LOON STAMP ART:

Materials: blue paper, black paint, blue paint, white paint, red paint, a plastic fork, a potato cut in half, a cotton swab, a hiar dryer to speed things up (optional), wax paper, newspaper to cover your work space, art smock or old clothes.

Step 1: put some black paint on the  waxed paper and press the potato half (dried with a paper towel) into the paint. Then press it on the blue paper to create the body.

Step 2: cut a bit of the second half of the potato to create a head and stamp in the black paint and on the body.  Use a cotton swab (q-tip) to paint a beak and a tail.  Let this dry or speed things up with a hair dryer.

Step 3: Put white paint on the waxed paper and use the cotton swab to stamp on the white dots and stripes of the loon!  Let dry or use a hair dryer.

Step 4: Use a cotton swab to dab on a red eye (we just dipped into the paint bottle).

Step 5: Put blue paint on the waxed paper.  Dip the fork in the blue paint and squiggle under the loon to create waves.  We did this a few times - dip in paint and then wiggle across the paper.  

Step 6: Let dry and then display or glue into your Family Theme Day Scrapbook. 

Moose

RCMP CRAFT STICK PUPPET:

Materials: fat craft sticks (one per mountie), googly eyes, white glue, child safe scissors, red paper, black paper, yellow paper, brown paper (we coloured white paper with brown marker), black marker, waxed paper.

Step 1: Cut out all the parts and set aside. Help younger kids so that everything fits.  You will need a hat, a red rectangle for the jacket, two triangles cut to form two arms, a black rectangle for the pants, brown rectangle for the boots, two very thin yellow stripes for the pants.

Step 2: Have your child glue the pieces on, including the eyes. Let this dry.

Step 3: Once dry the details can be addded. Draw a smile. Draw a black collar and patches on the shoulders, the belt and cross piece, details on the boots and pants.

​Step 4: These can be used as puppets or toys now!

Maple Leaf Stencil:

Materials: A copy of my Maple Leaf Template, craft knife (adult use only), cutting board, sponge, red or white paint, waxed paper, newspaper to cover your work area, art smock or old clothes.

Step 1: (Parent step) using a craft knife carefully cut out the maple leaves on the template page.

Step 2:  Let your child choose red for the paper and white for the paint or white for the paper and red for the paint.  Pour paint on the wax paper and press sponge into it.  Carefully lay the appropriate stencil on the location your child wants the leaf to be and gently stamp the hole to create the image once it is carefully lifted! 

The Beaver

The National Animal of Canada is the Beaver. It was officially recognized as a symbol of the sovereignty of Canada on March 24th, 1975 when Parliament passed the National Symbol of Canada Act.  Read more about the importance of the beaver (and other symbols) to Canada here: http://canada.pch.gc.ca/eng/1444070816842#a11

Copyright 2017: Family Theme Days. All rights reserved.

This bird is a familiar site in North America due to its migration down south for the winter and back up to Canada for the summer.  

For more information about this animal check here: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Canada_Goose/lifehistory

Photo: C. Dolinsky 

Maple Leaf Paper Lantern:

Material: brown paper bag, a copy of my Maple Leaf Template, a craft knife (adult use only), cutting board, red tissue paper, LED lights, (optional) crayons.

Step 1: Cut out a maple leaf design in your paper bag by laying it on a cutting board and tracing/cutting with a sharp craft knife (parent step only).

Step 2: (Optional) your child can decorate the outside of the bag with crayons (mine didn't do this).

Step 3: Carefully open the bag and crumple a piece of tissue on the bottom.  Then turn on your LED lights (we used three) and carefully set in the middle of another piece of tissue paper.  Insert this tissue slowly into the bag. The lights should be level with your maple leaf or you will need more crumpled paper at the bottom. 

Canada Goose Collage Craft:

Materials: coloured paper (black, white, blue, brown...we used a recycled cereal box for our brown because we were out!), green marker, glue stick, white glue, child safe scissors, googly eye.

Step 1: Cut out all the pieces.  Cut a large brown egg shape for the body, a medium brown egg shape for the wing, a small black oval for the head, some thin black rectangles for the legs, four black triangles for feet and feathers, a long chimmney shape for the next, a small black beak, a white strip and a white feather. 

Step 2: Have your child glue the pieces together to form a goose using glue stick to stick the pieces to the paper.  Use white glue for the googly eye.

Step 3: Have your child draw grass in with the green marker.

Step 4: Display or glue into your Family Theme Day Scrapbook. 

INUKSHUK CRAFT:

NOTE: My son's fifth grade class made inukshuks in school.  You can see the results above!

Materials: flatter stones of various sizes, glue gun (adult use unless children are older).

Step 1: gather your rocks (you might go on a nature walk first). You will need a minimum of five, but can choose more to give it more height depending on the stones.

Step 2: Have your children look at examples online or in books and then create their own by towering the rocks.  Once they like the formation they can be glued together. NOTE: BE VERY careful with the hot glue gun around children!

Canada Geese

Crafts

Other Symbols of   Canada

The moose is an impressive mammal found in the Canadian wilderness.

Check here to learn more: http://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/m/moose/

Inukshuk

PAPER BAG BEAVER PUPPET:

Materials: One paper bag, white paper, brown paper, child safe scissors,  black marker or crayon, glue stick, damp cloth for sticky fingers.

Step 1: Have your child draw two eyes using the black marker or crayons on white paper.  Help your child to cut them out.

Step 2: Help your child cut out a rectangle for the beaver teeth from the white paper.

Step 3: Help your child cut out four ovals from the brown paper for the beaver’s paws and one large oval for the beaver’s tail.

Step 4: With the fold of the paper bag facing you have your child glue the two eyes to the fold.

Step 5: Have your child draw a black nose under the eyes on the fold of the paper bag.

Step 5: Have your child glue the white teeth attached to the fold underneath it.

Step 6: Have your child glue the beaver’s oval paws to the sides of the paper bag.

Step 7: Have your child glue the beaver’s tale to the back of the paper bag hanging down past the opening of the bag.

Step 8: Let it dry then use it as a puppet.

An inuksuk (plural inuksuit) is a human-made stone landmark or cairn used by the Inuit, Iñupiat, Kalaallit, Yupik, and other peoples of the Arctic region of North America.

​

Check here to learn more: http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/inuksuk-inukshuk/ and: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inuksuk

Canada

MOOSE HEAD - HAND PRINT CRAFT:

Materials: Red paper, brown paper (two shades would be great we used white as we were out of brown), googly eyes, white glue, marker, glue stick, white glue. 

Step one: Cut out a large peanut shape from the brown paper (we used the back side of a cereal box).

Step two: Trace your child's hands onto dark brown, black or in our case, white paper.  Cut them out.

Step three: Have your child piece them all together and glue to the red paper to form the moose!

Step four: Glue the googly eyes on using white glue.

Step five: Draw two nostrils with the marker.

Step six: Let dry then display or glue into your scrapbook. 

There are many Indigenous peoples in Canada and indeed Aboriginal Canadians are a rich part of Canada's heritage. They comprise of the First Nations, Inuit and Métis.

For more information check here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aboriginal_peoples_in_Canada

Another common bird seen and heard (it has a very distinctive call) on Canadian lakes is the loon.

Check here to learn more: https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Loon/id

Work is in progress to create a National Indigenous Peoples Day Theme Day. Check back in  later.

Loons

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is both a federal and a national police force of Canada. It was formed in 1920 when the Royal Northwest Mounted Police (RNWMP, founded in 1873) merged with the Dominion Police (founded in 1868). 

For more information check here: http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/royal-canadian-mounted-police/ and: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_Canadian_Mounted_Police

Perhaps the two most common symbols of Canada are the maple leaf and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (also called Mounties).  

The maple leaf was officially recognized for the first time as a Canadian symbol in 1859 when the Prince of Wales presented the 100th Regiment (Royal Canadians) with its colours in England. Check here for more information about the symbol of the leaf :http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/emblems-of-canada/

Did you know...?

Canadians Celebrate National Indigenous Peoples Day on June 21st!  It's name was changed to this in 2017, before then it was called National Aboriginal Day.

Canadian Indiginous People

Animals of  Canada

Despite Canada’s size and varied geography, only a small proportion of the world's species live in Canada. In fact, it has far fewer species than many other countries and this is due to Canada’s harsh climate and its history of heavy glaciation during ice ages. However, that may be Canada is often associated with wildlife and a few are even iconic. https://www.currentresults.com/Environment-Facts/Plants-Animals/number-of-native-species-in-canada.php