Spring Into Childlike Joy
In some parts of the world, Easter time marks the start of Spring. So I thought I’ll play around with the Spring theme. This week, April 9-15, I have some ideas and projects we can try out that will help perk up the spirit.
Today our theme is “Spring into Childlike Joy” and our project is “Making a Paper Sunflower”.
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| Your Very Own Potted Paper Sunflower and what joy it could bring! |
What is Spring?
About dot com says, “Spring is a time of rebirth and renewal. The snows of winter melt away, flowers bloom, and all the world seems new again.”
The Inspiration Behind Today’s Project:
The greatest thrill about picking up my son from school is the anticipation of what today’s project might be. There is a gate at my son’s play school so we can actually see all the kids before they run out to their parents or caregivers. Last week, everyone had a big smile and a paper flower at hand. They all looked so excited to show off what they had made in class. When the gate was opened, he ran to me, jumped into my arms, and proudly showed his paper flower. He was still clutching it in his hand even as I fastened him in the stroller. Then I said, Ok, you have to give that to Mommy so we can show it to Daddy later. But of course, he would’t let go, it was HIS flower after all – a product of his hard labor. Anyway, in my effort to secure it the stem broke, so that explains the masking tape around it.
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| My 25-Month Old Son’s Paper Flower The Inspiration Behind Today’s Project |
So I thought, imagine if we grown ups still take the time to make something by hand- something as simple as a paper flower. We can look at it everyday and feel genuinely happy and proud to see that we have made something beautiful with very basic materials… paper plate, stick, glue and paint.
I invite you to make your very own Paper Sunflower. Stick it in a potted plant and put it in a place in your home where you can easily see it to inspire you and bring some childlike joy in your life.
You’ll Need:
3 mini paper plates
pencil or marker
scissors
white glue
masking tape
acrylic paint,paint brush
dimensional paint
(like Puffy Paint)
clear lacquer spray
chopsticks or bamboo skewers
Here are the Steps:
Step 1
Put two mini paper plates together.
Draw an outline of your sunflower on the top plate.
Cut through both plates.
* If this sunflower will be handled by children,
please round the tips of the petals.
* If this sunflower will be handled by children,
please round the tips of the petals.
Step 2
Paint both flowers.
First one to resemble details of a sunflower
and the second one will just be painted yellow.
Step 3
Cut leaves from another paper plate and paint green.
Also paint your chopstick/skewer green.
Step 4
Glue top flower to bottom flower,
making sure they are not aligned
so that all petals can be seen.
Step 5
Glue the leaves to the back of the flower.
Step 6
Using masking tape, attach the chopstick/skewer
to the back of flower.
You’ll need 3-4 layers of tape
to make sure the stem is well secured.
Step 7
Find a small potted plant that you can put
on the breakfast table or your study area.
Stick your sunflower in.
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“Keep your face to the sunshine
and you cannot see the shadow.
It’s what sunflowers do.”
by Helen Keller
DAILY DOSE OF ART 
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