My kids and I love the book Have You Ever Seen a Flower? This book lends itself to multiple learning opportunities for my preschooler and toddler to learn through play. Initially, I bought it because of the neon illustrations that drew me in, and I was obsessed with how the illustrator created movement and action in his characters.
I read it to my children as an introductory book about spring, flowers, and gardening. But I feel like it will become a beloved must-read at bedtime for the rest of this month. The best books always turn into that. So yesterday, we grabbed some neon crayons, paper, and Have You Ever Seen a Flower book and started drawing our page for the story.
Since that activity was a hit, we decided to continue the nature adventures after reading this book and go on a search for flowers.
What is the plot of Have You Ever Seen a Flower?
A girl leaves her city life (illustrated in dark colors) for fields of nature. She runs through meadows with her dog exploring nature, using her senses to really, really slow down and enjoy the life all around her.
Why is, Have You Ever Seen a Flower an excellent read-aloud book choice?
Shawn Harris was brilliant in invoking curiosity and interest through his plot and bright illustrations. This story was perfect for my toddler and preschooler to understand and stay engaged, and I would recommend it for older grades as well. The repetition at the beginning of the book was great to draw the reader. I could imagine using this book with my Fourth-graders to teach story starter strategies. Skills like symbolism through colors can be explored for older kids, while for younger children, mini-lessons about the senses would fit perfectly with this story.
What are some ways to use Have You Ever Seen a Flower for hands-on learning for kindergarten and preschool children?
- Day trip to a local botanical garden
- Nature walk around the neighborhood to compare and contrast flowers- taking photos as evidence
- Senses exploration in your backyard to discover just how much nature is all around
- Trip to the local floral shop to observe or buy plants to plant
- Start a small garden in your backyard to record observations
- Flower sensory bin
- Melting crayons into flower silicone molds or get rainbow color pencils for drawing fun
- Draw a retelling of your favorite part of the book using neon crayons
- Make painted coffee filter flowers
- Paint neon paper to use for neon flower collage art
Thank you for visiting Live Learn Literacy!
I was a teacher for almost a decade before becoming a homeschooling parent. I try to take all my best practices from the classroom and make learning engaging, exciting and filled with curiosity for my kids. Please visit my other posts below for more ideas to use with your young learners. Thank you again- Chrissy
