African Collar Necklace

What You Need:

• Paper plate
• Markers
• Yarn
• Gold paint
• Hot glue gun (with glue)
• Scissors
• Pencil
• Ruler
• Pasta
• Gold or red paint
• Colored straws

What You Do:

1. Have your child create a collar out of a paper plate by cutting through one side of the plate and removing a large circle in the center.
2. Using the ruler and a pencil, draw a grid around the collar.
3. Color the grid in with bright markers.
4. Now paint the pasta gold, and let it dry completely.
5. First, cut the colored drinking straws into small pieces. Then, cut several lengths of yarn as well, each about a foot long. Having slightly different lengths will make the collar more visually interesting.
6. Have your child string the painted pasta and pieces of drinking straws onto the pieces of string, and fasten the ends.
7. Carefully hot glue the ends of the strings to the bottom edge of the collar, and about an inch apart.
8. Hot glue the remaining pieces of painted pasta and colored straws around the collar of the necklace.

This Yoruba collar necklace is a great way to put the finishing touch on a costume! If your child isn't keen on wearing the necklace, it can also be displayed on a wall or in a doorway.