Activity: An Autumn craft in which students use sunflowers that have grown in their gardens over the summer.

Goal: Art- A great way to express a student’s creativity on paper while learning about sunflowers.

Supplies: yellow construction paper for petals, green construction paper leaves and stems, colorful construction paper for the background, small paper cup, sunflower seeds, pencil or pen, glue

Optional supplies: Books to read

How to Proceed: (See step by step direction sheet in shed with supplies)

Steps:

1. Read books on or about sunflowers (before, during or after craft) if you have time.

2. Label paper with student’s name

3. Cut out a stem with green paper, approximately 1/2" x 7 ". Glue the stems onto the background paper.

4. Cut some leaves out of the green paper. Use the glue to add the leaves to the stems.

5. Use the large side of the small paper cup to trace a circle at the top of the stem. (see photo)

6. Glue the sunflowers seeds in the circle.

7. Cut petals out of the yellow paper. Use glue to add the yellow petals around the sunflower seed center.

8. Let dry and hang to enjoy!

Background:

You may also wish to discuss the plant parts of the sunflower (roots, stem, leaves, flower,

seeds). Sunflowers are natives of the American prairie, grown for the beauty of their giant

blossoms and for their seeds. Pioneers grew sunflower as protection against malaria and

used the leaves and stalks for fodder, the seeds for food, and ground the seed husks in a

coffee-like drink. Large-seeded sunflowers face east in the morning, and west in the

afternoon, following the sun. A sunflower is built of many small flowers or florets that are

arranged to look like one large single flower. Daisies and chrysanthemums are some other

familiar flowers that are constructed in this way.