Dandelion Shapes and Curls

An easy activity, fun and interesting with free supplies - can you go wrong?

1. Gather your stems - expect overly excited looks from your children.


2. Pop off the tops.
3. Shapes - put the smaller end into the bigger end, bend where you like for triangles, squares, etc.

4. Curls - split the stem with your fingernails, this one is in the middle, which creates a strange effect. Split at the end for curls - the longer the split the more curl. Tell your kids to peel it like string cheese :)

5. submerge in cold water and WATCH! It will wiggle and curl before your very eyes.

E with his "tree".

My cute niece Josee with a combined creation of several pieces, shapes and curls together.

My sisters and I (probably my brother too, if he would admit it) used to play with stems for hours, we had all kinds of creations, our speciality being jewelry. Once, after a hard days work of 'jewelry" making we decided, of our own accord, to go door to door selling our curly creations. We earned several pennies and nickels, a few dimes and maybe a quarter or two. We were quite proud of our venture until we told our mother. She was mortified that we had traipsed around the neighbourhood selling weeds and made us take all the money back. I'm sure she didn't want anyone to think she had sent her children begging.

Somehow I still think the curls are beautiful, in fact I'm not so sure why dandelions get such a bad rap, Maybe this week I'll try a dandelion salad.