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As the days get shorter, brighten your home with a Thanksgiving Sunflower. Here’s an art project that combines cutting, coloring, and writing with thoughtful discussion about gratitude.
What You Need:
Yellow and orange construction paper, scissors, glue, colored markers
Activity:
Cut a 3.5-inch-diameter circle from orange construction paper. Write “I am thankful for” on the circle with brown or black marker.
Cut yellow construction paper into 1.5- by 7-inch strips. Round each strip to form a petal. Taper each base to a width of 0.5 inch. The bases will tuck under the orange circle.
Discuss the meaning of Thanksgiving with your child and review the many good things in your lives. Explain that not everyone has these things and that we should be grateful for what we have and to the people who care for us. Ask your child to write the name of one thing or person he is thankful for on each petal.
Arrange the petals around the orange circle. Have your child put a dot of glue on the base of each petal and tuck them under the circle. Set a book on the sunflower to press. Let dry.
Hang the sunflower on the wall or refrigerator.
Variation:
Sunflowers come in other autumn colors besides yellow. Make the center brown and the petals different colors such as orange, yellow, red, tan, and peach. Add a thick green stem and leaves to the sunflower and put it on a bulletin board or refrigerator.