Why flower pressing is such a great option to study all about flowers.

We love flower pressing in our home. Hang pressed flowers in frames on the wall, use to make beautiful homemade greeting cards, ornaments, candles, and soap. Or my personal favorite to do with kids, create bookmarks. 

Making flower bookmarks is super easy, safe, and since we love to read in our home, we always have a use for a new bookmark. Also your child is able to be creative with the flower arrangement, ribbon, and my boys love to write their name on theirs.

Learn more about flowers.

Develop this dried flower bookmark activity into a full homeschool lesson for your child. You can do this by reading books and poetry about flowers and observing flowers in their natural habitat. Also, check out this post here, Flower Anatomy. Here you will find a free printable for your child to learn about the anatomy of a flower. This anatomy lesson and the dried flower bookmarks are great lessons to pair to together when studying flowers.

Books and poems to read about flowers.

Studying a flower physically can help us and a child learn all about flowers. But reading books and poems can enhance the learning experience even more. Here is a list of books that we have enjoyed reading when learning about flowers.

Books all about flowers.

Firstly, Flowers by Gail Gibbons

Secondly, Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert

Lastly, The Flower Alphabet Book by Jerry Pallotta

Poems all about flowers.

The following book suggestion is a collection of poetry from various authors. I cannot recommend this book enough because it is full of various topics and specifically compiled for children. You will find a handful of poems dedicated to flowers. Favorite Poems Old and New: Selected for boys and girls by Helen Ferris. It is the perfect addition to a home library for reading about a range of topics, not just flowers and plants.

Also, the poem The Flowers from A Child’s Garden of Verses by Robert Louis Stevenson is a wonderful read. Most importantly, read the poems out loud because this is what poetry is meant for. To read about how you can seamlessly weave poetry into your home read this post here, Why is poetry memorization important?

Where to gather flowers for your dried flower bookmark.

Growing flowers in your yard is the best option.

If at all possible grow your own flowers in a garden, on a windowsill, or on a porch. I recommend this because your child will have the opportunity to observe the flowers in a natural environment. 

We planted a wildflower garden for the first time last year and I was amazed at how our backyard came to life. The flowers brought insects, which in turn brought birds. Also, we had a plethora of flowers which allowed us to make use of the flowers, decorate with them, and leave plenty for the wildlife. Overall, the learning experience allowed my boys to learn so much about flowers.

However, if you don’t have that option or a green thumb then maybe a neighbor grows flowers. Ask them for permission and see if they’ll let you at least study the flowers. If they allow you to pick, pick sparingly. And be sure to make an extra dried flower bookmark to share with your neighbor.

A You Pick Wildflowers may be just around the corner for learning all about flowers.

Another option is a You Pick. These are similar to You Pick Strawberries or Blueberry farms. You pay a small entrance fee or based on however much you pick. 

Keep the grocery store as a last resort but it is better than not being able to make a dried flower bookmark.

You do not need to have fresh flowers but it’s much more fun. Luckily for most individuals, flowers can be bought almost anytime of the year. Grocery stores and flower shops stock flowers all year round. If possible though, try another option first.

Try to give your child the opportunity to observe flowers in their natural habitat. Even if this means walking around a neighborhood or park and not picking. Then if needed you can purchase flowers from the store to make the dried flower bookmark.

Make a dried flower bookmark with your child.

Gather your supplies.

Firstly, you must have flowers pressed. This is the flower press we use. Everything you need is included, except freshly picked flowers. Also, the size is great for kids because it allows for mistakes, which will inevitably occur if it’s your first time flower pressing or if it’s been several years – which was my case. Don’t forget to press some green leaves too. This way your bookmarks will have some added texture, shapes, and colors.

Before beginning pressing, use the printable to help you and your child label a few different flowers. Look for the sepal, stamen, and pistil. See what you can find on the flowers you are about to press. If you aren’t sure on the anatomy of a flower check out this post here, Flower Anatomy. There is a free printable also available.

Set up the flower press.

Follow the instructions to set up the flower press and then pick your flowers. Cut them to the correct length and place them how you want them to lay. Thicker flowers are more difficult to press so I recommend thinner and daintier flowers. My 4 and 6 year old like to help me every step of the way. If they are being stubborn on how to place a flower I either correct it when they are distracted or I let it go.

The press takes a few weeks to work so they won’t remember how they exactly placed a flower or realize they made a mistake after the time period has lapsed.

Have your kids help you create the dried flower bookmark.

Once the flowers have been pressed, this usually takes about 3-4 weeks, and are sufficiently dried out you can now turn them into bookmarks. The easiest way to do this is with a laminator. 

The flowers are a little brittle after being pressed but I found my boys handled them very well. If a petal does fall off, just add it back to the design like it was meant to be falling off.

On a laminator sheet I let my boys decide where the flowers should go. Leave the end that will go into the laminator first empty. You can draw a rectangle with a marker on the sheet to provide boundaries for your child. These boundaries can provide a rough estimate for a narrow bookmark. I was able to get 1-2 bookmarks per sheet. Once they’re done placing, you may need to make some minor adjustments.

Now it’s time to feed through the laminator. This will require your diligent attention to feed the flowers and laminator sheet through. The end that goes in first shouldn’t have much if anything. Once I was able to grab a hold on the other side as it was feeding through I had the boys keep tension on the sheet to assist it all the way. Do not attempt this with vey thick flowers.

Cut, clip, tie to finish your dried flower bookmark.

Now cut out the bookmarks. Depending on the age of your child they could help. I found that leaving about a quarter of an inch from the edges and following the shape of the bookmark made for a pretty design. Be sure to leave room at the top for a hole punch. 

Lastly, hole punch that area and tie a ribbon on to create a pretty bookmark.

Who doesn’t need a new bookmark?

We read a lot in our family and so having bookmarks lying around is a blessing. But you can also gift bookmarks to friends, family, neighbors, or maybe you simply know a bookworm. Overall, creating dried flower bookmarks is a rewarding opportunity for your child to create something useful and beautiful. Again, turn this activity into a full lesson with books and learning the names of the parts of a flower. Get the free printable for a Flower’s Anatomy by following the link.

More nature inspired activities. 

Love making things from nature with your child? Check out these pinecone birdfeeders. My boys love making these and then birdwatching after.

Or maybe art is more your speed. These posts on how to turn apple stamping and a butterfly craft into play based learning activities might inspire you more. 

Flower pressing to create a dried flower bookmark.

Activity Instructions