Fields of Daffodils

Represent the spirit of hope with a classroom display of sunny daffodils. Plant flowering bulbs and learn how communities help each other heal.

• 1.

  What is a community? To which communities do you belong? Think about your local neighborhood, rural area, town, or suburb. How do the people in a community help one another? How can one community help another?<br>

• 2.

  On October 20, 2001, communities in New York City started The Daffodil Project. More than 10,000 volunteers planted 1.5 million daffodil bulbs. These bulbs were donated by people and organizations in the Netherlands and New York. This project brings a spirit of hope to the city. The daffodils remind people each year of the heroic rescue and recovery efforts after the tragedy on September 11, 2001. Each spring a golden Field of Daffodils weave through the city in more than 1000 parks and green spaces.<br>

• 3.

  Cover your art area with newspaper. To make your own daffodil, first find out about the parts of these spring flowers. Paint a small paper plate yellow and orange. Use Crayola® Washable Paint and So Big Brushes. <br>

• 4.

  With Crayola Scissors, cut two strips (about 3 in x 12 in [7 cm x 30 cm]) from a recycled file folder. Paint one white, gold (mix orange and yellow), and yellow. Paint the other strip green for the flower stem. Dry.<br>

• 5.

  Use Crayola School Glue to glue the ends of the yellow strip together to make a crown loop. Dry.<br>

• 6.

  Cut four small slits around the edges on one side of the loop. Fold the edges out to make four tabs. Put glue on each tab. Attach crown to the painted plate to make a blooming daffodil. Dry.<br>

• 7.

  Cut around the edges of the plate to make it look fringed or scalloped (wavy) if you like. Glue the green stem to the back of your daffodil. <br>

• 8.

  Display your daffodil with others made by classmates to make your own Field of Daffodils.

Benefits

• Children discuss different ways people and communities help each other.
• Children identify the parts of a daffodil.
• Children exercise fine motor skills as they create paper plate daffodils for classroom display.

Adaptations

• Encourage younger children and those with special needs to independently create their own unique flowers. Some may prefer to tear paper to make crowns and stems or to fringe edges of the daffodil.
• Think of how you could help brighten the day of people in your community by displaying your Field of Daffodils at a community center, senior citizens residence, local hospital, or social services agency.
• Plant daffodil bulbs in your school yard or in a local park. Plant bulbs in the fall before the soil freezes. Daffodil bulbs lay dormant in the ground for several months. Plant bulbs in gardens where other flowers grow or "naturalize" them by planting them in a random pattern under trees and in green spaces where the grass is not mowed. Check the instructions that come with the bulbs to find out how deep to plant them and how far apart to space them.