Finding the appropriate activities for tween girls on school holidays or at parties can be a bit tricky. The tween stage is so fleeting and they are often caught between wanting to be able to watch M-rated movies, and enjoying playing with beloved soft toys. They don’t want to do anything childish, and they’re just starting to experiment with cute hairstyles and fun fashion accessories.
So when Roxy’s friend came over the other day and they wanted to make something fun together, I suggested foliage crowns. Flower crowns are so lovely, but they can also be just as beautiful when made from interesting foliage.
This is a creative and freestyle activity that doesn’t require any special skills or creative ability. It’s all about sitting down, chatting and making something together. It would also make a fun age-appropriate theme for a tween party.
Our afternoon of making started when the girls went out into the garden armed with a pair of scissors and a carry bag each. They took some snacks with them and sat on the grass in the warm sun for a while for a chat and a giggle. Then they wandered around the garden and cut stems measuring about 15cm to 30cm in length from interesting plants.
After separating the cuttings into groups on the table, the girls started to make their foliage crowns.
You can make a crown using only foliage with long stems by weaving them into and around each other to form a circle. An easier way to make a sturdy crown is to use florist’s wire to create a base circlet.
The girls began by making a wire circle to fit around their heads, then they secured the cuttings to the wire base using small pieces of wire. You could also use florist’s tape or washi tape to attach the foliage to the wire.
One of the best things about the afternoon was that the girls wanted to make their own crowns without any help or influence from me. I was happy to leave them to it and see what they made.
Although the foliage crowns are super-simple and only incorporated a couple of different plants, they turned out so beautifully. They are the perfect complement to the gorgeous innocence of this age when girls are beginning to blossom.
Below: the finished crowns, a happy sense of achievement, and an afternoon of fun girl time.
As well as making the crowns, the girls ‘allowed’ me to do their hair and use the flowers and foliage in a more freestyle way – pinning it on their hair, and poking it into messy up-dos and braids. The result is a lovely, less structured look.
There was lots of chatting and laughs as they worked alongside each other, making pretty things from the nature that had been foraged. There were no rules or expectations, and the freedom just to be and to make seemed like a really nice experience for them. And lovely for me to observe.
Do you have any fun and creative activity ideas for tween girls? I’d love to hear from you.
Styling and photography by Lisa Tilse for We Are Scout.