A craft so sweet you’ll wish you could take a bite!
Ah, juicy watermelon – the inspiration for recipes, crafts, festivals, and even a national day in August! This simple torn-paper craft is a fun way to spend valuable time together while creating a special watermelon slice.
Letting your child tear the construction paper into squares is both satisfying and good for building hand muscles for fine-motor skills. Tearing the paper into strips first makes it easier for tearing into squares.
You can talk together about which color goes where and how watermelon is a fruit, but it grows on a vine like squash. Add a finishing touch with cute fingerprint seeds and talk about the life cycle of a watermelon plant that is complete with leaves, flowers, and vines. Maybe your family will be inspired to sprout some seeds of your own. Why not make several watermelon slices and string them into a banner for your own festival touch?
What you’ll need
- red and green construction paper
- white cardstock
- washable black paint
- glue
Steps:
- Cut the white cardstock into a triangle
- Rip the red and green strips of paper into small squares
- Glue in place the green squares at the top of the triangle
- Glue in place the red squares on the remainder of the triangle
- Use your fingertips to add the black paint for the seeds
- Let dry
Literacy Connection: Introducing a variety of foods repeatedly and in a positive way is proven to influence a child’s acceptance of fruits and vegetables. The story Eating the Alphabet by Lois Ehlert is an inviting way to learn that good nutrition is fun A through Z! Even if you must introduce a food a dozen times – minus the pressure of forcing it – starting healthy eating habits early on is worth it. *Tip – initial rejection of foods does not always mean the child does not like it.
