Dandelions Unit Study for Homeschool Families
Don’t overlook the humble dandelion and its importance to our world in this Dandelions Unit Study for families homeschooling through the summer.
In this installment of our Summer Bucket List Series, your kids will learn all about dandelions, the abundant ways they can be used, their life cycle, and the interesting history of dandelions in this family-style unit study.
This Dandelion Unit Study is designed to be done together, as a family, with your children of all ages. However, recommendations for certain age groups are given.
Early Learners: Preschool to 2nd grade
Early Elementary: 1st – 3rd grades
Upper Elementary: 4th – 6th grades
Middle & High School: 7th grade and up.
Some links in this post may be affiliate links. This means that if you click on them, I may make a tiny commission, at no extra cost to you.
Dandelions English Language Arts
Family Read Aloud
Strawberry Girl by Lois Lenski
Read Aloud Living Picture Books
Dandelion Summer by Fran Preston-Gannon
Dandelion by Don Freeman
Little Dandelion Seeds the World by Julia Richardson
Dandelions by Katrina McKelvey
Dandelions by Eve Bunting
Carmela Full of Wishes by Matt de la Pena
Independent Readers
Upper Elementary
Select one of these:
Dandelion Cottage by Carrol Watson Rankin
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame
Middle-High School Level
Select one of these:
Dandelion Summer Blue Hill Sky Series by Lisa Wingate
Dandelion Wine: A Novel by Ray Bradbury
For Moms (or teens)
Like Dandelion Dust by Karen Kingsbury
Poetry
Read the poem, Dandelions by Nellie Garabrant
There’s a dandy little fellow,
Who dresses all in yellow,
In yellow with an overcoat of green;
With his hair all crisp and curly,
In the springtime bright and early
A-tripping o’er the meadow he is seen.
Through all the bright June weather,
Like a jolly little tramp,
He wanders o’er the hillside, down the road;
Around his yellow feather,
Thy gypsy fireflies camp;
His companions are the woodlark and the toad.
But at last this little fellow
Doffs his dainty coat of yellow,
And very feebly totters o’er the green;
For he very old is growing
And with hair all white and flowing,
A-nodding in the sunlight he is seen.
Oh, poor dandy, once so spandy,
Golden dancer on the lea!
Older growing, white hair flowing,
Poor little baldhead dandy now is he!
Dandelions by Nellie Garabrant
Writing
Creative Writing
Use the Dandelion Creative Writing worksheet for Preschool-Early Elementary from the Free Resource Library . Have your students write down (or narrate for you to write) what they would wish for on a dandelion.
Your older students could also use it to write down their wishes, but maybe instead of wishing for material things, have them only wish for ways they can improve their world.
Report Writing
See below in the History section for more information about writing a report for Early Elementary, Upper Elementary, and Middle-High School.
Grammar
Copywork and narration are a real-life way to work on grammar skills. Use the FREE Dandelion Copywork and Narration pages from the Free Resource Library. The Dandelion Copywork and Narration pages come in 3 levels for Early Elementary, Upper Elementary, and Middle-High School.
After your child has written the sentence from dictation, let her see the original to check it with her work. Have her correct her work, so that she knows how it should look.
Then have him re-write the selection in his very best handwriting.
Dandelions STEAM
Science
Early Learners: Your younger kids will enjoy reading the book, The Dandelion Seed by Joseph P. Anthony or A Dandelion’s Life by John Himmelman.
Then have your kids go on a scavenger nature hunt to gather dandelions in every stage of development. Lay them out or pop them into a paper plate to show the life cycle of dandelions. Don’t forget to take a picture!
Have them complete the Dandelion Life Cycle worksheet for Young Learners from the Free Resource Library.
Upper Elementary Have your kids research how dandelion seeds fly through the air (called seed dissemination) and how dandelions reproduce. Have them complete the Dandelion Life Cycle worksheet for Upper Elementary from the Free Resource Library.
Recommended Resources:
Read the Ecosystems Connections part of this article from the Missouri Department of Conservation
Middle and High School: Have your kids research how dandelion seeds are disseminated and how dandelions (an angiosperm) reproduce. Have them complete the Dandelion Life Cycle worksheet for Middle & High Schoolers from the Free Resource Library.
For moms grading the Middle/High School Science worksheet: Life cycle and reproduction of dandelions
Technology & Engineering
Have your kids research the medicinal uses of dandelions through the past 500 years.
During World War II, rubber was in very high demand globally, while the supply was very low. Have your kid find out what research was being done with dandelions to try and fill the demand for latex and rubber.
Dandelion seeds are most commonly dispersed by air because of their parachute-like shape. Create your own dandelion style parachute with these instructions from Science Sparks.
Math
Early Learners: Have your littlest ones compare and contrast the dandelions they’ve picked. Talk to them about how they are the same and different. Maybe they sort them into two piles, yellow and white.
Early Elementary: Have your kiddos measure the stems of the dandelions they’ve picked. They can also count the seeds on a seeded head.
Upper Elementary: After your kids have measured the dandelion stems, have them find the average height. Did you know that if a dandelion is mowed, it’ll grow back with a shorter stem?
Teach your kids to play Tic-Tac-Toe with dandelions. Use yellow and white heads for the x’s and o’s and the stems for the cross lines.
Middle and High School: Did you know that the petals of a dandelion are arranged in a Fibonacci spiral? It’s true! Fibonacci spirals are found all over nature. Have your students learn about the Fibonacci spiral and how to create one and why nature uses it so often.
Here are two resources for your students to learn about Dandelions and Fibonacci spirals: Deep Friar and a Wiki article.
Arts
Practical Arts
There are so many uses for the dandelion–every part of it is edible and useful! Here are some creative and fun ones to try!
EASY
The Homesteading Hippy: Make homemade dandelion butter.
Adamant Kitchen: Dandelion Shortbread cookies
INTERMEDIATE
Homespun Seasonal Living: Dandelion Muffins
Creative Homemaking: Dandelion Lemonade (easy, but more time-consuming)
ADVANCED
Bakers Bridage: Dandelion Lemon Bars
City Girl Farming: Dandelion Cookies with essential oils
Applied Arts
Create some dandelion art by painting with dandelions as the paintbrush. Or use these instructions from Teach Preschool to create a blow art dandelion painting.
Dandelions History
Use the FREE Dandelions Report Printable in the Whole Child Homeschool Resource Store to have your students write a simple report about the history of the dandelion, its uses throughout history, or how it got its name.
Use these recommended resources for your research:
Fine Motor Activities
Make some dandelion play-doh with this recipe from Parenting Chaos.
Teach your kids to make a dandelion crown. If you don’t remember how, use these tips from Pink Stripey Socks.
Create a dandelion shape board for your littlest ones to work on their fine motor skills, like these from Little Pine Learners.
Social-Emotional Activities
Read The Dandelion Seed’s Big Dream: Learn the Importance of Patience and Persistence with a Growth Mindset Book for Kids by Joseph Anthony
Make a Dandelion “Wishes in a Jar” like Laughing Kids Learn did.
Read this Dandelion parable about self-worth and having a purpose.
Extras for Your Dandelion Unit Study
Dandelion notebooking and journaling pages in 3 levels (9 pages total) from our sister site, Homeschool Helper Online.
Time lapse video of a dandelion flower from BoxLapse
Macroscopic photos of a dandelion
Article for Moms: How Dandelions Helped Me Choose Homeschooling
More Summer Homeschooling Ideas
Be sure to follow my Pinterest board Summertime Learning for more great hands-on activities and ideas for your Dandelions unit study!
And most importantly, pin this post so you can refer back to it during your Dandelions unit study.
