Craft exercises are a great way to make learning about plants fun and interactive for first graders! Here are a few ideas:

  1. Paper Plate Flowers

Materials: Paper plates, paint, markers, glue, tissue paper, green construction paper

Instructions:

  1. Have the students paint or color the paper plate to make the flower’s petals.
  2. Once dry, cut or tear tissue paper into small squares and glue them onto the plate to create a flower center.
  3. Cut green construction paper into strips for the stems and leaves. Glue these to the back of the plate.
  1. Seed Sorting and Planting

Materials: Small containers or cups, soil, seeds (e.g., beans, sunflower seeds), water

Instructions:

  1. Let the children sort different types of seeds into separate containers.
  2. Show them how to plant the seeds in small cups with soil. They can use their fingers or a small spoon to place the seeds into the soil.
  3. Water the seeds and place the cups in a sunny spot. Have the students track the growth of their plants over time.
  1. Leaf Rubbings

Materials: Leaves, crayons, paper

Instructions:

  1. Collect a variety of leaves.
  2. Place a leaf under a sheet of paper.
  3. Using a crayon, rub over the paper where the leaf is underneath to create a texture rubbing of the leaf’s shape and veins.
  1. Flower Collage

Materials: Old magazines or colored paper, glue, scissors

Instructions

  1. Let the students cut out pictures of flowers or plant parts from magazines or colored paper.
  2. Have them arrange and glue these cutouts onto a large piece of paper to create a colorful flower collage.
  1. Egg Carton Flowers

Materials: Egg cartons, paint, pipe cleaners, scissors, glue

Instructions:

  1. Cut the egg carton into individual cups.
  2. Paint each cup to look like a flower petal.
  3. Once dry, glue a pipe cleaner to the center of each painted cup to serve as the flower stem.
  1. Garden in a Jar

Materials: Small clear jars, soil, seeds (like cress or grass), water

Instructions:

  1. Have the students fill their jars with a layer of soil.
  2. Help them plant seeds in the soil.
  3. Water the seeds and place the jars in a sunny location.

These activities will help first graders learn about plants through hands-on, creative play. They also reinforce concepts like growth, plant parts, and the importance of sunlight and water.

Image Courtesy- Freepik