Martin Luther King Jr. Day Crafts

Use the facts you learn about Dr. King to make and play Martin's Match Game on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

What You'll Need:

32 index cards

Markers

Research books

Find out facts about Dr. King to use in this concentration-type game. Divide 32 index cards into 4 groups. Mark the backs of one group "Open Doors." Mark the backs of the second group "Closed Doors." Mark the backs of the third group with positive situations, including "Peaceful march on Selma." Mark the backs of the fourth group with obstacles, including "Must pay poll tax to vote."

Turn all the cards face down and try to match "Open Door" cards with positive situations and "Closed Door" cards with obstacles. If no match is made, the cards are turned face down again. The player with the most matches wins. By the time you are through playing this game, you will be an expert on the extraordinary life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr!

For another fun craft project to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day, check out the next page and learn how to make Peace Medals.

For more fun activities and crafts for kids, see:

Make and award a peace medal to a peace-loving friend with this simple Martin Luther King Jr. Day craft activity.

What You'll Need:

1 cup salt

1-1/2 cups hot water

3-1/2 to 4 cups flour

Measuring cups

Mixing bowl

Mixing spoon

Rolling pin

Drinking glass

Cookie sheet

Gold or silver paint

Paintbrush

Markers

Glue

Glitter

Ribbons

Scissors

Pin backs

Honor Dr. King's love of peace by awarding medals to family and friends who have shown great patience or thoughtfulness or who have been helpful in resolving a conflict.

To make the clay: Stir 1 cup salt into 1-1/2 cups hot water. Ask an adult to help with the hot water; be careful that you don't burn yourself. When the mixture cools, add 1 cup flour. Mix until smooth. Add another cup of flour, and continue to mix with a spoon. Add the last 1-1/2 to 2 cups of flour by kneading the clay with your hands. If the clay is sticky, add more flour. If it is dry, add a little more water.

Have an adult preheat the oven to 300 degrees. When your clay is just right for shaping, form a 3-inch ball and roll it out on a floured counter with the rolling pin. Press the rim of a drinking glass onto the flattened clay to cut out a circle. Continue doing this until you have cut out all the medals you want to bake.

Bake the medals on a cookie sheet for 30 minutes. When they cool, paint them gold or silver. When the paint is dry, write messages on them with markers, such as "World Peace." Drizzle glue around the edges, and sprinkle the glue with glitter. Cut two 5-inch pieces of ribbon and glue to the back of each medal when they are dry. Glue the pin backs to the medals or a piece of ribbon long enough to fit over your head.

Have you done your part for peace? Give yourself a medal!

Another great project for Martin Luther King Jr. Day is Peaceful Puppets. Check these out on the next page of this article.

For more fun activities and crafts for kids, see:

These cute Peaceful Puppets will bring peace into everyone's heart. Make them as a Martin Luther King Jr. Day craft project.

What You'll Need:

Felt

Scissors

Fabric marker

Glue

Old colorful socks

Yarn

It's easy to put on a puppet show about friendship and equality.

To make the puppets, cut out 3 circles from felt. Make 2 the same size and 1 slightly smaller. Draw a peace sign on each circle. Glue larger circles on the toe of a sock to make the eyes and the smaller one below to make the nose of your puppet.

Glue on yarn for hair, and cut out a smile from more felt to make the mouth. You can also cut out neckties and buttons or bows from the felt and glue these on, too. Cut 2 small holes on either side of the sock so your fingers can fit through to become the puppet's arms.

Then put on a play about peace!

If you'd like to make someone a gift in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, see the next page to learn how to make an "I Have a Dream" pencil holder.

For more fun activities and crafts for kids, see:

Kids will enjoy making this interesting pencil holder and putting it on their desks to remind them of Martin Luther King Jr. Day all year.

What You'll Need:

Felt: 3x10 inches white, 2x10 inches red, 1x10 inches royal blue, scraps

Black fine-point permanent marker

Acrylic paints: gold, peach, brown, burgundy

4 foam plates

2 foam balls, 1 inch each

Serrated knife

Craft glue

Clean 14-1/2 - to 15-ounce soup can

Trims (yarn, beads, sequins, buttons)

Scissors

8 wiggle eyes, 7mm each

Tweezers

Red chenille stem

Adult help is needed.

Fold the white felt piece in half, bringing the short ends together. With the permanent marker, draw 2 stick figures. Be sure to leave some space at the top, bottom, and sides of the stick figures for heads, hands, and feet. Unfold the felt, and draw 2 stick figures on the other half.

Pour a little of each paint color onto separate foam plates. Have an adult help you cut the foam balls in half with the serrated knife to create 4 ball halves. Using a different ball half for each color, dip one at a time into one color of paint, dab off any extra paint, and stamp the ball half onto the felt to make a head on a stick figure. Make the hands and feet by dipping your fingertip into the same color paint and pressing onto the felt. Wipe your finger clean, and move to the next color. Repeat with a different color on all 4 stick figures. Let dry for 24 hours.

Glue the long edges of the blue and red felt to the white felt piece. Let dry. Line up the bottom edge of the felt with the bottom of the can and glue the felt to the can, wrapping around and overlapping at the ends. Press the top edge of the red felt down into the can and glue in place.

"Dress" the stick figures by gluing clothes on them made from felt scraps. For the pants, cut small squares, then cut partway through the middle to make legs. Shirts can be made out of small rectangles; dresses from triangles. Glue on yarn or felt "hair" and decorate clothes and people with felt, glitter, sequins, buttons, and other trim. Use tweezers to help you glue on the wiggle eyes. Glue the red chenille stem around the bottom of the white felt strip, twist the ends to hold, and cut any excess stem.

For more fun activities and crafts for kids, see:

ABOUT THE CRAFT DESIGNERS

The following crafts were designed by Lisa Lerner and Kersten Hamilton:

Martin's Match Game

Peace Medals

Peaceful Puppets