Sunflower Craft | Visual Arts | Art Appreciation | Vincent Van Gogh | Preschool Lesson Plan Activities

Instructions & Suggestions

Note:  This activity is also appropriate for other educational  themes listed in the themes column.

*  Even though sunflowers could not flourish in the area where I lived I came to love them and tried to paint the first one at 4 years of age.  My mother saved it, so I still have it.  Why did I love sunflowers?  Because of the images of Van Gogh's sunflowers painting  I looked at in art books my parents showed to me!  

Activity:  Visit an Online Gallery to View Van Gogh's Sunflowers and Meet Mr. Van Gogh
1.  Visit the Online Gallery:  
March 30th is Mr. Vincent Van Gogh's  birthday, so why not celebrate his sunflowers paintings and take our children to this online gallery to see them and also learn about sunflowers with other activities.  Click on a few of the thumbnail pictures to view a larger image.  Encourage discussion and as the children view the images provide them with some basic information about Mr. Van Gogh.
2.  Meet Mr. Van Gogh:
* Discuss some basic information about Mr. Van Gogh and  read Joy Chiang's lesson plan for additional ideas to incorporate Mr. Van Gogh's life and work in the activities.  What is important is to know that he left us with beautiful paintings to enjoy and learn from:
   * Famous artist and  painter born in a  beautiful country called Holland, The Netherlands.
   * Visual Arts / Art Appreciation:  One of his favorite flowers was the sunflower and he left us all the gift of a  collection of magnificent sunflower paintings.  This type of painting is called a still life.  For information and further activities on still life painting, visit this activity:  A Still Life.

Resource:  Visit Joy Chiang's Van Gogh Lesson Plan 
1.  Joy Chiang, teacher at Tiger Tots Pre-Kindergarten in Taipei, Taiwan has shared her comprehensive lesson plan for Van Gogh here.  Please review and adapt to your needs.

Activity:  Learning About Sunflowers
Now let us derive joy from learning the story of sunflowers, how they are planted, how they grow, and their many useful uses. We will use the color yellow in all it's splendor with these activities:
1. Read The Story of the Sunflower Coloring Book from the screen and simplify it as you go along or print and display on a board.
2.  Print those pages you think the children would like to color.
3.  Have the children color, paint and decorate their sunflower coloring pages.

Arts and crafts activities > 
1. Large Sunflower Posters: 
Have the children observe Mr. Van Gogh's sunflower paintings.  Provide large pieces of paper (easel size, or tape discarded paper together) yellow paints in different shades, greens and other colors, brushes, sponges and allow them to do free style painting to make their own sunflowers.  

2. Draw, color and write: S is for Sunflower or Y is for Yellow
Print this drawing and writing paper.  Have children draw and color sunflowers.  Children can then practice writing letter F is for Flower, S for Sunflower or letter Y for Yellow.

3. Coloring, writing and computer skills
Print a sunflower theme coloring pages 1 | 2 | 3
Children Ages 2-4:
- Children can color or paint.  Paste sunflower seeds in the center of flower.

For older children learning to print:
- Print these writing lines behind your choice of coloring page.  Have children practice writing letter S for sunflower or Y is for yellow.  After writing practice encourage children to color and decorate the coloring page.

4. Online coloring Sunflowers (all ages) > Computer mouse skills and color practice

Crafts > Sunflower Crafts at dltk-holidays.com
Make your selection of a wonderful sunflower craft.

Happy Birthday Mr. Van Gogh and thank you!

You need:
* Something to color or paint with
* white paper

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