Get ready for the Spring season with this fun and simple flower craft that PreK and school-aged children can both enjoy. The Q-tips, playdough, and pipe cleaners in this craft offer a great opportunity to practice fine motor skills while creating a piece of artwork that can be displayed for the season, no paint required!
Supplies:
- Q-tips (about 10 per flower)
- Yellow playdough (or any color you want for the center of your flower)
- Green pipe cleaners
- Scissors
Activity Steps:
Before you start: Make sure you have a clean workspace with all of your supplies (including q-tips, playdough, pipe cleaners, and scissors) ready to go. It is best to find a flat surface to work with. A table or counter works well so that you have an easier time completing the activity and attaching the q-tips! Playdough can get sticky, so make sure to keep fabric away from your work area.
Step 1: First, you will begin by grabbing about ten q-tips and use your scissors to cut each one in half. Be sure to ask an adult for help if needed. The q-tips are going to be the “petals” of your flower!
Step 2: Next, pick out your favorite playdough color. I used yellow because it reminds me of a sunflower, but the color you pick does not matter! Open up the container and scoop out a chunk of playdough. I made mine about the size of a large gumball. Then, place the playdough in between both of your hands and start rolling it back and forth and in circles. This will make your playdough into a smooth ball that we will use as the center of our flower.
Step 3: Once the playdough is nice and smooth, without any cracks going through it, gently press your hands together with the ball in between them. This will make the playdough flat! Another way to do this is by putting the ball on your table or surface and using one hand to press the playdough down. Be careful not to squeeze too hard; we want the flattened playdough to look a bit like a thick cookie, flat on both sides but round on the edges. This is so there is still a tiny bit of space to put our q-tip (the petals) into the center.
Step 4: For this step, you can now take our q-tips and find the side with the cut end (the part without the cotton). Push the cut end into the edge of the playdough to make the flower’s petals. You only need to push them in just enough so that they stick in and won’t fall out, so don’t push too much! Repeat this step for each of the q-tips. Try to space them evenly all around the edges of the playdough and make sure to leave enough space for the stem. I made each one about ¼ of an inch apart.
Step 5: Next, it’s time to make the stem! You really only need one long pipe cleaner for this, but I ended up placing two next to each other and twisted them together, so they became connected. This helps make the stem a bit sturdier. Now, find a place where you want your stem to be and gently push the end of the pipe cleaner into the playdough between two cotton swabs. I made mine go in about halfway through the playdough.
Step 6: Finally, take one more pipe cleaner and lay it diagonally against one side of the stem. I had one end of it poking out of the middle part of the stem. Then use the side that is touching the stem and twist the end around it to connect them. Next, grab the top of the diagonal pipe cleaner and fold it into a leaf shape. Twist that end back around the flower stem, so the leaf stays put. Your flower is complete!
You can now display your craft however you would like, whether it be in a vase, on the fridge, or anywhere else! You can even make a whole bouquet of these flowers if you have enough supplies. What other kinds of flowers could you make with this craft if you painted the Q-tips or changed the color of the playdough?
~Made by Ellie