Gathering Your Supplies
First, you must gather all the supplies you’ll need to create your floral design. Your list might include the following items, which can be adjusted based on the age and skills of the participants.
- Scissors/Clippers. Choose safety scissors for younger designers. Those will work just fine to cut the basic stems we’ll be working with. Or, you can use your household garden clippers if your youngsters can use them safely or if you plan to cut the stems for them.
- Hearty greenery such as Baker Fern will be used to lay the foundation of the design. Baker Fern is also a good choice for kid-arrangers because it can be easily broken by hand and does not require sharp tools to cut.
- Consider long lasting and inexpensive flowers like carnations, mini carnations, daisy pom pons, and alstroemeria for your first floral foray. These varieties can hold up well to the wear and tear of tiny hands. Avoid roses and spray roses that can bear sharp thorns for little kids. You may want to purchase a couple extra stems for each designer because they are likely to break a few on their first try.
- A round, plastic design bowl filled with floral foam makes a great container for a mini-florist. There is no risk of broken glass and the container only holds a small amount of water so spills will be minimal. You could also use a basket, a glass vase, or any container that you already own.
- We saved one of the most important parts for last; flowers cannot survive without water, so make sure you add plenty of water to the container of your choice. A watering can with a narrow spout may be helpful for kids to add water themselves.
How to Arrange Flowers with Kids
Now that you have all your supplies, you are ready to start the fun part: making your flower arrangement!
First, lay out your supplies on a table or countertop. If you don’t want to get your floors or counters wet, lay down a towel.
Insert the floral foam into your design bowl and add water until it is full. Or, add water until it is near the top of your vase.
Imagine a straight, vertical line extending through the center of your container. Break off a piece of Baker Fern or greenery, remove any leaves that would fall below the foam or water line, and put it in the container pointing toward that imaginary line. Insert each stem at least 1” deep into the foam or to the very bottom of the vase to ensure the plants can drink water. You can instruct the children to add more greenery until the container and floral foam is covered. Or, you can let their imaginations run wild. This all depends on the kids’ ages and what will make the project the most fun.
Now, add flowers by cutting each stem on an angle, removing any leaves that would enter the foam or water, and inserting the stem pointing toward the imaginary line in the center of the design. This is a basic method of arranging flowers, but there is really no wrong way to make a bouquet! The most important thing is to have fun, so there is no need to stress about the rules or proper techniques. You can also repeat this activity another time to practice or try out different designs.
Finally, you can proudly display your kids’ work! Keep arrangements away from direct heat or cold, and water them daily to increase their lifespan. Discard the leftover stems and leaves; you could even try composting them in your yard.
Children and adults alike are naturally attracted to the fun colors and shapes of beautiful flowers. Try out this activity and see where the project takes you. You may even have a future floral designer in your midst!
This article was published by Chad Kremp
