Flowers for Great Grandpa

This spring the kids and I decided we would plant seeds and decorate flower pots to take to my grandpa's grave. My grandpa would never let anyone treat his lawn for weeds because he loved the way the dandelions looked, so the kids picked yellow marigolds since they kind of look like dandelions.















The kids planted the seeds in April. Marigold seeds are perfect for preschoolers because they sprout quickly. We had little seedlings within a couple weeks.


Last week the kids decorated their flower pots. I did not tell them what they should draw on their pots, but I really enjoyed listening to them explain what they were drawing. I wanted to be sure I would remember their explanations years from now, so I got a couple clips of them explaining their creations. I thought I would share those too:











Finally, we transplanted the plants this week and took them to Great Grandpa's grave today. (In the first picture Tyler was screaming because the sun was in his eyes. I thought the difference in the two pictures was hilarious.) Many of the flowers have blooms on them, but none of them have opened yet. I was really hoping they would bloom before we delivered them. Once at the cemetery, the kids decided where to place them and then enjoyed watering them.

As we were driving into the cemetery, Tyler wanted to know if Grandpa would be watching from Heaven. Throughout the process of planting the seeds, watering them, painting the pots, transplanting the plants, and delivering them today, we had several conversations about Great Grandpa, Jesus, and Heaven. My grandpa would have been pleased with all the opportunities this project created to teach my children about Heaven. And while he was looking down at his flowers today, I'm sure he had a good chuckle when his ornery great-grandson decided to water his daughter, rather than the flowers, with the cemetery's hose (notice the wet shirt and Tyler's huge smile).