Use dandelions to teach preschool children the sound the letter "D" makes. Provide children with brown paper bags, take them on a walk through a dandelion-filled field and have them fill their bags with the flowers. Write an uppercase and lowercase letter "D" on a piece of paper, discuss the sound the letter makes and inform children that the word "dandelion" begins with the letter "D." Have children glue dandelions on the printed letter "D's."
Instead of using paintbrushes to paint pictures, use dandelions. Fill small bowls with different colors of paint and set out artist paper. Invite children to dip the heads of dandelions into the paint and use them to paint a picture. The dandelions will make interesting lines on the paper, creating a one-of-a-kind piece of artwork.
See how far children can blow dandelion seeds from their stems. On a day that isn't too windy, take children outside and have them pick a dandelion that has changed from yellow to white. Have them carefully walk back inside with their dandelions. In an unobstructed space, have one child at a time blow the seeds off of his dandelion. Use a measuring tape to see how far he has blown them. Explain to children that when the wind blows the seeds outside, more dandelions will grow wherever the seeds landed.
Have children make dandelions to use as photo frames. Cut two circles out of yellow construction paper, one slightly smaller than the other. Have children glue the smaller circle on top of the larger one. Take a photo of each child's face. Cut the photos into circles and have children glue them in the center of the smaller yellow circle. Provide children with safety scissors and have them cut fringes around the edges of the yellow circles. Cut a piece of green construction paper into a thin rectangle that is the same height as each child. Glue the stems to the bottom of the flowers and write the year the project was done on the stems.