Making sunflower crowns with your kids is a perfect farewell-to-summer activity! It’s sweet and easy and will surely stir your child’s imagination too!
Does anyone else associate sunflowers with the end of summer? There are so many amazing sunflowers popping up all around town right now and I just love them! They’re beautiful and colorful and good for the bees, but I also love them because they signal the end of a season. There’s just something special about the turning of the seasons, right?
Every year, at the beginning of September, my kids and I start hunting for sunflowers to make flower crowns with. When we find the perfect patch of sunflowers, we stop and pick some and then we sit together to make a few sunflower crowns that we can wear for the day to celebrate the end of summer. It is a sweet tradition we have to say farewell to summer.
This year, we found a bunch of sunflowers growing near the acequia (ditch) that runs by our house. So we invited Izzy and her boys to join us and we made flower crowns together. The kids took turns clipping flowers and once we gathered a big bouquet of sunflowers we spread out a picnic blanket and began creating!
This activity is pretty simple, but it’s one that you may need to help your child with depending on their age and ability, because sometimes getting the flowers to stay where you want them to is a bit tricky for little fingers.
SUNFLOWER CROWNS IN FOUR EASY STEPS:
Gather sunflowers. Find a patch or field of sunflowers growing nearby. [Be sure to get permission before cutting.] If you don’t have access to sunflowers growing out in nature, you can surely find some fresh ones at your local grocery store or flower shop. If you’re cutting them yourself, use sharp scissors to clip off several 6-10 inch stems. Gather at least a dozen for one crown.
Measure your child’s head. You’ll want to measure your child’s head using a piece of thick craft wire (I used Oasis Rustic Grapevine Wire). Give yourself two or three inches of extra wire to use to twist the ends together. Cut the wire with scissors, shape the wire into a circle and twist the ends of the wire together to secure. Check to make sure it fits before adding flowers.
Add flowers. You could start by wrapping greenery around the base of the crown, or you can skip this and just use flowers, like we did. Grab several [fresh] sunflower stems and trim them to 3-5 inches long, then layer them, one on top of the other around the wire circle. Attach them to the crown with a bit of floral tape or floral craft wire (I used Green Enamel Coiled Floral Annealed Wire) to hold them in place. Continue layering flower stems and wrapping them onto the crown with wire or tape until you’ve made it full circle. Add in littler flowers or greenery or ribbons if you like!
Finally, enjoy! Place it on your child’s head and just try resisting the urge to dance around and celebrate the end of summer!
WHY KIDS LOVE MAKING SUNFLOWER CROWNS:
Simple and fun. This is a great project for older kids, but even little ones will enjoy finding and cutting the sunflowers, gathering them into a bouquet, and then arranging them into a crown with your help.
Kids love flowers. Who doesn’t have a positive emotional response to big, bright, cheerful sunflowers? Beautiful fresh flowers provoke a happy reaction for everyone, for children, especially.
Kids love playing dress-up. Wearing a sunflower crown will set your child’s imagination wild! As soon as you place the sunflower crown upon your child’s head, just watch them transform into a fairy or a prince or princess! They’ll be dancing around and singing and enjoying themselves immediately…and so will you!
WHY PARENTS LOVE THIS SUNFLOWER CROWN ACTIVITY:
It’s quick and requires just a few supplies. This activity can be done in under thirty minutes and only requires scissors, floral wire, and a handful of fresh flowers.
Uses fine motor skills. Activities like this help your kids practice their fine motor skills, which is an important development for all children, because it leads to greater independence and self-sufficiency.
A fun tradition. When I became a mother, creating traditions for my children felt really important. Traditions connect you to those you love, and gives an excuse to celebrate or appreciate a particular time of year. Traditions also create positive memories. My kids look forward to all of our little traditions; our farewell-to-summer sunflower crown tradition as well.
How to Make a Sunflower Crown
Materials
- Thick craft wire
- Floral craft wire
- Floral tape
Tools
- Scissors
Instructions
1. Gather a bouquet of fresh sunflowers (at least 12).
2. Measure your child's head using a piece of thick craft wire. Give yourself two or three inches of extra wire to use to twist the ends together. Cut the wire with scissors, shape the wire into a circle and twist the ends of the wire together to secure. Check to make sure it fits your child's head before adding flowers.
3. Grab several fresh sunflower stems and trim them to 3-5 inches long, then layer them, one on top of the other around the wire circle. Attach them to the crown with a bit of floral tape or floral craft wire to hold them in place. Continue layering flower stems and wrapping them onto the crown with wire or tape until you've made it full circle. Add in smaller flowers or greenery or ribbons if you like!
4. Enjoy! Place it on your child's head and just try resisting the urge to dance around and celebrate the end of summer!
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