The Legend of the Poinsettia- Virtual Book Club

It’s time again for the Virtual Book Club!  Each month a different author is featured.  Everyone then selects a book by the chosen author and creates an activity to accompany the book.  The featured author for November is Tomie DePaola.

DePaola has so many wonderful books to choose from.  We decided on The Legend of the Poinsettia.  This book was a gift from my oldest son’s Godmother.  The book is extra special because she wrote a beautiful note to him inside the front cover.

 

The Legend of the Poinsettia is about a young girl who could only come up with weeds to give to the Christ Child.  The weeds miraculously become poinsettia.  When the townspeople come outside, all of the weeds have become poinsettia.  They call them the flower of the Holy Night.

Poinsettia are generally red star flowers and most often associated with the Christmas season.  We decided to make pointillism poinsettia gift tags to use during the holiday season.  Writing on gift tags is a great way to have young children practice the sight words to and from.  Children can also get practice writing names of special people in their lives.

Here’s how you make pointillism poinsettia gift tags.

Materials needed:  poinsettia template, red paper or cardstock (1 sheet will make 1 tag), Q-tips, red, white and green paint, small plate or painting dish, scissors, dark pen or magic marker and double stick tape.

1.  You can either trace the template on the red paper or copy the template directly on the red paper.

2.  Pour a small amount of red and white paint onto a small plate.  You will need a separate plate for green paint for the leaves.

3.  Dip the Q-tip into the paint and begin to “dot” the red paper flowers until you achieve the look of your choice.  As you work, the paint will mix together in places creating a pinkish look.  You can paint the leaf portion of the template green or color it with a green crayon.  Allow your work to dry completely before moving on to the next step.

4.  Cut out the pieces and layer them on top of each other to create your flower.   The template I used suggested that you crease the flower petals for dimension.  The green leaf piece goes on the bottom.  Use double stick tape to adhere each layer together.

5.  You are now ready to use your gift tags!

What is one of your favorite Tomie DePaola books?  Don’t forget to visit one of the hosting blogs to see more great Tomie DePaola books and activities.