Pressing Flowers

Encourage your child to examine the flowers you’ve chosen for the activity. How are the flowers different? Can your child name the different parts of the flower? Cut the cardstock or construction paper into 6-inch squares.

Open the heavy book to the middle and spread the newspaper on the bottom page.

Place one flower (or more) gently on the newspaper, then put more newsprint on top. Close the book. Tip: Use several layers of newspaper to ensure that no moisture or color from the flower gets on the book.

Place heavy items on top of the book for weight. Ask your child what she thinks will happen after the flower is left in the book for a few days. How about after a week?

Leave the flower for several days.

After three or four days, open the book and encourage your child to gently remove the flower.

Examine the flower with your child. Ask, "How has the flower changed?"

Use new sheets of newspaper to repeat the process.

After two or three repetitions, the flower will be flattened and dried.

Spread clear glue on the squares of cardstock or construction paper. Your child can gently glue the flower to the paper to preserve it.

Optional: Your child can draw details around the flower to show the stem or leaves of the plant it came from, or to illustrate an insect that might like the flower. Now you can share the pressed flowers with family and friends! Help your child describe where you found the flower, what it looked and smelled like, and the process of pressing it.