Africa is the world’s second largest continent and is comprised of many small countries that have their own national flag. Parents, you and your child can do a little research to create several flags that can be strung together to form a colorful banner representative of some of the countries that make up the continent of Africa. Your child will get great fine motor practice and he'll learn about some other countries and their flags. This project is a perfect way to celebrate Black History Month!
What You Need:
- 6 white envelopes (the kind used for greeting cards works best)
- Assorted markers
- String
- Images of the flags of African countries (either from a book or online)
- Ruler
- Pencil
- Piece of white paper
- Safety scissors
- Craft glue
What You Do:
- Show your child all of the different African flags and ask him to select 6 flags that he would like to use for his banner.
- Have your child trace the design of each flag onto an envelope - one envelope for each flag. The flag design will go on the back of the envelope (the side without the fold-over flap) with the envelope facing upside down (so that the flap is on the bottom).
- For a younger child, you can help him outline the flag designs on each envelope using a pencil and ruler, and then let your child color it in. For older children, let them give it a go on their own, the flags don’t have to be perfect.
- Ask your child to pronounce the name of the country represented by each flag.
- Sound out the letters so your younger child can write the name of the country on the bottom flap of each flag. On the back of the envelope, older children can write a brief description of the history of each flag or what the colors represent. For example, for the flag of Kenya, he might write: “Black is for the people, red is for the blood shed during the struggle for freedom, green is for natural wealth, white stands for peace. The Masai shield and two spears symbolize the defense of these things.” Write the name, and description if applicable, of each country for each of your flags on the bottom flap of each envelope.
- Help your child measure and cut strips of white paper approximately ¼” wide and 3” long. You will need two for each flag. These will be the tabs used to hang the banner.
- Your child can place a dot of glue at one end of the strip and press both ends together. Repeat to create the second tab. Do this until you have two tabs made for each flag
- Have your child put two evenly spaced dots of glue on the back of each flag and adhere the tabs to it. Make sure that each flag has two tabs sticking up from that top so that the string can slide through to connect all of the flags together.
- Once the glue dries, your child can slide a long piece of string through the tabs and hang it up for display.
These banners instantly add visual interest and pizazz to any wall, doorway or mantle. You can keep them up for the whole month of February to celebrate Black History Month, or leave them up in a place of prominence to show off your child's artistic prowess!
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