Learn about fantastic flowers

You’ll need

Selection of different flowers
Flower seeds
Flower bulbs
Pictures of different flowers
Magnifying glass (optional)
Small mirrors (optional)
Black paper

Fantastic Flowers

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Before you begin

Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. There's also more guidance to help you carry out your risk assessment, including examples.
Make sure all young people and adults involved in the activity know how to take part safely.
Make sure you’ll have enough adult helpers. You may need some parents and carers to help.

Planning and setting up the activity

This activity involves using natural objects, such as seeds and bulbs. You’ll need to collect these before the session, such as from a local gardening centre.
Print copies of the flower pictures. Cut along the dotted line, so the pictures and flower names are separated.
You could read:
- ‘The Tiny Seed’ by Eric Carle
- ‘How Do Flowers Grow?’ by Katie Daynes
- ‘My Butterfly Bouquet’ by Nicola Davies

Run this activity

Gather everyone together. Place the seeds, bulbs and pictures of flowers in the middle of the space. You might arrange them by size, by colour or by a certain theme.
Ask if anyone knows the names of any of the flowers and see if people can match the flowers to the names. You could then tell everyone what the names are. If you want to make it more challenging, ask if anyone can match the seeds or bulbs up with the flower.
Ask everyone what they think flowers are good for. Some ideas are:
- They provide animals and insects, such as bees and butterflies, with food.
- They provide homes for lots of animals, such as insects.
- They make pollen, which animals, such as bees, can use to make other foods, such as honey.
- Some plants provide us with food, such as tomatoes or strawberries.
- They help absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen, which animals and people need to live.
- They help to improve air quality.
- Their roots stop soil being eroded (wear away) by rain and wind.
Now, let the group explore the natural items, such as the textures, colours, shapes and smells. You could use magnifying glasses to help explore the flowers too.
When everyone’s finished, tell everyone they’re going to make some art with the bulbs and seeds. Give everyone some black card, then let them arrange the seeds. They could make a pattern or a picture, such as of their favourite flower. People could work in groups or with a friend. They don’t need to glue them down, but they can arrange them as they like and move them around plenty of times. When everyone's finished, you could take a photo of everyone’s work too.
If you don’t have enough seeds, instead let people create a picture or piece of artwork of their favourite flower using craft materials, such as paints, felt tips, card, collaging, stickers, pom poms, pipe cleaners and so on.
Once everyone’s finished, ask people to move around the space or gather back in a circle and look at each other’s art.
You could then plant the bulbs or seeds for people to take home and grow.
You may want to choose one of the flowers to learn more about. You could go on a scavenger hunt to try to spot those flowers, visit a local garden, or plant their seeds in pots. For example, if you wanted to find out more about bluebells, some facts are:
- You can make glue from bluebell bulbs.
- There are native and non-native species of bluebells.
- Bluebells can be used to make special medicines by scientists.
- Bluebells are poisonous, so we can’t eat them.

Reflection

This activity was all about flowers. What was it like to explore the flowers? What did you think about the different flower petals, textures, colours and smells?

We learned about lots of flowers. Which flowers did you know before the session? And which ones hadn’t you heard of before? Can you remember why flowers are good for the planet? What can we do to help look after flowers? We need to water them, we can grow them, and we need to remember not to pick them, as they’ve got an important job to do, and insects need them.

You also got to explore the seeds and bulbs. What do you think about the seeds and bulbs? Are they what you expected? What picture did you make? Is there anything else you’d want to know about flowers?

Safety

All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always get approval for the activity, and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.

Scissors: Supervise young people appropriately when they’re using scissors. Store all sharp objects securely, out of the reach of young people.
Sharp objects: Teach young people how to use sharp objects safely. Supervise them appropriately throughout. Store all sharp objects securely, out of the reach of young people.
Gardening and nature: Everyone must wash their hands after the activity has finished. Wear gloves if needed. Explain how to safely use equipment and set clear boundaries so everyone knows what’s allowed.
Outdoor activities: You must have permission to use the location. Always check the weather forecast, and inform parents and carers of any change in venue.