Canadian Flag Button Craft

I think that Canada has one of the most handsome flags in the world—and I'm being objective, since I've only lived in Canada for three and a half years. It hasn't been long that I've thought of the maple leaf as “my flag”.

My little boy likes our flag as well. Looking out of the window, he can see it fluttering in the neighbour's yard and regularly talks about it. A little while ago, he got excited when he made a connection between what was on the flag and the leaves on the tree next to it. “This is a maple leaf! Pretty!”

When I asked him if he would like to try making a flag himself, he didn't hesitate—he is never one to turn down a project!

You Will Need:

• maple leaf template (draw your own or do an online search for "Canadian flag maple leaf template")
• thick white paper
• scissors
• packing tape
• red buttons
• glitter
• masking tape
• red paint, markers or pencil crayons

Instructions:

1. Trace the shape of the maple leaf onto a piece of thick white paper.

2. Cut the maple leaf shape out with scissors. Apply strips of packing tape to the back of the paper, so that the sticky surface is exposed in the cutout.

3. Stick the buttons to the sticky side of the tape. My son and I dipped into our treasure chest of buttons. We picked out the red buttons and I threw in a couple of sparkling red beads.

No specific arrangement is necessary, but I like to watch how my son picks the best possible spot for each button. Peek-a-boo! He discovered that he can look through the cutout like a window.

4. Once my son was done with the buttons, he also added glitter. There was quite a bit of it, so we shook the the excess off outside.

5. To make the red bars of the flag, stick strips of masking tape to the paper on each side of the maple leaf. My son used his red watercolour crayon and a wet brush to paint the bars red, but any red paint or pencils would do. 

6. When the paint is dry, peel the masking tape off to reveal the straight lines.

Now we have something we can decorate our window with for Canada Day!