Flower Arranging

Arranging flowers is a great activity as it takes you out into the garden and you can produce a lovely display for the house or for a gift.

Materials Needed

• Flowers, greenery, sticks & seed pods
• Container to arrange flowers- vase, oasis & pot, jars, Ikebana plate
• Secateurs or Scissors

Instructions

1. Check out these ikebana images for inspiration and learn more about traditional ikebana here https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ikebana
2. Before heading into the garden to collect your materials check with an adult if there are any plants of flowers not to be cut or take an adult with you.
3. Choose a vase or container for your flower arrangement. Do you have an old box or pot with Oasis (the green foam stuff) you could use? Just turn the foam over. Do you have a collection on small jars you could recycle & use? You can also use a spikey ikebana plate in a dish if you have one.
4. In the garden carefully cut flowers and greenery, look for interesting sticks and gumnuts & seed pods on sticks.
5. You will need a table with clear space to do your flower arranging. Lay out the materials you have gathered.
6. Start placing your flower stems or greenery, use the best ones first then add other greenery.
7. Trim the ends of the stems as you go so, they are the right height. Consider balance, being able to see every flower and how your eye is drawn to the arrangement. You can move things around.
    

Follow Up Questions and Reflections

What can we do differently next time?
What other activities could you do with your new skills?
How did it make you feel?
What did you like or dislike?
What did you learn?

Activity source and acknowledgements

Contributed by Felina French