Celtic Letters

What You Need:        

• Internet access
• White paper
• Pencil, pen
• Colored pencils

What You Do:

1. Explain to your child that ancient Celtic peoples were those that lived in the area of what is now England, Ireland and surrounding islands. The Celtic language was used more for speaking than for writing in the ancient culture, but an alphabet was developed with highly decorative letters used for carving important information on wood or stone. 
2. Have your child visit a website such as http://www.marcels-kid-crafts.com/celtic-letters.html to see examples of Celtic letters. These designs are offered free, and you can choose various sizes of a letter to print.
3. After your child chooses a letter or two to print, he can decorate his Celtic letter with colored pencils. More advanced artists can try to recreate the Celtic letter and its ornate design with a pencil on white paper. He can either trace the letter or study it and then recreate it. He can add his own curls, whirls and flourishes if he does not wish to copy it exactly. He can then color over his creation with a darker pen. 
4. He may want to create a letter for a friend or parent as a gift, choosing the first letter of that friend’s or parent’s name. He could also draw or decorate a Celtic letter “M” for Mom or “D” for Dad. Or he may wish to make a letter in honor of St. Patrick’s Day, which celebrates Ireland and Irish culture, in which case coloring a letter with green-colored pencil would be appropriate.
5. Display it on the fridge, a bulletin board, a bedroom wall, or if it’s a gift, a cheap picture frame. He’ll enjoy displaying his completed Celtic letters.  As they say in Ireland, Erin go bragh (Ireland forever)!