Help your students learn and visualize the parts of a flower by making one! Simple and inexpensive supplies makes this an easy hands on learning experience – with ideas to differentiate difficulty level!
After teaching students the parts of the flower, I challenge them to make one themselves with the following supplies –
- Play dough: make the petals and hold it all together
- Three toothpicks: filaments
- Three mini marshmallows: anthers
- One third of a straw (or a golf tee): pistil (golf tee looks just like a pistil!)
At first, this may seem like the kind of activity you would only find in Elementary school. But I promise, my high schoolers really get into it! They love playing with play dough and some put a lot of effort into making truly beautiful flowers.
With this one simple model, you can do a lot of different things depending on the level of your student, and the amount of time you have available.
Set Up
I like to do this activity in partners or individuals. Groups of more than two are so big that you end up with just one person working and everyone else watching (or not..). Provide each individual or pair with all of the supplies and tell them the goal is to make a flower that includes each supply and models all of the flower parts they have learned.
It is helpful to put all of the supplies into a baggie so you can pass out bags, rather than take 100 years passing out all the individual bits. I have a helpful TA load the bags for me a few days ahead of time. And don’t hesitate to use the materials again for the next class, or the next year! At the end of the class, inspect the bags and replace any smashed marshmallows or snapped tooth picks so you are ready for the next group. I always have a few extra bags and supplies on hand in case something goes wrong.
TIP! Kids want to eat everything – especially yummy marsh mallows. Before I even pass out the bags, I remind them that we do not eat in the science lab. But the best deterrent is to tell them that these marshmallows are not new, they have been handled by other students and are to be used again – no eating (eww). If necessary, promise a fresh clean marshmallow for every student who takes care of their supplies and returns them safely to their bag when class is over.
Labeling the Flower
If you desire your students to label the flower parts, the best way I have found is with painters tape. Have them write the label on the tape and then simply stick it to the part of the flower. Painters tape is great because it can easily be removed so the parts can be used again.
Provide students with one piece of tape, about 5 inches. I simply tape the strip to each bag so it is part of the supplies when I pass them out. They have the responsibility of dividing the 5 inches into labels.
Alternatively, for younger students you can print out the names of each part, and still provide the tape to actually stick the names to the parts. If you want to reuse your name labels, laminate them. The tape can easily be removed without damaging the laminated labels.
More ideas for labeling can be done with technology! Read the next section below for some possibilities.
Parts of the Flower Model Differentiation
For younger students, it would be helpful to let them know what each material can be used for (make the petals with play dough, make the filaments with toothpicks, etc.). But for older students – just let them work it out! Most will end up with the intended purpose, but you will also get some creative ideas! 
Allow them to use their notes or a reference guide so they know what they are modeling – you don’t want them guessing and ending up learning something the wrong way!
Once they are finished, I encourage students to take a picture of their flowers. Depending on the technology and time you have available, students could –
- Simply add their photo to a Padlet, give their flower species a name, and show it off
- Upload their flower picture to a ThinkLink and label the parts of the flower
- Upload their flower to a Google Draw document and create labels for the parts of the flower
- Students can pair up and point to each part of their flower, practicing vocabulary
- Or they can record themselves discussing the parts on a FlipGrid video!
If you need them to turn in their digital creations, check out this blog post! It lays out a super easy way to collect digital work so you don’t have to hunt for student links in your email!
Pollination Process Possibilities
This flower model can also be used to help students visualize and describe the process of pollination!
Consider having them draw (or make) a little bee or butterfly. They can use the flower and pollinator to create a Stop Motion (or live video) of the process of pollination.
Check out this Stop Motion app for Chrome books!
One simple flower, so many possibilities! How would you use this flower model in your classroom? Share with us in the comments!
Looking for more Biology activities? Check out my store on Teachers Pay Teachers – Science of Curiosity!
