Pressed Flower Bookmarks

What You Need:

• Flowers (several of the same type)
• Large hardcover book (such as an encyclopedia or dictionary)
• Sheet of card stock (a color that looks good with chosen flowers)
• Glue stick
• Pen
• Contact paper for laminating

What You Do:

1. Ask your child to point out the flowers that they wish to use for their bookmark; cut them close to the stems to ensure that they can continue to grow.
2. Have your learner place several flowers inside the middle of a large book. To avoid damaging the book, sandwich the flowers between two pieces of wax paper. For extra weight, try placing a few extra books on top. Leave them undisturbed for about seven to ten days, or until they are thoroughly dried and flattened.
3. Ask your child to measure and cut a piece of card stock to the desired size for the bookmark. (1½" x 5" is an average size. Your child can decide on the size of the bookmark based on the size of their chosen flowers.)
4. On one side of the bookmark, invite your learner to write a short blurb about the dried flower. They can use the internet to find out facts about the type of flower, such as its name, color variations, and the origin of the flower species.
5. Another option is to have your child compose a short poem about the flower. Acrostic poems are well-suited to flower names. A little fuzzy on what acrostic poems are? They're short poems in which each letter of a chosen word begins a different line of the poem, which can be just one descriptive word, or a short phrase.

4. Next, invite your child to use a clear-drying glue stick to spread a thin layer of glue on the blank side of the bookmark.
5. Using a hand that is free of any glue residue, they should press the flowers down firmly so that there are no bumps. Allow to dry.
6. Once the bookmark has thoroughly dried, help your child laminate both sides of the bookmark with contact paper, a plastic paper with an adhesive backing.

The blossom-embellished bookmark is complete! Visit your local library to find a brand new book to jump into; your child will be delighted to make use of their new personalized place holder.