Creativity 521 #27 - This is my country, this is my flag

With National Day around the corner, and this being the first time we are spending it as a family here on the sunny island, it calls for a celebration.

So the hubby has booked the SAF Seaview chalet in Changi where we will be spending the long weekend with our family and friends. Since Angel is getting to know more about Singapore and asking us about the flags she sees in the neighbourhood, I thought it would be the perfect time to do some National Day related crafts in this week's Creativity 521. Talk about patriotism, we would always watch the NDP on television and it even made me shed a tear during the first year in Sweden.

With the help of some art supplies and scrap materials found in the house, we made some decorations to spice up the chalet and party props to delight the kids.

What we used:

1) Red and white plain paper
2) Foam paper
3) Crepe paper
4) Drawing block
5) Painting supplies including red and white paint
6) Soft drink cans and plastic containers
7) Green beans
8) Stickers
9) Ribbons
10) Scissors, glue, scotch tape, double-sided tape

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Parade wands

The first thing we made was a parade wand which ended up looking more like a parade cone. All you have to do is to stick a piece of double-sided tape along the width of a A4 size paper as shown, roll it into a cone shape (thinner if you wish), tape it down and cut off the extras to even the top.

Next, cut out strips of red and white crepe paper, stick them on a piece of scotch tape and then secure it inside the top of the cone. Repeat and continue along the top. Lastly, decorate the cone with some stickers.

Ta-dah! Our parade cone-wands which delighted my girl whenever she heard the rustling sounds as she shook them.

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Maracas

Just because we wanted something 'noisier', we also made maracas out of Coca-Cola cans and green beans. This was also a great sensory activity for my girl as she scooped the beans up and put them into the tiny opening of the can. We also used a piece of paper as a funnel and let her have fun sliding the beans into the cans. Next, seal the opening of the can, cover the body with red and white paper, draw on the crescent and stars using a white ink marker and voila! Now we have our very own National Day maracas which we can use to shake to the beat while watching the NDP.

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Flag bunting

This was probably the most fun part for Angel. We decided to make a flag bunting and considering that it can be very challenging for a 4-year-old to paint crescents and stars, I made her a special "Singapore stamp".

Firstly, print out two pictures of the Singapore Flag emblem. Cut out the stars and crescent, trace it on the foam paper and cut these out too. Stick the other picture onto the top of a container lid with the wrong side up. This will help you to determine the positioning of the foam pieces. Stick them on using white glue and yes, it's that easy to make a personalised stamp! Tip: Make sure you use a flat lid for this to get a perfect stamp.

After we cut out some triangular flags for the bunting, it was time to stamp, stamp, stamp! Just apply paint onto the stamp, align it on the flag and push down the lid to create a beautiful, easy and consistent emblem.

Every time we lifted off the lid and saw the cute cresent and five beautiful stars, let's just say Angel was indeed over the moon.

To finish the bunting, simply stick some double-sided tape at the top of the flags and add a ribbon to bind them together.

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My Singapore, my flag


Lastly, we also couldn't miss out on letting Angel paint her very first Singapore flag. So we painted our flags on big pieces of drawing block and also painted some smaller handheld flags which we stuck onto balloon sticks. While I explained to her on the colours and features of the flag, it was also the perfect time to remind myself on its significance and the meanings behind our national flag.

Red - Universal brotherhood and equality of man
White- Pervading and everlasting purity and virtue
Crescent moon - A young nation on the ascendant
Five stars - Nation's ideals of democracy, peace, progress, justice and equality

Yippee! This was what we achieved after an evening session of art and craft. Easy, fun and inexpensive DIY National Day decorations and props!

I guess we are all set and eager to celebrate our nation's 48th birthday. How about you?

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To fellow bloggers who have a fun craft session, DIY tip or creative idea to share, do join in the party! Highlight and press Ctrl + C to copy my button above, include it in your post/sidebar and add your link below. I will be hosting Creativity 521 every fortnightly and I hope you can join me on the 5th and 21st of every month. Remember: The sky's the limit when it comes to creativity!