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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
- 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.
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
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.
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.
Have your child place the labels next to the flowers.
Next take different Dandelions in different stages and have your child place them in the order of the life cycle.
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.
Explore the seeds and talk about how they are dispersed by the wind to restart the cycle all over.
In addition, you’ll love these free dandelion notebooking pages.
I’ve created 3 notebooking pages. However, I included two sets of each one.
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.
Boil 1 cup of water.
Add 2-3 tablespoons of dandelion flowers and allow it to steep for 10 minutes.
Strain out flower petals.
Stir in honey or other sweetener to desired sweetness.
Enjoy!
How to Get the Free Dandelion Notebooking Pages
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