Celebrate Good Times

Explore celebrations across the globe! Capture a celebratory moment of your own by designing a colorful fabric banner!

• 1.

  What is a celebration? Why do we celebrate things? A celebration is a way of observing and honoring a notable event or occasion in a way that is outside one’s usual routine. Birthday parties, holiday dinners, and parades are all examples of celebrations! What celebrations can you name? Can you think of something you celebrated that was unique to your family or friends?

• 2.

  Countries all over the world celebrate important events with special rituals and traditions. Research with your classmates to discover a few holidays from around the globe that you find interesting and unique, such as the Middle Eastern holiday called No Ruz! Discuss the traditions that occur in celebration of those holidays.

• 3.

  Think about an occasion in your life that you would like to celebrate. Perhaps you earned an “A” on your last science test or went skateboarding for the first time without falling down! Decide what you would do to celebrate such an event and create a fabric banner to hang during your celebration! Get inspiration from the holidays around the world you discovered in your research.

• 4.

  On a large piece of 100% cotton fabric, draw colorful symbols, designs, and phrases with Crayola® Bright Fabric Markers! Clearly represent the event you’re celebrating with your illustrations. Place a piece of paper underneath the drawing area to prevent bleed through. Draw your design, making sure you saturated the cloth. Stain Advisement: Fabric markers are permanent on clothing and contain colorants that may stain household surfaces. Wear a smock to protect clothing and cover your work surface. Recap markers as soon as possible and store in a horizontal position. Do not shake markers.

• 5.

  When you are finished, ask an adult to iron your design. Set iron on cotton setting and iron on the reverse side using a back and forth motion for 4 minutes. Or place garment in the dryer for 30 minutes on the hottest setting. This will fix the color to the fabric.

Benefits

• Students work together to research and find information on holidays that are unique to other countries.
• Students gain an understanding of other cultures and tradition by researching holidays around the world.
• Students design a creative, brightly colored banner in celebration of a personal achievement or event.

Adaptations

• Invite a guest originally from a foreign country into the classroom to share traditions and stories of his or her home country’s unique celebrations. Encourage the students to ask questions about the origin of the celebrations and the events that take place in observance of those special days to gain a full understanding of the importance of the celebrations. Design original greeting cards in honor of one of the celebrations your classroom guest discussed!
• Assist younger students and those with special needs in generating ideas to symbolize their special event on the banners. Brainstorm together on the board for each student’s event. Encourage students to talk about the events they’re celebrating while they work to help spark exciting ideas!
• Assessment: Share your celebratory banners with the class! Review each student’s banner and discuss the colorful designs and symbols drawn on them. Can you guess what events your classmates are celebrating? Can you identify any designs influenced by the research your class did of other countries holidays?