Homeschooling Crafts: How to Dry Flowers

If you homeschool your children, crafts can be a terrific way to engage their creativity and help them learn in a new way. But coming up with new crafts each week can be challenging. One craft that is both fun to do and stimulating is drying flowers. While beautiful, the process of drying flowers requires some knowledge of science, which you can incorporate into your lessons.

Drying flowers is a fun project for all ages. There are many occasions for drying flowers. Daisy Day and Carnation Day are in January, then comes Valentines Day, Flower Day is in May, birthdays or anytime you receive flowers. Go on a nature walk in the spring and gather wildflowers or purchase some at the local market. Your children will proudly display their finished project.

You can also use the dried flowers to create other crafts, like greeting cards.

Materials Needed

You will need four different kinds of flowers with six to eight blossoms, stems and leaves. Try to collect flowers from outside, such as from your own garden or a field of wildflowers. If that's not an option, you can purchase flowers inexpensively at the local grocery store.

You will also need the following:

• scissors with rounded or blunt tips
• basket or large grocery bag
• several sheets of newspaper
• ruler
• string
• closet clothes rod or laundry drying rack
• two 8" long pieces of 1/2" wide satin ribbon
• two small vases

Once you've chosen your flowers and gathered the materials, you're ready to get started.

Sorting the Flowers

Spread newspaper over your work area. Carefully separate and sort the flowers into bunches. You can organize the flowers according to color or size.

Tie the Bunches Together

Cut a piece of string about eight inches long for each bouquet. Tie a string around the stems of each bouquet so that the string is tight enough to hold the bunch together, but not so tight that it cuts into the stems.

Hanging the Flowers to Dry

Use the ends of the string to hang the bouquets, blossom side down, in a warm, dry place. The clothes rod in a closet works perfectly, but it needs to be a place that won't be disturbed too much. Give the bouquets enough space so they are not touching each other.

Allow four weeks to dry; this can be difficult for your children, but you can check the flowers' progress each week.

Arranging the Dried Flowers

After the blossoms have dried, untie the bouquets and carefully spread them on more sheets of newspaper. Handling the flowers gently and as little as possible, arrange them how you want them.

Finishing Touches

Tie each arrangement with a piece of string. Cut off the dangling ends of string. Wrap a piece of ribbon around each bouquet to cover the string, and tie the ribbon in a bow.

Place the arrangements in small vases and display or give as a gift.