As spring falls upon us, we are surrounded by a world of growth. Make this spring break a memorable one by creating a “growth” flower with your child where each petal gives a specific example of how much he’s grown this year! Not only does it look nice, but it gives second graders some much needed writing practice.
What You Need:
- Colored construction paper
- Glue sticks
- Markers
What You Do:
- Using the construction paper, design a colorful flower with your child. To make it more interesting, try to make the flower as tall as your child since it will represent him.
- After you’ve designed your stalk and leaves, work on the flower part. Make the center circle of the flower large enough to fit a photograph of your child in the center.
- Cut out several large petals that will eventually be glued around the “face” of the flower.
- Draw lines on the flower’s petals so your child can write on them.
- Give one of the petals to your child and ask him to write one example of how he’s grown or changed this year. Do the same for the rest of the flower petals.
- Glue each petal around the face of the flower.
- Hang up your child’s growth flower in his room. Not only will it make for a fun decoration, but it will also commemorate this special season and your child’s accomplishments!
Got a stubborn writer? Don't push this project at him in one big gulp-- give him just one petal each day and collect them for safekeeping. With a little patience, you'll have enough petals for your final result-- and a keepsake that reminds you how he expressed himself in second grade, what his handwriting looked like, and how much he's grown, too.
By Vanessa Genova DeSantis
Vanessa Genova DeSantis has been teaching for fourteen years in public and private school settings in grades 4-8. She's also an educational freelance writer as well as a private tutor for elementary, middle and high school students.
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