How to Build a Sunflower House

Our girls love having a secret spot. Sometimes that means making the kitchen table into a fort or turning the bunk beds into a make-shift tent. This past May our family studied plants.  We put together two raised gardens, created a window garden and, of course, we had to plant a sunflower house. Jennifer over at Let the Children Play posted a directional video for a sunflower house and wrote “Watch it and I dare you not to add it to your list.” I couldn’t resist it; now I double dog dare you to read this post and not add it to YOUR list.

The girls immediate took to their private space by adding a gate even before the flowers came in.  They would read in the fort, play dolls or sometimes just chit chat.  Despite the plants being only a foot tall they seemed to feel as if they were separated from the rest of the world.

The directions are quite simple:

• Find a place which gets lots of sunshine.
• Dig out the shape of your fort. We used a swimming pool as a guide. I happen to think circles are more fun than squares! Be sure to leave a small gap for an entrance.
• Get a variety of sunflower seeds ranging in size and colors. The giant sunflowers are awesome, but it is really neat to have smaller sunflowers coming in to create a sense of privacy.
• Plant & water as directed. We enjoyed documenting its progress with photos.
• Watch it grow all summer, enjoy the variety of birds who feast on the seeds in the fall.
• Let the kids safely sneak away into their own private world.

The project has been a source of joy the entire summer. Working in the dirt in the spring was therapeutic. I did get a lot of random looks from my neighbors though when we dug a circle in our front yard. Cest la vie. In the end, everyone came around with genuinely nice comments about the beauty of the sunflowers.

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 Sunflower House

It was a wonderful reason to slow down in the morning before heading off to summer school.  We’d check the height of the plants, take a photo, or just dance for a minute.

The girls dragged their slide over to the entrance to make the house a “kids only” zone.

The flowers are beautiful and I love to watch them shift in the sun.  I cannot wait for the birds to start coming for the seeds.  It will also be a blast to have the stalks start to fall in on each other this fall.  We did have a few bees this summer, but most of the time they were so high up in the 7 foot flowers that the girls didn’t mind.  We studied insects in July so it was a perfect tie in!

You and the kids will have a wonderful time.  Smiles guaranteed.  Click here for additional written directions.

Watch the video of our sunflower adventure here. I know it is long, but sometimes as a mom I just cannot edit out the excess. Each photo, each twirl, each phase is just precious to me. {winks} I know you understand!

*Let’s Lasso the Moon Tip: Did you like the cello music in the video? I instantly fell in love with Zoe Keating while listening to an interview on the podcast RadioLab. This song is the music of one cello that is looped and layered. Keep your own curiosity alive by subscribing to the podcast RadioLab. You won’t regret it. Once you subscribe let me know which specific episodes floor you!

NOTE: I do not recommend this activity if anyone in your family has an allergy to bees. However, just a quick FYI. We played in our fort all summer without any stings or issues!

{Photo Credit: Thank you to Marc Falardeau for making the beautiful sunflower in my letter a creative commons photo! Beautiful!}