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Fibonacci Flowers

Students will discover an amazing mathematical pattern in nature as they create a Fibonacci flower.

Lesson Plan

Supplies Needed

Gather all the supplies needed to bring your craft ideas to life! From paints and markers to glue and scissors, our crafts section has everything to spark creativity and make every project truly special.

  • Brass Paper Fastener(s)
  • Craft Materials
  • Ribbon

Steps

  • Step 1

    The Fibonacci sequence is a series of numbers formed by adding two successive numbers to get to the next. It was coined by a 13th-century mathematician who noticed pattern while calculating the reproduction rates of rabbits. Have students look at the Fibonacci progression - 0,1,1,2,3,5,8,13,21,34... - and at some examples in nature such as the number of petals on a flower, the pattern of seeds on the head of a sunflower, or the spiraling pattern on a pinecone, pineapple, or artichoke.

  • Step 2

    Ask the class to create a 3-D paper flower whose petals fit the Fibonacci pattern. As a reference, a buttercup has five petals, a black-eyed Susan tends to have 21, and daisies tend to have 34, 55, or 89 depending on the type. They could also create their own flower as long as the number of petals is in the Fibonacci sequence.

  • Step 3

    Students can start by drawing and decorating a stem and individual petals using paints and/or colored pencils, then cutting them out. Have them experiment with 3-D effects by bending or curling the paper and by adding craft materials such as curled ribbons. They can attach the petals to the stem using a paper fastener.

  • Step 4

    Create a garden of Fibonacci flowers by adorning a bulletin board with the students' creations.

Standards

MATH: Create models that demonstrate math concepts and attend to precision.

MATH: Analyze, compare, create, and compose math ideas using written, oral, and drawn lines, shapes, forms and patterns.

MATH: Look for and create constructed or natural structures and patterns.

Adaptations

Have students learn about where else the Fibonacci sequence is represented, such as in mathematical algorithms, biology, encryption coding, computer science, and other areas.

Challenge students to look for the Fibonacci sequence in real-life examples such as on a pinecone or wildflowers, in the produce aisle in a grocery store, etc.