Paper Cup Series: Daffodils

I’m happy to be back with the Paper Cups Series, today introduced to you by Leanna @ All Done Monkey!

Leanna is a stay at home mother to a sweet, funny, rambunctious three year old boy and his adorable, smiley baby brother.  She draws inspiration from the Writings of the Bahá’í Faith and tries to raise her Monkeys in a fun, spiritual, loving environment.  She and her husband, who is from Costa Rica, are raising their boys to be bilingual and bicultural but more importantly to be “world citizens.”  Having studied anthropology, history, and library science, Leanna now trolls the internet and Pinterest for recipe and craft ideas. ”All Done Monkey” is her attempt to make sense of it all.

You can follow Leanna on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google+.

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To celebrate the Bahá’í new year (Naw Rúz), Monkey and I recently invited some friends over for a spring party.  Since Naw Rúz falls on the first day of spring, I decided to do a craft with the kids that would celebrate the beautiful flowers that characterize this season.

I chose the daffodil, one of my favorite flowers, and created a simple craft that could be adapted according to interest and ability. I have discovered that when you are working with a large group of children, it’s best to have a craft that can be done quickly, as attention spans tend to be shorter because of all the activity going on around them.

One thing I love about this craft is that those that want to spend more time on it can do so, while those that don’t can still have an attractive finished product that they can wave around proudly as they rush off to play!

What You Will Need (per daffodil)

1 baking cup or small paper cup (These can either be yellow or orange, like the center of the daffodil, or they can be plain white, so that the kids can decorate them)

1 small paper plate

2 green pipe cleaners

Knife (to punch a hole in the plate and cup)

Markers or crayons

Patience (amount needed varies depending on the number of kids and whether they have had

snacks yet or not!)

Instructions

Can be prepared in advance:

1. Poke a hole through the center of the paper plate and the bottom of the cup. It needs to be just big enough for the pipe cleaners to go through.

2. Twist the pipe cleaners together to make the stalk. (One pipe cleaner alone is not strong enough to hold up the flower). Older children can assist with this step.

To do with the kids:

1. Let the kids decorate the plates using markers or crayons.

2. Push the pipe cleaners first through the hole in the paper plate and then through the cup. Turn the ends at a ninety degree angle so the pipe cleaners do not slide back out through the holes. Older children can assist with this step.

We really enjoyed this craft. Some children spent a lot of time decorating the flowers, while others skipped this step entirely. Either way, they ended up with beautiful creations!

How do you celebrate the coming of spring with your little ones?

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Thank you, Leanna, for this wonderful craft! We will sure to try it and let you know how it turned out!