Encourage your students to paint specific trees, plants and flowers. Show them picture books of oak trees, Palo Verde desert trees, bleeding heart flowers, lavender, and maple trees. Help them learn how to recognize the different plants and then paint what they see. The kids might also want to plant a seed, a sprouting plant as it comes out of the seed, and all the different stages of growth until the plant is fully mature.
Help the children make a decorative collage featuring plants, flowers, trees and seeds. The kids can draw different flowers and trees on the collage, then add stickers. Give them flower seeds to glue around the border of the collage or glue in random spots on the page. The seeds add an extra element of texture, but the kids might also want to glue on leaves they find outdoors along with sticks, rocks and other materials from nature.
Show your preschool students how to cut out their favorite pictures of flowers, plants and trees from magazines. They can also bring in pictures from home if they have some. Give the children thin, unlined journals and encourage them to glue the pictures of their favorite plants in the book. Use crayons or markers to help them write the name of the flower or tree on the top of each page. The kids can decorate the front of the books with stickers, pressed flowers or other decorations.
Buy several different types of pressed flowers at the craft store or help the kids make these for crafting. To make a pressed flower, simply place flowers between wax paper and put books on top. Remove the books within a few days to reveal the pressed flowers. Show your students how to make pictures and cards with the pressed flowers. They can glue the flowers on random spots on the page or make designs such as hearts, circles and happy faces. Encourage them to color designs or add glitter as an extra special effect.