Care of the Environment

Care of the Environment

Arranging Flowers

Arranging Flowers
Materials Apron, Bucket, Funnel, Pitcher
Work area with waterproof surface
Basket of flowers, of different types and colors
Tray with several vases, of different forms and sizes
Low bowl with water
Bowl to place cut off stems and leaves
Sharp scissors
Drying cloth
Doilies in a basket
Extra container for keeping unarranged flowers

Preparation Washing a Table, Scrubbing a Table, Putting on an Apron

Purposes Independence & care of environment, Coordination of movement,

Development of aesthetic sense, indirect prep for sensorial/math,
Development of sense of order, indirect prep for more botany.

Age 4–5

Presentation 1. Invite the child and name the activity.

2. Show the child where the flower arranging materials are kept
and invite the child to put on his apron while you get yours.
The adult should stand in front, with the child to the right.

3. Invite the child to carry the pitcher to the sink and fill it.
Follow the child to indicate when to stop filling.

4. Once 2/3 full, inspect outside of pitcher. If necessary, use

towel on sink side to wipe around outside of pitcher.

5. Child carries pitcher back to table and return to original spot.

6. Model choosing a vase (for initial presentation, select a vase

with an opening large enough that you won’t need a funnel).

7. Verbalize aesthetic thought process as you make your

selection. “I think the pattern on this one will go perfectly with
my arrangement.” Set a vase between bowl and towel on table.

8. Lift pitcher as before. Align spout with mouth of vase and

pour. Highlight to child that you are not fully filling the vase.
 Care of the Environment
Arranging Flowers

9. Align the spout with the bowl on the left of the table. Pour a
little water into the bottom of the bowl. Highlight that you only
need a little water. Show the child that there is still some water
in the pitcher. This can be used to fill the child’s vase later. Set
the pitcher in its original location, handle out (neutral
position).

10. Model choosing a flower for your arrangement. Verbalize your

aesthetic judgments. “This big red one will make the perfect
center piece for my arrangement. The yellow center reminds
me of the sunshine.” Remove flower from the large vase,
pulling upward.

11. Measure the flower to the desired height. Align the flower with
the vase, so the stem is in front of the edge of the table closest
to you. Raise and lower the flower beside the vase to
determine where to cut. Once decided, hold your left index
finger and thumb at the spot you’d like to cut, with a pincer
grip.

12. Transfer the flower to lie in the bowl on the left, still pinching
the spot to be cut. The flower’s blossom should be at the back
of the bowl, with the stem pointing to the front.

13. Apply a little pressure with your finger to bend the spot to be
cut. Bend the stem into the bowl so it is underwater.

14. Grasp the handles of the scissors with your dominant hand and
cut just above the spot your fingers are marking. Ensure your
fingers are stabilizing the stem while cutting and that you are
cutting underwater. Keep the scissor blades clear of your
fingers.

15. Note to the child that leaves near the bottom of the stem will
rot if kept in the water of the vase. Cut them off with the
scissors. Set the closed scissors in their original location.

16. Transfer debris to designated bowl at back edge of the table.

17. Continue this process until all desired flowers have been
arranged. Continue to highlight aesthetic sense. “I want this
little yellow one to be shorter than my centerpiece, so the vase
doesn’t look too crowded. Those look so pretty together! I
really like it.”
 Care of the Environment
Arranging Flowers
18. Select a doily for your arrangement. Model selection process.
“I’ll going for simplicity today. This one is just the right size.”

19. Lay doily on palm of non-dominant hand. Use dominant hand

to grasp vase and set its base on doily in your hand to carry it.

20. Model selecting an appropriate location for the arrangement.

21. After the arrangement has been placed in the environment,

model brining the bowl of leaves and stem pieces to the
compost. Empty the bowl and set it in its original location.

22. Invite the child to take a turn.

23. Fade and observe when child is successfully cutting first stem.

24. When the child is placing his arrangement, greet him in the
environment and appeal to his aesthetic sense by commenting
on his arrangement. “I see you put a lot of thought into your
arrangement. What is your favorite part of it?”

25. Encourage repetition. When child has completed cycle of

activity, assist with final clean up.

26. Ensure stem bowl has been emptied into compost.

27. Pull the tray with the bucket on it out from under the table.

28. Dump the water from the bowl into the bucket. Pour any
remaining clean water from the pitcher into the bowl and swish
gently before dumping the bowl into the bucket again.

29. The child can carry the bucket to the sink and empty it. Place
bucket in its original location and slide tray back under table.

30. Move scissors off the towel, unfold the towel, fold in half, and
roll it up. Inspect the table. Use the rolled-up towel to wipe any
spills on the table surface, and wipe the inside of both bowls.

31. Lay towel across outstretched forearm, palm facing up. Grasp
the scissors with the other hand, fingers in the finger holds,
and open them slightly. Rest the scissor blades on the towel
and wipe across the towel to dry them. Flip scissors over and
repeat. Close dry scissors and set them back down on table.

32. Check dampness of towel, place damp towels on the drying

 If a vase has a narrow neck, you will need to use a funnel.
 Model with a vase that does not need a funnel. If the child chooses a vase that needs
a funnel, you can demonstrate how to use it in the moment. Care of the Environment
 The reason we cut stems underwater is to keep them fresher and immediately Arranging draw
Flowers
water up into stem. Professional flower arrangers cut stems underwater and at an
angle. If stem sits flat onrack,
bottomandofrestore as necessary.
the vase, its ability to draw water is less efficient.
 You have to have a designated place in the environment where someone can
33. Restore
temporarily place flower scissorsFor
arrangements. on top of folded
example, whentowel on right sideon
an arrangement of atable.
work table gets in the way of a child’s work, the child can place arrangement by the
sink (or wherever the34. The childlocation
designated can remove,
is). Itfold, and restore
is important the apron.to put the
to remember
arrangement back when he has finished his activity.
Following
 This can Exercises 1. Show
be a grace and howlesson.
courtesy to harvest flowers from garden, if you have one.
 Be careful when placing arrangements how
2. Show the child in thetoenvironment:
care for an old arrangement
 Arrangements that need refreshing include vases that have
 Off limits: shelves with materials on them (If vase gets knocked over, shelf and
run out of water, vases with murky water, a stem that has
materials on it can get damaged.)
died, or leaves that are rotting
 Acceptable: work tables, snack table
3. Show the child different seasonal arrangements
 Arrangements can be taken to someone who works in the office to put on a desk
 These could include mums, field grasses, evergreen
(especially helpful if you are running out of space in the environment).
branches, or holly branches
 Having small vases available slows children down by requiring they choose a few
flowers
Points per arrangement.
of Interest  Measuring the height of the flower
 By making aesthetic thought processes known, you demonstrate to children that
 Cutting the stem underwater
flower arranging involves thoughtful composition, not stuffing flowers into vases.
 Cutting at an angle
 The absorbent mind is adapting to the environment it is in, as children explore
 Thinking out loud to model the aesthetic sense
through their senses. This activity is an example of how we introduce extensions into
the cultural areas across the Filling vase with
curriculum. the right
Although amount
seeds of water
of culture (if there
are truly sownis in
too
the second plane, we can take much water, the
advantage vase willperiods
of sensitive overflow as flowers
through are added)
sensorimotor
experiences in Primary. Culture here refers to the subjects that are a product of man’s
intelligence.
Pedagogical NotesIn this case, we are indirectly preparing children for further studies in
biology, through a sensorimotor exploration of botany. Geography, art, and other
subjects can also be extended into. Other extensions into biology include:
 Having a guidebook of North American birds at window.
 Embodying a respect for animals (including insects), rather than modeling fear or
disrespect of animals.
 Having animals in the classroom, including permanent visitors or “short-timers” such
as tadpoles, butterflies, or found bugs. Use a humane catch and release process for
“short-timers.”
 Having a cutting garden for flower arranging. This can sometimes be difficult to
establish in New England, where many flowers bloom during the summer when
school is no longer in session.
Care of the Environment
Arranging Flowers