First a little disclaimer. This project is one that comes from my teaching days. I'm not really sure where it originated but it was always one of my favorite activities to do with the kids. And I loved my pin so much that I actually wore mine on my winter coat every day until it fell apart, about two years later.
A holiday like MLK day is always a conundrum for me. On the surface, it's just an extra day off of school, for good or for bad. Which generally depends on the behavior of my children. But they are both at an age where they can, and should, have an understanding of what the day is for. At the same time, it's hard to imagine spending the entire day talking about something that, while infinitely important, is also a difficult thing to fully process, even as an adult.
So while we spent most of the day playing and enjoying the sun (Yay! Sun!) we did invite the neighbors girls over to make MLK puzzle pins.
If you've got an old puzzle lying around with missing pieces, grab a handful for this project, otherwise, there are lots of Christmas puzzles out there on the clearance shelves right about now.
It's much easier to paint the back side of the puzzle so you don't have to cover over whatever busy picture is going on on the front. For each pin, paint one cream colored piece and one brown piece.
Once they have dried, hot glue the two pieces together (having an "in" bit on each side makes the ribbon part easier down the road.Tie a thin ribbon around the two with a bow secured in the middle.Hot glue a bar pin on the back and allow the glue to dry completely before pinning them on.
Easy Peasy as my kids would say.
Have a Happy Martin Luther King Junior Day folks, and while your having a fun day off (or even if your stuck at work - boo hiss) don't forget to share the love with the next generation.