'P' is for Poinsettia

One of my favorite gluing activities of the year is the following simple poinsettia craft.  I always introduce the work by showing the children a real poinsettia plant.  We talk about the leaves and their colors and feel how soft they are...

Then, during circle time, I demonstrated the steps to make a poinsettia decoration.  To do the work, the, child takes the necessary materials from the shelf where they are set up.  Here is a photo of the how it looks on the shelf:

Green construction paper with a sign to take one piece; red leaves with a sign to take four; small container filled with corn kernels.  On the white tray:  a small dish holding a pencil, castor, and 'Tap-n-Glue' bottle.

First, the child places the appropriate papers on the white tray, then puts a few pieces of corn in the small castor.  Next, they take all the materials to a table where the white tray is placed to the left of the workspace.  Here is a photo of a student who is in the process of making the poinsettia decoration (although the corn kernels cannot be seen in the castor...):

Poinsettia craft in progress.

The 'Tap-n-Glue' bottle is something new for all the students and I can tell they are intrigued by it!  If you are not familiar with its use, all the child has to do is point it on the paper where they want the glue and press the bottle down - only a drop of glue comes out each time.  This was demonstrated during circle time, along with how to position each red leaf on the green paper.  (By the way, I almost set up the lesson to have the kids complete their own cutting of the red leaves.  I decided, however, that one purpose of the lesson was to learn how to use the new glue bottles, so I pre-cut the leaves so the kids could focus on the use of the 'Tap-n-Glue.'  Surely, one could easily do the same lesson and have the kids complete the cutting...)  Once all the leaves are in place, then the child places glue in the center where the corn kernels are then placed.  Altogether in our hallway, these cheerful poinsettias make a festive statement!