It is the end of June, which means we are approaching the best time of year for wildflowers in the Rocky Mountains. Here are some fun wildflower activities for kids.
Outside Wildflower Activities
Observation game? – this is just a simple game to get kids and parents to really work on their observations skills. All scientists begin by being good at observing the natural world. So, ask your kids what they see? You could start with different colors. What colors? How many different kinds of colors? Who can see the most colors? Then you could move on to shapes. What shapes do you see in the flowers? You could even try smells? What do the different flowers smell like?
Scavenger Hunt – I always loved to do scavenger hunts as a kid and my kids also love them. Before you go to the mountains you can write down or print off a list of the most common wildflowers of the Rocky Mountains that you may see on your outing. Then when you are out on your hike you can be on the lookout for everything on your list. As you see them, check them off of your list. Then at the end of the hike you can see who found the most.
Can you draw this columbine with a bee on it?
Bring Field Notebooks – bring along a small, blank notebook for each child and adult. Explain that this is their field notebook that they can use to draw what they see around them. On your outing take breaks where you all sit down and spend ten to fifteen minutes drawing your observations. This could be drawing individual flowers and writing their names if you know them, or it could be drawing the general landscape such as the entire meadow. If you don’t know the name of the wildflower you drew then you can use your drawing to research it when you get home to see if it is a common wildflower or a more unusual one.
Wildflower Activities to do at Home
Wildflower sensory activity for kids – here is what one Mom decided to do with her young son. They came up with a fun, sensory activity with the wildflowers – just putting them in water and then feeling the differences between wet and dry flower, leaves, and petals.
Preparing to press some flowers.
Pressing flowers – if you and your kids have spent some time in the mountains or even in your front yard and collected some beautiful flowers then pressing them is a great way to preserve them. Here are simple steps to press flowers, which can then be used in fun art projects.