Is sunflower a wildflower? Yes, they are wildflowers native to North and Central Americas as well as South America. You’ll also love my Wildflowers Unit Study.
These tall stunning flowers are the subject of famous paintings.
And used for food for both wildlife and humans, shelter and as feed for livestock.
Stroll through a wildflower unit study with books and activities.
Too, learn how to make a canning lid craft look like a beautiful sunflower.
I love using items out of craft supplies already on hand.
As you build your sunflower this is a great time to talk about the different parts with younger children- seeds, stems, petals, and the disc.
This sunflower is perfect for hanging on the wall.
Or hang it on the door or put it in a vase to show off your child’s work as they learn about the beautiful world of wildflowers.
Books About Wildflowers for Kids
Next, look at some of these books about wildflowers.
10 Wildflower Books & Resources For Kids Who Love to Read and Be Read To
Spring is especially a good time to learn about wildflowers but you can learn about them anytime. Add a few of these hands-on resources and books and you'll have a fun multiple ages unit study for your homeschooled kids.
Botanicum, is a brilliantly curated guide to plant life. With artwork from Katie Scott of Animalium fame, Botanicum gives readers the experience of a fascinating exhibition from the pages of a beautiful book. From perennials to bulbs to tropical exotica, Botanicum is a wonderful feast of botanical knowledge complete with superb cross sections of how plants work.
With this basic beginner's field guide to North American wildflowers, all who enjoy nature and the outdoors can identify common wildflowers, from backyard weeds to dainty forest blossoms. In a logical, user-friendly, highly visual format, this new title offers key facts about 160 of the most common wildflowers and weeds, coast to coast, including Canada and Alaska.
Unlike many kids games 4 and up that turn out to be too confusing for children, Wildcraft! An Herbal Adventure Game, is a fun, strategic challenge that’s also easy to follow– NO READING REQUIRED. Because our learning board games feature clear illustrations and matching icons, even younger kids will learn what the different plants look like and can be used for. It’s the perfect fun game for family game night with kids, and ideal for beginners – no prior plant knowledge necessary!
Wide Variety Of Flower Seeds: Our wildflower seeds will provide you with a vibrant selection of flowers in your garden. You will get 21 different varieties of annual seeds including Black Eyed Susans, California Bluebells, African Daisies and more.
Do you know which flower got its name from its resemblance to the sombrero? What is the species of the bluebonnet? Lot of facts about North American wildflowers in this game.
An introduction to the world of insects, caterpillars, and butterflies including identification information, educational activities, and fun facts.Invites young naturalists to spot wildlife. Safety tips are provided and interesting activities are suggested.
What do you call a garden filled with lots of flowers? A polli-nation! Nat Geo Kids is back with the newest fact- and photo-filled Ultimate Explorer Field Guide, and this one packs some real flower power! This guide to wildflowers will make kids stop and look for all kinds of blossoms blooming right under their noses. From buttercups to bladderworts, primroses to pitcher plants, kids will learn how, where, and when to spot these wildflowers in their backyard, down the street, or all over town! Jam-packed with tons of info, interactive prompts, tips for budding botanists, super stats, and jokes--it's the perfect companion for exploring the backyard or field trips, camping, or vacation. Durable and portable, it's just right for your pocket or backpack!
Did you know that wild plants are still used for food, for medicines, and as dyes? Many of the plants growing in urban areas, in woods and by the side of roads are useful as well as being pretty. Other plants have small and less obvious how many have you seen and not realized that they were flowers? This book will show you the most common wild flowers and where you are most likely to find them. A nature guide designed for elementary grades 2-3, the book includes more than 20 easy-to-do science projects.
In this warm, engaging look at the life of a great First Lady, Kathi Appelt tells the story behind Lady Bird Johnson's environmental vision. Joy Fisher Hein's colorful wildflowers burst from every page, inviting us to share in Lady Bird's love for natural beauty.
From a lonely childhood in the Piney Woods of East Texas to an exciting life in the White House, Lady Bird Johnson loved wildflowers with all her heart. They were her companions in her youth, greeting her everywhere as she explored wild forests, bayous, and hills.
Published in association with the Smithsonian Institution. What does it take to paint a wildflower that blooms for a single day in a deep forest? For Mary Vaux Walcott, it involved spending up to seventeen hours a day out of doors with her paintbox to capture the shape, movement, and colors of delicate petals and leaves.
Then, look at some of these facts about sunflowers.
And some more wildflower hands-on activity.
5 Facts About the Beautiful Sunflower
- There are around 70 different species of sunflowers with the most common being Helianthus annuus.
- Not every sunflower is yellow, there are also red and purple sunflowers of many different shades and sizes.
- While there are sunflowers that grow 12’ to 16’ there are also dwarf varieties that do not reach over 3’ tall.
- They are not just pretty. Sunflower oil is used for cooking, in beauty products as well as for its health benefits like anti-Inflammatory properties, and the ability to reduce cholesterol.
- While mature sunflowers face east, young sunflowers spend their day tracking the sun from sunrise to sunset every day and repeat this cycle until maturity. This is called ‘heliotropism’.
Look at the hands-on wildflower activities below.
Before you make your own sunflower canning lid craft check out a few more hands on ideas.
More Wildflowers Hands-on Activities
They will round out your lesson and give you a wealth of craft and activities to teach the topic in such a fun and memorable way.
- Learn more Facts About Wildflowers And a Fun Felt Texas Bluebonnet Craft to highlight the state flower of the great state of Texas.
- Recreate this beautiful DIY Wildflower Painting, I think this makes a wonderfully challenging art project for teens.
- Find out, Are Daisies Wildflowers | How to Make a Wildflower Pounding Craft using local wildflowers or those out of your own backyard.
- Make a Pressed Flower Bookmark to keep track of your pages as you enjoy a story or keep place in your book.
- Check out my Fun Kids Activity How to Make Wildflower Seed Bombs to use in your own gardens or gift them.
- Little hands will love creating a Paper Plate Sunflower Craft to learn not only about its anatomy but create a pretty craft to display.
Finally, look at how to make this fun sunflower craft.
How to Make a Sunflower Canning Lid Craft
You can use any scrap fabric you have on hand like a faded old yellow flannel or a fabric fat quarter.
I found a great selection of material at my local Dollar Tree.
You will need:
- Yellow fabric
- Burlap fabric
- buttons
- Wide mouth mason jar ring
- Wide mouth mason jar lid
- Sturdy stick
- Stuffing/cotton balls
- Hot glue gun/stick
First place a nice little mound of cotton stuffing in the center of your mason jar lid.
Leave enough space around the edges that it fits inside the ring.
Cut a piece of burlap or other fabric about 2” larger than the ring.
over the cotton stuffing, wrap around to the back of the ring and hot glue into place.
Cut your yellow fabric into strips 1”x10” long, you will need about 30 strips.
Fold a strip in half and lay it on top of the ring like this.
Pull the loose ends up and through the loop until tightened.
Repeat all the way around until it is full.
Trim the flower petals to the length you would like or leave them long and full.
You can also pull on the loose threads at the end to give it a more rustic look.
Press the lid piece into the center after adding some hot glue to the inside.
Because of the excess fabric you will have to bend it a bit to fit it back in.
Add enough glue to secure it well.
Glue brown buttons to the center for seeds.
Create leaves by tying ribbon onto a large stick.
Hot glue the stick to the back of your flower to make a stem.
Add a small loop of fabric to the top back for a hanger.
