Dried Arrangement from Dried Grasses and Forbs
by Ruth Ann Carlson
Zana Snell
Bill Lombardi
Trish Donovan
Grade level: 4
Subject: Art, Science
Duration: 45 minutes
Description: The student will become aware of art from nature as well as grasses and forbs.
Goals:
1. Students will learn how dry arrangements are made.
2. Students will make know the difference between forbs and grasses.
Objectives: Students will make a dried arrangement of their own.
Preparation: Collect plants 3 weeks in advance to dry or buy already dried plants
Materials:
1. Cups or other small containers
2. Florist foam
3. Dried grasses and forbs from around your community (Avoid noxious
weeds)
4. Scissors
5. Range plant Id. books
Vocabulary:
1. Grasses: paralleled veined leaves which consist of two parts; a flat
bladelike portion and sheathe which encloses the stem. (Ex. Bluebunch
Wheatgrass)
2. Forbs: A palatable, broad-leaved, flowering herbaceous plant whose
stem does not become woody. (Ex. Dandelion)
Procedure:
1. Review or discuss the differences between grasses and forbs.
2. Steps of a dry arrangement:
i. Collect grasses and forbs if you haven't already collected. Try to
get colorful plants. Avoid plants that have a fleshy appearance, as
they will not dry will. You may want to collect plants out of your flower
garden, such as Stattus or Strawflowers.
ii. Hang the plants upside down from a string.
iii. Let dry 1-3 weeks
iv. Cut foam to fit snugly into a coffee mug or container. Trim off
level with the top of the mug.
v. Use a circular design that has a rounded form.
vi. Build the dry floral arrangement with the general rule of thumb
that the arrangement should be 1 ½ times the height and width
of the container. This called scale.
3. Use flowers or grasses to make basic shape and have students fill
in.
Assessment: Check on students completed dried flower
arrangements to see if they followed steps.