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| Thank You Cards from the Garden An important part of any gardening program is to thank the volunteers and donors who generously contribute their time and resources to the effort. Creating pressed flower thank-you cards is a way to tie the garden to history, writing, and science lessons...plus, students can give back a part of the garden in thanks!
1. Begin your lesson by talking about all the people who donate time, money or supplies to help create and maintain your garden. Ask, How does it feel to be thanked for something you've given or done? Is it important to show your appreciation of gifts? What are some ways of showing your thanks? Then reveal that they're going to make thank-you cards for the special people who have given their help to your project, and that you'll decorate them with plants from the garden. But first... 2. ...introduce the history and art of pressing flowers. Centuries ago, before the invention of the camera, botanists traveled the world looking for new plant species. They needed a way to keep track of the new plants they found, so they made sketches and sometimes took seeds or cuttings to bring back with them. Since there was always a chance these moisture-filled plant parts would rot before they returned home, the botanists also carefully pressed plant samples. (Pressing placing plant parts between sheets of paper and weighting or squeezing them wicks away moisture, leaving a preserved specimen that won't decay so quickly.) Also, these flat, lightweight specimens were easier to transport than live plants or their parts — especially important, since these early botanists traveled often traveled long distances by foot. The next step was to paste each specimen to a sheet of paper. Botanists would write on this sheet where they found the plant, its name (if known), and any other important facts. Eventually, samples were stored in a herbarium — a library of pressed plant fact sheets, stored flat in cool, dark place to preserve them. Some are considered works of art! Find out if there is a herbarium located nearby that you can visit. 
3. Tell your students it's their turn to be botanists on an expedition! Take students out to the garden or schoolyard and instruct them to carefully pick flower and leaf samples. Some flowers press better than others, and others may rot before they dry. To ensure success, choose a variety of plant material, and collect more samples than you think you will need. 4. Place the plant material in the Botanical Field Press as directed by the instruction sheet. If you do not have a press, improvise by placing specimens between sheets of tissue and then into an old phone book. If you use a phone book, place a few heavier books on top to make sure that the samples dry flat. Lay the press or phone books on a flat surface. 5. Wait at least two weeks before checking your samples. Flowers and leaves contain different amounts of water so drying times vary. If samples feel dry to the touch and separate easily from the tissue, they're ready for step 6. 6. Give students heavyweight paper to fold it into cards. Have them consider where to place the specimens on the card, apply glue to the paper, and gently stick the pressed plants onto the glue. 7. There are two methods you can use to help the cards last longer: a. Cover the plants with decoupage glue immediately after completing the design. Apply it very gently to avoid tearing the specimens. b. Let the glue dry completely, and either laminate the cards or cover them with contact paper. 8. Once the cards are complete, ask students to write special notes of thanks to the volunteers and donors. If they aren't familiar with letter writing, instruct them how to compose letters and address envelopes. Activity Supplies from the Kids Garden Store Floral Bookmark Kit |
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