10
Sep
Sunflower Art + Activities for Kids
Where I live, summer’s final act is when thousands of suns burst into a glowing field seen from miles away.
It is a sight.
What was once a mythical sunflower field learned about only by word of mouth, now is a famous Eastern Kansas tourist destination. Grinter Farms generously allows visitors to frequent their field and snap pictures, professional and amateur, as well as cut a sunflower or a few to take home ($1 per flower, scout’s honor). While many who visit are there to capture it’s brazen beauty in a photo op, whether it be a family portrait, selfies, professional photos, or what have you, I thought I’d expand on a few ways to explore this experience with kids whether you to visit the Gritner Farm field or a sunflower field in your neck of the woods:
SUNFLOWER HIDE & SEEK: The object is simple: Play! One person counts to 10 while the other participants hide in the stalks. Be mindful of the flowers, and anywhere outside of the sunflower field is out-of-bounds.
NATURE PHOTO SHOOT: Bring a kid-safe camera, something you you won’t mind getting dirty or dropped that is easy to use, or a disposable camera for you kids to go on their very own sunflower field nature shoot. They’ll have such a great time being in charge of the pictures taken, it will be an entirely different perspective, and it’s a wonderful way to prompt discovery.
I-SPY BUGS: How many different bugs can you spot while visiting the fields? There are many bugs that love sunflowers and you’ll see them there. Count how many different species you find and/or write down what they look like and look up what they are when you return home.
SUNFLOWER ART: Bring a sketch pad and some crayons, colored pencils, or whatever art supplies you have on hand at your home and create art! Draw still life sketches of the sunflowers. Before leaving the house, share a few masterpieces by Vincent Van Gogh, Fernard Leger, Georgia O’Keefe or Gustav Klimt who were also inspired by this golden flower.
HOW TALL? Bring a tape measure to the sunflower field. Measure your child’s height and then measure the height of a sunflower. Who is taller? Measure a few different sunflowers to see if their height is the same or different.
SPIRALS ABOUND: When you look at a sunflower look very, very closely and you’ll notice how the flower head is a complex, beautiful spiral. That’s the Golden Ratio!
SILLY SUNFLOWER FACES: When the flowers are wilted and at their end, make sunflower faces in the flower head! You can pluck the florets (what will eventually turn into new sunflower seeds) out to make a design of your own creation. The end result is a hoot! A 5ft tall sunflower smiling back at you. If you’re inspired to create silly sunflower faces of your very own, please use a sunflower you plan on purchasing.
ENJOY: Take a minute to be still. Breathe. Sit back and enjoy the scenery.
Don’t have a sunflower field close by?
Many of these activities can be achieved by growing your own sunflowers at home. All you need is a little earth, sunshine, and love. And there are so many varities to choose from! Moonwalker, Red Sun, Teddy Bear, Autumn Beauty, Moulin Rouge, and the list goes on. If you have the space, consider growing a Sunflower House (check it out). Sunflowers are such happy flowers and easy to care for.
Thank you Grinter Farms for sharing your fields with the community. We spent many days laughing and smiling in the flowers.
