Eclectic Red Barn: Mother's Day Gift

Sunday, April 30, 2017

Mother's Day Gift - Woven Heart Basket

Spring is an exuberant season, as flowers and grasses pop up in all their colorful glory. You can purchase Mother’s Day baskets, of course…but there’s nothing like a homemade paper basket that your child can make.

Help her/him make a Mother’s Day basket with her own handwritten message attached or some faux flowers. Okay, if you’re the mom setting this up, it may spoil some of the surprise, but don’t forget: you can also make this one for grandma, or for some other really cherished maternal figure in your family’s life.

Eclectic Red Barn: Mother's Day Woven Gift Basket

What You Need:

· Three pieces of sturdy construction paper in spring colors such as green, blue, and lavender

· Scissors

· Heart Basket template: #1 and #2

Eclectic Red Barn: Construction paper needed for basket

What You Do:

1. Trace your Template #1 onto two different colors of construction paper, and use scissors to cut each one out. Following the lines on the template, cut strips from the bottom of the template shape.

Eclectic Red Barn: PDF files of templates for heart basket

Eclectic Red Barn: Draw each side of the heart onto construction paper

Eclectic Red Barn:Cut each side of the heart onto construction paper on the lines

2. Trace Template #2—the solid heart—onto a piece of solid construction paper, and cut out a solid heart shape, which will form the back of the “basket.”

3. Cut a strip of construction paper in a third coordinating color, at least 12” long by about 1” wide, to serve as the “handle” for the basket.

4. Help your child “weave” the two sides of the heart from Step 1. Encourage kids to do as much of this as possible independently, so that they develop hand-eye coordination skills, and practice the pattern of “over-under” that they need for their math work. When they are done, they will have an attractive woven heart.

Eclectic Red Barn:Using the two sides of the heart, weave them over and under

5. Staple the woven heart to the plain one, ( I glued mine since I was out of staples) and staple the strip of paper across the top to make a handle. Now you have a “heart basket” that is perfect for a special message.

Eclectic Red Barn:Staple woven heart to back of heart with glue of staples

6. Fold a remaining piece from one of your cut construction paper pages, and invite your child to make a picture of the person he/she’s honoring. Below it, ask your child to write at least one sentence to that person. (Don’t worry if the spelling is “fearless”—what’s important is the thought!)

Eclectic Red Barn:Front and back stapled together

You can also purchase some faux flowers at the Dollar Tree and separate them and insert them into the top of the basket. They can also decorate the outside of the basket.

Eclectic Red Barn:Add handle to basket and faux flowers

Now you have a lovely and inexpensive basket for Mother's day. The kids will have fun making these and mothers and grand mothers will enjoy receiving them.

Oh, and lest we forget—it’s a heartwarming gift for any special mother figure, any day of the year!