My Work Here is Done

I noted recently that Mia has been entertaining herself more frequently by coming up with her own craft projects, which is pretty cool considering she is only five. This one in particular impressed me, so I thought that I would share her inspiration. She started with a coffee filter and a pair of safety scissors, and she trimmed it so that I first thought she was making a flower of some sort. I was pleasantly surprised to see the results. Both the originality of her idea and her craftsmanship are top-notch as far as I am concerned.

{When she asked for red, orange, and yellow paint I figured it would be a sun instead of a flower. It turned out to be a cute lion, however.}

{Once the paint was dry, she asked me for a permanent marker to draw this face.}

{Hopefully, I didn't mess up her creativity by asking if she wanted to add a nose and ears to her lion's face. Other than that suggestion -- and pouring the acrylic paints for her -- she did this project completely on her own. That's my girl!}

In Like a Lion Mask

In Like A Lion, Out Like A Lamb

by Lorie Hill

March roars in like a lion
So fierce,
The wind so cold,
It seems to pierce.

The month rolls on
And Spring draws near,
And March goes out
Like a lamb so dear.

{Finished Masks by Mia, Age 4}

Recently, I was thinking of some lion and lamb crafts we did last March and I decided that we should make some masks with Mia this year. Here is how they turned out.

Materials for Lion Mask:

• small paper plate
• glue
• yellow marker 
• red crayon or marker
• craft stick
• scissors
• orange feathers
• yellow and pink craft foam hearts 
• masking tape

Directions:

1. Use scissors to cut out two circles for eye openings, roughly the size of a quarter.
2. Use a marker (or crayon or colored pencil) to color the back side of the plate yellow (or tan or brown.)
3. Glue on a pink craft foam heart for a nose. (You could also use a bead, pom pom, or construction paper cut in a triangle shape.)
4. For ears, glue two small pink craft foam hearts in the centers of two larger yellow craft foam hearts. Glue yellow hearts onto paper plate. (You could also use construction paper cut into hearts, circles, or semi-circles or you could draw the ears onto the plate with markers.)
5. Draw a mouth using a red marker, crayon, or colored pencil. (Or if you are like Mia, use a Cray-Pas.)
6. Tape a craft stick to the undecorated side of your paper plate to make a handle for your mask.
7. Apply a ring of glue around the outside edge of the paper plate. Add orange feathers (or yarn, pipe cleaners, or construction paper strips) for the lion's mane.
8. Once all glue is dry, enjoy using your mask!

You may also wish to make a lamb mask to go along with your lion mask.