepare Healthy and Delicious Edible Wild Plants

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.

Foraging with Kids: 52 Wild and Free Edibles to Enjoy With Your Children

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.

The Forager's Harvest: A Guide to Identifying, Harvesting, and Preparing Edible Wild Plants

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.

Wildcraft! an Herbal Adventure Game/Family Game: Learn 25 Herbs

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.

Edible Wild Plants: A North American Field Guide to Over 200 Natural Foods

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

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.

(Kids Herb Book: For Children of All Ages) [By: Tierra, Lesley] [Mar, 2000]

Great for unit studies.

Herbal Adventures: Backyard Excursions and Kitchen Creations for Kids and Their Families

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.

Indian harvest: Wild food plants of America

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.

Art of Foraging | How to Make A Dandelion Kids Activity Soap

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.

Art of Foraging | How to Make A Dandelion Kids Activity Soap

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.

Art of Foraging | How to Make A Dandelion Kids Activity Soap

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
Art of Foraging | How to Make A Dandelion Kids Activity Soap

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
Art of Foraging | How to Make A Dandelion Kids Activity Soap

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.

Art of Foraging | How to Make A Dandelion Kids Activity Soap

Add the dried flowers to a mason jar.

Start with the mild unscented oil like fractionated, coconut oil, castor, oil, or light olive oil.

Art of Foraging | How to Make A Dandelion Kids Activity Soap

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.

Art of Foraging | How to Make A Dandelion Kids Activity Soap

Once melted, stir in dandelion oil and essential oil if you are using it.

Art of Foraging | How to Make A Dandelion Kids Activity Soap

Carefully pour the mixture into your molds, filling, not quite to the top rim.

Art of Foraging | How to Make A Dandelion Kids Activity Soap

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.

Art of Foraging | How to Make A Dandelion Kids Activity Soap

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Hands-On Activities Tagged With: dandelion, earth science, earthscience, foraging, hands-on, hands-on activities, handson, handsonhomeschooling, science, soap

Fun Kids Dandelion Flower Unit Study and Easy Tea Recipe & Notebooking Pages

June 8, 2023 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Dandelions are a wonderful choice for a flower unit study. Also, grab more ideas on my best homeschool unit studies pages and Free Wildflowers Unit Study & Lapbook.

They have an obvious and easy to follow life cycle.

And you can usually observe all of them at the same time if you find a sizable patch.

Fun Kids Dandelion Flower Unit Study and Easy Tea Recipe & Notebooking Pages

There are so many activities, art projects, and even recipes that you can try to fill out your study.

Books, facts, and activities are already gathered for you to make your work easier.

I also have some ideas for investigating dandelions, their life cycles, and a yummy recipe for dandelion tea that will delight both you and your child with its light unique flavor.

Dandelion Flower Unit Study Facts

  • Dandelion seeds can float, thanks to the wind, up to 5 miles away from their start point.
  • The word dandelion comes from the French- “dent de lion,” which is “lion’s tooth.”
  • Dandelion flowers open in the morning and close in the evening.
  • They are wildflowers.
  • Though many think so, dandelions are not weeds, they are a member of the sunflower family.
  • Every part of the dandelion is edible from the roots to the bright yellow flowers.
  • Dandelions are from the Taraxacum genus, and there are about 250 different species of dandelions.
  • A dandelion is a perennial plant.
  • You can find dandelions in meadows, in cracks of sidewalks, and along roadsides.
  • The leaves of dandelions are long and deeply toothed.
  • In some places of the United States, they are considered a pesky weed and in other places they are welcomed in the garden.

All over the world, wherever dandelions grow, children love to blow the fluffy white, airborne seeds into the air to predict the number of one’s future children by counting the seeds.

In addition, add some of these books.

Dandelion Flower Unit Study Resources

Picture books are a great way to learn and this nature study idea is no different.

The Dandelion Seed: A Life Cycle Nature Book for Kids (Plants For Children

Follow the journey of a tiny dandelion seed who was afraid to let go. With a poignant, simple storytelling and gorgeous artwork, this best-selling picture book introduces plant life cycles while reminding us to let go and embrace change. A great graduation gift.

One tiny dandelion seed wants to hold onto its dandelion home, until the winter wind carries it away. The seed worries it won't be able to find its place in such a vast and frightening world. But everything is much more beautiful than it ever thought, and perhaps finding a new home isn't such a bad thing after all.

A Seed Is Sleepy: (Nature Books for Kids

Part of the incredible six-book Nature Books series from artist Sylvia Long and author Dianna Hutts Aston, A Seed is Sleepy introduces children to a fascinating array of seed and plant facts.

Why Dandelions Grow

A rhyming story about the connection between dandelions, love, children, and God; explaining why God created dandelions to be bright, colorful, tenacious, full of love, and fun.

Little Dandelion Seeds the World

Did you know dandelions thrive on all seven continents? The cheery blooms are among the most resilient and adaptable in the world. In this lyrical book, learn how the crafty plant travels on the wind and hitches rides in all manner of ways in order to spread far and wide. Includes a map and backmatter on dandelions.

Dandelions (First Step Nonfiction ― Plant Life Cycles)

Get a close-up view of the life of a dandelion.

Also, look at some of these fun activities.

Dandelion Flower Unit Study Hands-On Activities

  • Head out and gather as many Dandelions as you can find to observe and study.
  • Paint a dandelion with watercolors.
Fun Kids Dandelion Flower Unit Study and Easy Tea Recipe & Notebooking Pages
  • Make Dandelion Playdough, then use the playdough to spell out vocabulary words, roll into balls to use as math manipulatives, or just enjoy the natural play dough.
  • Try the Dipping Dandelion STEM Challenge.
  • Make a Dandelion Crown to wear while you learn all about them.
  • Preserve Dandelion Seeds forever with Everlasting Dandelion Clocks.
  • Plant your own Dandelion Seeds to make teas, tinctures, slaves, and more.
  • Hang a Dandelion Botanical Print as you enjoy your study for art inspiration.
  • Work on fine motor skills with Dandelion Threading.
  • Paint with dandelions for a fresh new art project.
  • These Felt Dandelions will never blow away.
  • Create a Dandelion card to bring some sunshine to a friend.
Fun Kids Dandelion Flower Unit Study and Easy Tea Recipe & Notebooking Pages

Moreover, make and sip on dandelion tea while you read aloud from one of the dandelion stories suggested above.

More Flower Unit Study Activities

Additionally, look at some of these other flower unit ideas.

  • Facts About Wildflowers And a Fun Felt Texas Bluebonnet Craft
  • How to Make Fun Pinecone Flowers
  • Free Wildflowers Unit Study & Lapbook
  • How to Easily Make a Simple and Fun Kids DIY Flower Press
  • Fun Kids Activity How to Make Wildflower Seed Bombs
  • Hands-On Mixed Media Flower Art Fun Nature Study
  • Celebrate Arbor Day With A Fun Flowering Cherry Tree Activity

Flower Vocabulary

Add some of these vocabulary words to your study.

  • pollen – A fine powdery substance, typically yellow, consisting of microscopic grains discharged from the male part of a flower or from a male cone.
  • anther – The part of the stamen where pollen is produced.
  • stigma – The part of the pistil where pollen germinates.
  • ovary – The enlarged portion of the pistil where ovules are produced.
  • flower head – A compact mass of flowers at the top of a stem,
  • stamen – The male fertilizing organ of a flower, typically consisting of a pollen-containing anther and a filament.
  • pistil – The female organs of a flower, comprising the stigma, style, and ovary.
  • style –  This is the name for the stalk of the pistil.

Then here are more homeschool unit studies.

More Best Homeschool Unit Studies

  • France Unit Study and Make Easy French Bread
  • Free Greek Mythology Unit Study and Greece Lapbook & Fun Hands on LEGO Zeus
  • How Do Sharks Float STEM Activity Free Shark Unit Study & Notebooking Pages
  • Free Homeschool Chicken Unit Study and Anatomy of an Egg Felt Activity & Worksheet
  • How to Incorporate Subjects into a Fun Homeschool Cooking Unit Study
  • Volcano Unit Study and Fun Apple Volcano
  • Solar System Unit Study and Hands-on Planets Activity
  • Charlotte’s Web Homeschool Unit Study and Fun Hands-on Ideas
  • Homeschool Unit Study Ideas | Lewis and Clark Exploration Lapbook
  • Mushroom Unit Study and Kids Learning Activities
  • Little House on The Prairie Unit Study and Fun Punched Tin Lantern
Fun Kids Dandelion Flower Unit Study and Easy Tea Recipe & Notebooking Pages

Too, do a flower unit investigation.

Flower Unit Study Investigation

Carefully pull up an entire dandelion plant from the root up, you may want to take a trowel with you to be sure that you are able to get everything. 

Try to get a plant that includes a flower, buds, and a seed head.

Wash away the dirt and pat dry.

Lay the plant on a piece of paper. If you are missing sections of the plant like buds or seed heads you can add them to the bunch now.

Fun Kids Dandelion Flower Unit Study and Easy Tea Recipe & Notebooking Pages

Write out each part of the plant you want your child to identify (or they can do that part as well)

For younger children you may just choose to do flowers, seeds, roots, leaves, stem.

Older children may label every part of the plant including the various stages of the life cycle.

Fun Kids Dandelion Flower Unit Study and Easy Tea Recipe & Noteboooking Pages

Have your child place the labels next to the flowers.

Fun Kids Dandelion Flower Unit Study and Easy Tea Recipe & Notebooking Pages

Next take different Dandelions in different stages and have your child place them in the order of the life cycle.

Fun Kids Dandelion Flower Unit Study and Easy Tea Recipe & Notebooking Pages

Now add a magnifying glass and tweezers and encourage them to take apart the flowers, look at them closer, and investigate it well from leaves to flowers.

Fun Kids Dandelion Flower Unit Study and Easy Tea Recipe & Notebooking Pages

Explore the seeds and talk about how they are dispersed by the wind to restart the cycle all over.

Fun Kids Dandelion Flower Unit Study and Easy Tea Recipe & Notebooking Pages

In addition, you’ll love these free dandelion notebooking pages.

I’ve created 3 notebooking pages. However, I included two sets of each one.

Fun Kids Dandelion Flower Unit Study and Easy Tea Recipe & Notebooking Pages

One set is blank so that your student can add his own ideas about the topics.

And the second set has a few facts added. Sometimes you need a reference for younger children, or some children are reluctant writers.

Moreover, you decide which set each student gets.

Lastly, the topics on each page are:

  • List other names of dandelions.
  • Describe a dandelion.
  • Which parts of the dandelion are useful?
  • Eating a dandelion.
  • Name and learn the 5 life cycle stages of a dandelion.

How to Make Dandelion Tea

Finally, look how to make dandelion teas.

The most important part of this recipe is that you collect flowers from an area that you know has not been sprayed with any kind of chemicals.

You will need:

  • Dandelions
  • Water
  • Honey or another sweetener

Gather a bunch of dandelion flower heads.

Rinse them all well.

Pull the yellow petals off, while the green won’t hurt you it can make your tea bitter.

Fun Kids Dandelion Flower Unit Study and Easy Tea Recipe & Notebooking Pages

Boil 1 cup of water.

Fun Kids Dandelion Flower Unit Study and Easy Tea Recipe & Notebooking Pages

Add 2-3 tablespoons of dandelion flowers and allow it to steep for 10 minutes.

Fun Kids Dandelion Flower Unit Study and Easy Tea Recipe & Notebooking Pages

Strain out flower petals.

Fun Kids Dandelion Flower Unit Study and Easy Tea Recipe & Notebooking Pages

Stir in honey or other sweetener to desired sweetness.

Enjoy!

Fun Kids Dandelion Flower Unit Study and Easy Tea Recipe & Notebooking Pages

How to Get the Free Dandelion Notebooking Pages

Now, how to grab the free dandelion notebooking pages. This is a subscriber freebie.

Fun Kids Dandelion Flower Unit Study and Easy Tea Recipe & Notebooking Pages

I like to keep up to date with what is valuable to you so I can give you more, some freebies you must sign up again on the form below even if you are already a follower.

And it’s the only way I have of freely delivering them to you. Just follow the steps below.

 1) Sign up on my list.
2) Grab the freebie now.
3) Last, look for all my emails in your inbox. Glad to have you following me!
 

Leave a CommentFiled Under: Hands-On Activities Tagged With: dandelion, earth science, earthscience, elementary science, flowers, hands-on, hands-on activities, handsonhomeschooling, life science, science, unit studies, unit study

Primary Sidebar

Footer

Privacy Policy | About Me | Reviews | Contact | Advertise

Categories

Archives

Tina Robertson is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Copyright © 2025 · 5 TNT LLC · Log in · Privacy Policy