Okay, so I’ve been wanting to do something fun and crafty with the kids, and also, you know, sneak in a little bit of learning. I saw some cute animal placemats online and thought, “Hey, I can do that, but with a Chinese Zodiac twist!”
Getting Started
First, I gathered all my materials. I already had a bunch of colored construction paper, some googly eyes (because everything is better with googly eyes), and some glue sticks. I also printed out some simple animal outlines from the internet to make things easier. You know, tracing is a good skill, but I also wanted to keep the frustration level low for the little ones.
The Messy (But Fun) Part
Next, we got down to business. We picked our favorite zodiac animals – my daughter chose the rabbit, and my son, predictably, went for the dragon. We laid out the construction paper, traced the animal shapes, and cut them out. There was a lot of, “Mom, help me with this curvy bit!” and “Can I use the sparkly paper for the dragon’s scales?” (Of course, he could.)
Then came the gluing. Oh, the gluing! We stuck on the googly eyes, added some extra paper bits for features like whiskers and ears, and even used some yarn scraps for a fluffy tail on the rabbit. It was gloriously messy, and there were definitely some sticky fingers involved, but everyone was having a blast.
Making it “Zodiac-y”
- We talked about each animal and what it represents in the Chinese Zodiac.
- I scribbled the Chinese character for each animal on the placemats with a marker. (My handwriting is not exactly calligraphy-worthy, but hey, it’s the thought that counts, right?)
- We even looked up some fun facts about each animal online. Did you know that people born in the Year of the Dragon are supposed to be strong and independent? My son was very pleased about that.
The Finished Product(s)
Finally, we laminated the placemats to make them a bit more durable. I mean, we all know how messy mealtime can get with kids. This way, they can be easily wiped clean, and we can use them again and again.
The placemats turned out super cute, and, more importantly, the kids were really proud of their creations. We’ve been using them every day, and it’s a fun way to keep the Chinese Zodiac animals – and a little bit of culture – in our daily routine. It’s a simple project, but it created some great memories, and that’s what really matters, right?
