Chrysanthemums are beautiful flowers and, thanks to Kevin Henkes’ book, they also provide a great way to teach children about kindness and love themselves! The story has inspired amazing activities and crafts for students of all ages. Whether you’re looking to complete a book study literacy unit, a science activity, or an art craft, this list has something for you!
1. Chrysanthemum Book
Start your lessons off with Kevin Henkes’ book. Follow the journey of a little mouse named Chrysanthemum as she learns to accept her unique name. The beautifully illustrated read about kindness teaches students valuable lessons about accepting people for who they are.
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2. Chrysanthemum Video
If you need a digital activity for distance learning, this read-along version of Kevin Henkes’ book is perfect! As they follow along, your kids can see the beautiful illustrations up close. Feel free to pause the video and discuss what they see in the pictures.
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3. Story Maps
Help visualize basic comprehension questions about the book with a story map! The colorful printouts are perfect for creating an interactive anchor chart in your classroom. Students can refer to it during writing activities and other class assignments.
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4. Story Sequencing
This simple activity is a great way to collect real-time student data on comprehension skills. Simply cut and paste the events of the story in the correct order. Use it as a group activity or a take-home assignment for students to complete individually.
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5. A Wrinkled Heart
Before reading the book, students cut out a paper heart and wrote their names on it. Whenever someone bullies Chrysanthemum in the book, students can crunch their paper hearts. If someone does something nice, have them flatten out the heart to see what happens.
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6. Activity Packs
If you’re looking for additional activities to add to your book study unit, these activity packs are for you! Perfect for PreK- 2nd-grade students, they cover everything from basic comprehension questions to grammar and math.
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7. First Day of School
Start your school year off with this cute worksheet. Students fill in the blanks on the worksheet and share it with their classmates. Turn it into a math lesson by having them graph the consonants, vowels, and syllables of their name!
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8. Name Flowers
Decorate your classroom with personalized flowers crafted by your students. Students write one letter on each petal and then glue them around the flower’s center. Help them “plant” their flowers in a pot before you display them in your class.
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9. Chrysanthemum Name Activity
This book extension is perfect for budding artists in your class. Help them cut out hearts, circles, bows, and whiskers to build Chrysanthemum’s face. Then, in a speech bubble, write their names and add them to their faces. Read the sentences out loud to build a community of kindness.
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10. Coloring Characters Activity
After reading, assign a directed drawing exercise. Lead your students in a step-by-step guide on how to draw a character from the book to practice their motor skills. Then, describe the characters before pinning the drawings on your bulletin board.
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11. All About My Name
Practice spelling and grammar with this simple worksheet. Have students discuss the origin of their names with their parents. Afterward, they can share their unique stories with the class and see if anyone is similar! A great way to introduce class names to everyone.
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12. What’s In Your Name
Teach the difference between vowels and consonants and help your students discover what syllables are! The activity is also a perfect opportunity to teach students about respecting other people’s names. This worksheet is a great resource for bilingual classrooms.
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13. DIY Chrysanthemums
Keep your flowers blooming even in the dead of Winter. Cut colorful paper into strips. Then, help students roll the paper into flower petals before gluing them onto the leaves. Create flower chains and bouquets to decorate your classroom!
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14. Compliment Flowers
Build a community of kindness among your students by having them write compliments about their peers on flower petals. As they exchange petals, students can see what people notice and respect about them.
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15. Acrostic Poems
Boost your students’ confidence! These poems are a quick and easy way to get students excited about celebrating themselves. Students need to think of a positive adjective that begins with each letter of their name. Then, simply write them down line by line for a cute poem.
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16. Flower Petal Name Art
Celebrate the blooms of spring with this pretty activity. After painting their background with watercolors, students can remove petals from their favorite flowers to practice their motor skills. Finally, paste the petals in whatever color pattern your students want to spell out their names!
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17. Parts Of A Flower
Tie a science lesson into your reading of the book. With the help of some craft paper, muffin liners, and a jumbo craft stick, your students can learn all about the parts of flowers. All you have to do is help cut and label the different parts!
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18. Dyeing Flowers
This activity typically uses carnations because they soak up color the best. Mix a few drops of food coloring, paint, or ink, with some water. Add a flower and have your students observe the changes that take place over the next few days.
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19. Compare and Contrast Anchor Chart
Make your story time interactive by comparing and contrasting characters from the book! As you make an anchor chart for the whole class, students can write or draw pictures on their own Venn diagrams for practice!
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20. Dissecting Flowers
Break out the magnifying glass and microscopes for this science lesson. Have your students delicately take apart a flower and then examine each part of the flower and write down its characteristics. Use multiple flowers to compare and contrast species.
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21. Flower Craft
Trace your students’ hands to create awesome kindness flowers for your classroom. After cutting out their hands, students can write compliments about themselves, or each other, to add to the flowers. Keep them up all year so students can keep adding compliments!
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22. Planting Chrysanthemums
Nurture your child’s green thumb by planting chrysanthemums in your backyard or in pots on the balcony! These hardy flowers are a great way to add a pop of color to the dull brown landscape of late Fall and early Winter. The video contains tips and tricks for keeping the plants in tip-top shape!
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23. DIY Flower Crowns
Bring Spring indoors for all seasons with some artificial flowers. Carefully cut and twist several lengths of floral wire to fit your kids’ heads. Then hot glue the flowers around the wire. Add some leaves and foliage to fill in the gaps!
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