Summer in Minnesota is the perfect time to enjoy all of the beauty that nature provides us. Native Minnesota prairie flowers are on full display flowering in gardens, sides of roads, and even in the cracks of sidewalks in our urban areas. Many neighbors have also turned to gardening in these times of quarantine. There is a lot to see and enjoy! Here are some ways to learn and have fun with flowers.

Observing Flowers
Go for a walk through your neighborhood or natural area in search of blooming flowers! Have kids observe what colors and shapes the flowers are (hint: summer means a lot of yellow and purple in Minnesota). Encourage kids to observe what insects are near or by them. Use this is an opportunity to talk to them about the importance of pollinators like bees and butterflies. To learn more about pollinators click here.

Playing with Flowers
One really fun way to involve children in nature play is by creating and playing with real flowers! Whether you plant a flower garden or find wildflowers on a nature walk, there are plenty of kids’ activities you can do with them. Make sure they are either considered weeds by your neighbors or that you have permission to pick them before getting started. Some great ways to use flowers in play are:

• Make nature paintbrushes by attaching flowers to sticks
• Turn pressed flowers into bookmarks
• Observe whether or not flowers float with a sensory bin
• Allow kids to practice creating flower arrangements
• Use fresh flowers to make a discovery bottle for fun flower observation
• Turn handpicked flowers into a beautiful flower crown

For more ideas on how to play with flowers click here.

The Minnesota Zoo would love to see examples of how you used this activity at home! Please share pictures or comments via email at [email protected], and take less than 5 minutes of time to provide us feedback by completing this short survey.