In this MFA Playdates at Home, we read the story Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt, and then we look at a colorful painting of flowers and make a flower crown using materials you can find in your home! Explore more MFA artworks of flowers.
Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt, by Kate Messner and illustrated by Christopher Silas Neal (Chronicle Books, 2017), is available at a variety of booksellers, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop, and Chronicle Books. Up in the Garden and Down in the Dirt read with permission from Chronicle.
Make a Flower Crown
Materials
You will need:
a large paper shopping bag
crayons, markers, or colored pencils
scissors (Please be careful.)
tape
watercolor paints or food color
paintbrush
coffee filters or tissues
Step 1
Gather your materials where you have plenty of room to color and paint.
Step 2
Carefully cut the handles off the paper bag.
Step 3
Place the bag with its bottom closest to you. Have a grown-up use their hand as a measure to draw two straight lines from the bottom edge all the way to top edge of the bag.
Step 4
Together with a grown-up, cut along both lines. You will make a long strip from your paper bag. This will be your crown!
Step 5
Use your crayons, markers, or pencils to color your crown. Green is nice!
Step 6
Get help from a grown-up to wrap your long crown around your head. When it fits just right, they will mark the spot to tape it together. Trim off the extra piece on the strip.
Step 7
Tape your crown together.
Step 8
Using one of your extra pieces of paper, color it green. Make small cuts partway down to make fringe that looks like grass. Tape it inside your crown so the fringe shows.
Step 9
Now, make your flowers! Take tissues or coffee filters and bunch them into flower shapes. Tape your flowers at the stem.
Step 10
Use watercolor paint or food color and dab the color on your flower with the paintbrush.
Step 11
Tape your flowers on your crown and it is ready for you to wear! Have fun!
