Black History Month

Origami Heart Wreath

February 28, 2025 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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This origami heart wreath features skin-toned paper-folded hearts with a 3D effect. Make this exquisite wreath craft during Black History Month or save it for a Celebrate Diversity theme. Changing the color scheme makes it a standout Valentine’s Day craft.

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Origami Heart Wreath Supplies

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Gather the following supplies for this meaningful easy-to-make paper craft:

6-inch x 6-inch origami paper in skin tones
9-inch thin paper plate
1 ½ inch wide wired craft ribbon
scissors
glue gun

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Making the Origami Heart Wreath

To create this heart wreath craft cut the middle out of a thin cardboard paper plate. This leaves a rim of about 1 ¾ inch wide.

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Next, gather 8 sheets of 6-inch x 6-inch origami paper in various skin-toned hues and fold the paper into origami hearts. An easy-to-follow YouTube video by EZOrigami shows how to make paper hearts.

Origami Heart (Folding Instructions)

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Afterward, adhere the hearts on the paper plate rim with a glue gun, leaving a little room on the bottom for a bow.

Finally, fold the wired craft ribbon into a bow and hot glue it on the wreath. 1 ½ inch wide craft ribbon with an animal print is showy and works nicely with the skin-toned hearts.

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Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning activities.

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Related: Origami Heart Valentines

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Black History Month Mixed Media Art

February 26, 2025 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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Black History Month is observed in February in the United States and Canada. It is a time to celebrate the creativity and achievements of Black people and their communities by participating in activities and discussions. This Black History Month mixed media art project draws attention to the beauty of black women’s hair. The craft features a unique technique for creating curly hair.

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Supplies To Collect

For this mixed media art project that pays homage to Black History Month, gather the following:

black yarn
brown, orange, and green construction paper
14-inch x 16-inch sheet of white construction paper
1 ½ inch wide wired craft ribbon
white glue
black fine point marker
parchment paper
scissors and pencil
glue stick and glue gun
disposable plate
measuring cup
spoon
tray

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Starting the Mixed Media Art Project

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To begin this art project, draw a side view of a woman’s head on brown construction paper and cut it out.

Next, draw and cut out one ear from the same sheet of paper, and the top of a t-shirt from orange construction paper.

Then draw a few lines on the ear with a black fine-point marker to add detail.

After this step, cut two small triangles from green and orange sturdy paper to fit together as an earring.

Then cut two strips of wired craft ribbon, one measuring 12 inches long, and the other measuring 9 inches long.

Next comes the part that may be the most fun: creating the curly yarn hair. To fashion the hair, complete the following steps:

1) Draw a silhouette outline of the hair in the middle of a large sheet of parchment paper. Then place the parchment paper on a tray.

2) Mix one-half cup of white glue with one-half cup of water on a disposable plate.

3) Using a spoon, press down a long piece of black yarn in the gooey white mixture to completely cover it in glue.

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4) Slowly lift the yarn out of the thinned glue and spread it around the hair outline in swirls. Add a second layer of swirled yarn and gently press it down on the first layer so the yarn sticks to itself when dry. Add a few straight lines at the hairline.

5) Let the sculptured yarn hair dry for one or two days. When dry it lifts off the parchment paper easily.
Note: The glue-soaked yarn hair may look grey at first, but will appear black again as it dries.

This swirled yarn art process was a must-try for me after viewing an informative September 4. 2024 Instagram post by mykidsartbox.

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Assembling the Black History Month Art

Now it is time to assemble the gorgeous art activity. Complete the following steps:

1) Select a large piece of sturdy paper to glue all the arty shapes onto. I feature paper cut to a 14-inch x 16-inch size.

2) Position the crafted pieces on the background paper and note where they look best. Drawing light pencil lines to mark the perfect spot for each shape makes this easier and the lines can be erased at the end.

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3) Use a glue stick to adhere the head, ear, triangular earring, and shirt portion to the paper.

4) Carefully affix the curly hair over and above the face with a glue gun.

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5) Fashion two strips of wired craft ribbon into a knotted headband. Cut the ribbon ends to the correct size and fold in the outer edges to fit around the yarn hair above the hairline.

6) Use the glue gun to adhere the headband over and above the bottom edge of the curly hair.

7) Add a caption for Black History Month if desired.

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When making the Black History Month mixed media art project, feel free to work with a color scheme of your choice. What do you think of this activity?

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Celebrate Diversity Paper Craft

April 5, 2024 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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April is Celebrate Diversity Month, and people are encouraged to participate in activities that celebrate people from different ethnic backgrounds. This easy Celebrate Diversity paper craft draws attention to the diversity in people by representing different skin colors.

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Supplies to Collect

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To create this eye-catching diversity craft, gather the following:

skin-colored construction paper
green, blue, and red construction paper
18-inch x 18-inch sheet of white art paper
glue stick
scissors and pencil

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Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning ideas.

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The Celebrate Diversity Paper Craft

To make this celebrate diversity paper craft, start by tracing each child’s hand and arm on a skin-toned piece of construction paper.

Next, cut out the traced arms and hands.

Then cut a circle from blue construction paper, a half circle from green construction paper, and a heart from red construction paper.

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Use a glue stick to affix the blue circle onto a large sheet of art paper that is a minimum of 18 inches x 18 inches in size. Glue the green half circle on top of the blue circle, and add on the red heart.

Afterward, arrange the skin-toned arms and hands around the paper earth and glue them on.

Finally, trim off pieces of paper arms that extend beyond the sides of the white art paper background. If desired, write the words “Celebrate Diversity” on the top section of the craft.

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Your diversity craft project is ready for display.

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Earth Day Paper Craft

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Earth Day was first celebrated in 1970 and is now scheduled every year on April 22. Including an earth with a heart on it depicts the importance of caring for our earth, and allows this Celebrate Diversity paper craft to double up as an Earth Day activity.

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More Celebrate Diversity Arts and Crafts

Celebrate Diversity Heart Art

Three Black History Month Crafts

Five Black History Month Crafts

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More Earth Day Arts and Crafts

Earth Day Bead Craft

Earth Day Heart Art

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[Read more…]

Black History Month Hair Decorating Art

February 24, 2024 by Annette Kaminsky 2 Comments

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These Black History Month hair decorating art invitations are inspired by the photos of beautifully decorated classroom doors that frequently go viral online and a recyclable shopping bag design. The two art invitations are easy for little learners to participate in and are suited for people of all ages.

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Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning ideas.

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Black History Month has been celebrated in the US every year since 1926. Classroom door artwork displaying beautiful hairstyles with embellishments is a stunning way to draw attention to the celebration. Often, the artwork is accompanied by pictures and information about past role models and their contributions.

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Black History Month Transient Art

A variety of craft supplies in gold, silver, pink, white, and tan hues provide the color scheme for a simple Black History Month transient art hair decorating invitation.

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Supplies To Collect

18 x 24-inch sturdy white paper
12-inch x 18-inch black fadeless construction paper
brown and pink construction or scrapbook paper
gift bows
pipe cleaners
bead garland strips
clip on tree decorations
buttons
pom poms
dangling earring
glue stick and glue gun
glue stick
pencil and scissors
compartment tray

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Black History Month Transient Art Set Up

For this glitzy art invitation, start by selecting the above easy-to-find supplies in a color scheme of choice, and placing them in a compartment tray. My color scheme has plenty of gold and silver, which black people wear so well. It is balanced by neutral and light pink hues.

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Cut and wrap pipe cleaner pieces around a pencil to make curly adornments, and tie other pipe cleaners and bead garland strips into bows.

Next, draw and cut a side view of a human head from brown construction paper, hair from black construction paper, and the shoulders of a top from fabric or colored construction paper. Fadeless construction paper or cardstock holds color the best.

Afterward, using a glue stick or glue gun, adhere the profile head, top, and hair onto a large sheet of construction or art paper. Slide in a dangling earring if desired.

Note: You may want to trim a small piece off the upper edge of the paper background to eliminate unnecessary white space.

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The Hair Decorating Transient Art Invitation

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Once the design is glued together, set out the compartment tray and invite one or two children at a time to pick supplies and decorate the hair of the arty profile. Make sure to snap a picture of each child with their finished design before you invite someone new to embellish the profile image.

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Children may decide to decorate the clothing in addition to the hair.

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After everyone has a chance to participate in the Black History Month transient art activity, give each child an opportunity to contribute a few pieces to the design. Afterward, use a glue gun to affix the shapes permanently. You will have a beautiful wall art piece to display.

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Hair Decorating With Flowers and Butterflies

This second Black History Month hair decorating invitation gives participants a chance to complete a finished art project to take home, using a similar profile image as above.

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Supplies To Collect

14-inch x 17-inch art paper
craft flowers and butterflies
construction paper
flower and butterfly paper punches
self-adhesive gem stickers
scissors and pencil
glue stick

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For this next black History Month art invitation, put together a smaller-sized profile image for each child participating. A 14-inch x 17-inch sized background piece of paper is a good fit for the project.

Paper punch flowers and butterflies from a few different colors of cardstock paper, and add self-adhesive sticker gems. Or use purchased craft flowers and butterflies.

Note: I am a huge fan of paper punches and use them all the time. They save oodles of preparation time and give art projects a professional touch.

Set out a profile image and butterflies and flowers on an art table for each child participating. Invite everyone to use a glue stick to embellish the hair of their paper person with the craft supplies.

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More Black History Month Activities

Three Black History Month Crafts

Five Black History Month Crafts

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[Read more…]

Celebrate Diversity Heart Art

February 10, 2023 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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With so many skin-tone art supplies available to explore, it is easy to provide art activities that celebrate diversity. In this post, I feature three “Celebrate Diversity” heart art projects: one with chalk, another with pencil crayons, and a third with metallic markers. These are all low-prep, low or no-mess art projects everyone can do. To help out, there is a free heart template to download.

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Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning ideas.

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Skin Tone Sunburst Heart

A "Celebrate Diversity" sunburst heart art project with skin tone pencil crayons. An all-ages, non-messy, stunning art activity.

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Only a few inexpensive supplies are needed for this mini art project:

set of skin tone pencil crayons
ruler
white cardstock paper
heart template

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Steps to make a "Celebrate Diversity" sunburst heart art project with skin tone pencil crayons. An all-ages, non-messy, stunning art activity

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To start off, cut white cardstock paper into 5-inch or 6-inch squares. With this size of paper, the whole project can be done without having to sharpen the pencil crayons.

Next, use a pencil or pencil crayon to trace around a small heart template in the middle of the square. Feel free to download the template further on in the post for the art project.

Then add lines that extend from the heart to the edge of the paper in a sunburst design.

Tips from a blog post by ARTBAR were helpful in making the sunburst lines that protrude invisibly through the heart from one side of the paper to the opposite one. The technique took me a few tries to get right but the effort is worth it.

Afterward, use pencil crayons in skin-tone hues to color inside the lines.

You may want to trace around the small heart template once again at the end to make sure the heart is defined and stands out.

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Skin Tone Chalk Heart Art

Make a "Celebrate Diversity" heart art project with skin tone sidewalk chalk. An all-ages, stunning art activity.

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For this second art project, gather the following supplies:

8 ½ x 11-inch light blue fadeless construction paper
large and small heart template
skin tone sidewalk chalk
painter’s tape
table cover

First, select a heart tracer that is a little smaller than the construction paper.

Lay the heart on the construction paper and tack it down gently with a piece of painter’s tape.

Next, use sidewalk chalk in various skin tones to color in the area around the heart.

Note: An alternative is to trace the heart first and remove the template before using the chalk sticks.

Afterward, gently smudge the chalk lines in an outward fashion.

If desired, trace a smaller heart in the center of the larger one using one of the chalk hues and color it in.

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A variation of this art activity is to dip the chalk sticks in water before decorating the paper.

Make a "Celebrate Diversity" heart art project with skin tone sidewalk chalk dipped in water. An all-ages, stunning art activity.

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For both chalk activities, it is advisable to lay down newsprint or an old tablecloth first to protect the work surface and make clean-up easier.

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Metallic Marker Concentric Hearts

Make a "Celebrate Diversity" heart art project with skin tone metallic markers. An all-ages, non-messy, stunning art activity.

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Supplies to gather:

8 ½ inch x 11-inch white cardstock paper
metallic markers in skin tones
heart template
scissors

For this third project, start by tracing the large heart template, and then draw smaller hearts inside it with metallic skin tone markers.

If you do not have metallic markers in all the hues, substitute regular ones. I use a regular marker for the black hue.

Note: For little learners, you can offer non-toxic washable markers in skin tones instead of the permanent metallic markers featured in this art activity.

Downloadable Heart Template

Here is a free heart template to download for the art projects featured in this post:

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Heart Art PrintableDownload

This printable is for individual or one classroom use only.

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These three heart art projects give participants a chance to celebrate diversity by experimenting with different art media. They are a good fit for Black History Month, a Valentine’s Day theme, or a special time set aside to celebrate diversity.

Do you have questions about any of these art projects? Leave a comment below.

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Three Black History Month Crafts

Celebrate Diversity Butterfly

Black History Month Yarn Art

Celebrate Diversity Paper Craft

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