Beautiful Flowers
Colour and variety
by Jan Edmunds (revised, originally published in 2008)
Suitable for Whole School (Pri)
Aims
To encourage an appreciation of the beauty of flowers, especially in summertime.
Preparation and materials
- If possible, have available a selection of flowers and a vase for the children to place them in. Alternatively, have available a selection of images of summer flowers and the means to display them during the assembly. (It is also helpful to have printouts of the flowers for the children to hold.) Examples could include:
- alliums, available at: https://tinyurl.com/y3fcjyeh
- lilies, available at: https://tinyurl.com/y4sdk4pj
- a vase of freesias, available at: https://tinyurl.com/yy8f8laz
- gladioli, available at: https://tinyurl.com/yydxzusn
- irises, available at: https://tinyurl.com/y3839sty
- delphiniums, available at: https://tinyurl.com/y3uz862e
- begonias, available at: https://tinyurl.com/yd3opx8o - Optional: you may wish to display the poem in the ‘Assembly’, Step 4, in which case you will also need the means to do so.
Assembly
- Explain to the children that you have something very special to show them, but they must guess what it is. Give them clues such as the following examples.
- These are some of nature’s beautiful treasures.
- They are colourful.
- They brighten up our classrooms and homes.
- Many of them have a wonderful fragrance.
- People like to give them on birthdays, anniversaries and St Valentine’s Day. - By this time, the children will probably have guessed what you are hiding.
Bring out the flowers or show the images of them.
Ask the child who gives you the correct name for each flower to come and hold it. When all of the flowers have been named, remind the children of the names of the parts of a flower. - Ask the children, ‘Can anyone think of any other occasions when flowers are given?’
Listen to a range of responses.
Depending on what you are using, ask the children who are holding real flowers to put them in the vase or ask the children who are holding printouts to hand them back to you. Then, ask the children to return to their places. - Either read the following poem or invite the children to read the poem with you.
Flowers
By Jan Edmunds
There are colours galore in the garden today,
The scent of the flowers brings the bees out to play.
There are flowers that cling and climb up the wall,
Daisies so tiny and sunflowers so tall.
There are flowers we pick to show that we care;
These are the treasures we all have to share. - Optional: you may wish to ask the children the following questions about the poem.
- What brings the bees out to play?
- Which flowers are tiny?
- Which flowers are tall?
- Why do we sometimes pick flowers?
Time for reflection
In springtime, the first flowers are a sign that the cold winter is nearly over and better weather is on its way. The golden daffodils at Easter time are a wonderful sight. After the flowers have died, they come again the next year as beautiful as ever with the promise of new life. This reminds us of the Easter story. (Optional: you may wish to expand on this.) In summertime, a wider variety of flowers appear, filling the world with variety and colour.
Jesus loved flowers. He said that they were more beautiful than the very wealthy King Solomon dressed in his finest robes (Luke 12.27).
Prayer
We thank you, God, for the beauty of flowers.
Giving flowers shows that we care.
Flowers can brighten our day and fill our hearts with gladness.
Please help us to be like flowers to other people,
Brightening their day and bringing joy to those around us.
Amen.
Song/music
‘Think of a world without any flowers’ (Come and Praise, 17)
‘All things bright and beautiful’ (Come and Praise, 3)
