Mother's Day Paper Woven Heart

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.

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

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.

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.

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. 

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!)

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. 

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.

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

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