Paint, Pots, and Paper Flowers

Paint, Pots, and Paper Flowers

Getting Started
Age: Three and up
Time: An hour or more
Type of Activity: Arts and Crafts

Materials needed:

• Clay flower pots
  
• Newspaper
  
• Poster or Acrylic paints
  
• Paint brushes and/or sponges
  
• Paper plates
  
• Miscellaneous objects such as ribbons, buttons, and other craft items to use for decorating.
  
• Dull-pointed scissors
  
• Tissue paper in assorted colors
  
• Green pipe cleaner
  
• Styrofoam

Decorative pots can be used for more than just flowers -- although there's nothing better to brighten up a room. In addition to the paper flowers your child will make, her painted pot can also be used to hold candy, pencils, or even toothbrushes!

And besides keeping your kids interested in something other than TV for the afternoon, this activity strengthens their fine motor muscles, helps them express their creativity, and teaches younger children to identify shapes and colors.

Painted Pots
What to do:

Step One: First cover the table or floor with newspaper in case of spills. You might also want to give your child an old t-shirt to wear in case she gets paint on herself.

Step Two: Set out the pots, paints, and other art materials.

Step Three: You can either talk about what kind of design she will make or just put the materials in front of her and see what comes out of the afternoon.

Step Four: Encourage her to use all of the materials and see how creative she can be. If she's going to be using sponges for her designs, pour the paint onto a paper plate so she can dip the sponge easily.

Step Five: Paint and sponge creative designs onto the pot.

Step Six: Add a finishing touch by gluing on a few buttons, ribbons, or other decorative materials.

Step Seven: Leave the pots where they won't be disturbed to dry completely.

Paper Flowers
These flowers will look great in the newly painted pot -- and you never have to worry about watering them!

What to do:

Step One: Have your child pick out a few sheets of tissue paper in different colors and unfold them.

Step Two: With dull-pointed scissors, have her cut the tissue paper into 8-inch squares or circles.

Step Three: After she has cut the shapes, have her pick out a few sheets (three to four) to make her flowers.

Step Four: Put the sheets together in a pile, but not on top of each other.

Step Five: Spread them out a bit to give the flower shape. Have her gather two opposite sides in the middle.

Step Six: Take the green pipe cleaner and wrap the end around the pinched tissue paper to make a stem.

Step Seven: Now, fan out the tissue to make her flower.

To "plant" the flowers in the pot, cut circle in the styrofoam the size of the base of the pot.

Step Eight: Place the styrofoam inside the flower pot -- this will be your "soil."

Step Nine: Have your child stick the flower stems wherever she likes in her painted pot!