Hampshire House 

What is a Dandelion?

“You can blow the dandelions and make a wish, then it will come true for many years to come” – Lily ( 4 years) 

As part of our plant investigation the children in the Playfair room have been exploring flowers, both inside and out. When investigating parts of the flowers the children initially mistook the dandelion’s yellow flower with a “tiny sunflower”. To clear up this misconception, we embarked together on a journey to discover the secrets of dandelions. 

Our exploration began by watching a timelapse video that revealed the mesmerizing transformation of the dandelion follower into a delicate puff. The children wondered as they witnessed the flower’s graceful evolution. 

“That’s so cool” - Ryan 

“ I didn’t know that before” - Jamie. 

“ The dandelion when you blow them they make a dream” - Hannah.

To experience the magic of dandelions in the natural world a group of the children then went on a beach walk, where we encountered an abundance of dandelions. We collected our specimens and returned to Hampshire House where the children engaged in scientific investigations using the microscopes. They discovered the dandelions life cycle, structure and unique features. This offered a holistic learning opportunity that combined scientific exploration and artistic expression and an opportunity to engage with the natural world. Of course the children couldn’t resist the beauty of the dandelion puff. They playfully blew on them and watched the seeds as they scattered in the air, as they made a wish upon the fluffy parachutes. 

Miss Rochelle Gil 

Playfiar Room