Colorful celebrations.

Seasonal shifts and holidays provide timely reasons to celebrate change and cultures. Integrating art into celebrations serves many purposes, including festive decorating, gift giving, multicultural awareness, and teaching about others' beliefs, traditions, and festivities. Find the step-by-step instructions for these lessons at www.crayola.com/colorfullearning

Black Bat Silhouette

Baffled about bats? Turn interest in Halloween and natural curiosity about spooky creatures into a timely science lesson. Students research the habitats, habits, shapes, colors, and sizes of bats then represent their scientific findings in a watercolor scene.

Dates From Tree to Table

Each fall Muslims celebrate the holy month of Ramadan and the festival Eid al-Fir. Students research the date palm, its botanical characteristics, and its role in desert life and Islamic beliefs. Students gain an understanding of the Muslim holiday and visually represent their findings in a scene depicting a Ramadan closing feast.

Diwali Light

Craft a pretend light to mark the end of the Hindu year, and you'll be ready to learn about Diwali, the festival of lights. Diwali is the one of the most widely celebrated holidays in the world, being the most holy day for Hindus. Diwali celebrations focus on the triumph of good over evil and begin by lighting a lamp called a Diwa.

Bountiful Harvest Wallhanging

There is much to be thankful for during the autumn harvest season. Students identify what they are personally thankful for and create colorful horns of plenty.

Scandianavian Christmas Crown

Christmas is celebrated in many similar and different ways across the globe. Students compare and contrast Christmas traditions. Create simulated Scandinavian Christmas Crowns.

Chanukah Star Garland

There are eight days of Chanukah, the Jewish festival of lights. This celebration commemorates the ancient miracle when a small amount of oil lit a lamp for eight days, enabling the restoration of the ancient Temple thousands of years ago. Students create brightly colored garlands that boast eight glimmering stars.

Boxing Pay Cottage

Boxing Day extends the Christmas giving tradition and is celebrated in England, Canada and Australia. It's a time for giving gifts to those who help, including postal workers, messengers, and housekeepers. Students research the traditions of Boxing Day and create dioramas that demonstrate the generosity theme of this holiday.

Folded Paper Kwanzaa Kinara

Celebrate Kwanzaa traditions and learn about this African-American holiday. Explore the Nguzo Saba, the seven principles, while making this replica Kinara, a candleholder for the Mishumaa Saba (seven candles). Define and discuss the seven principles of Kwanzaa: umoja (unity), kujichagulia (self-determination), ujima (collective work & responsibility), ujamaa (cooperative economics), nia (purpose), kuumba (creativity), and imani (faith).

Celebration Party Hats

Speaking Up For What's Right

Children enjoy creating personalized party hats that can liven up any festivity. Welcome the New Year, celebrate Mardi Gras, honor each child's birthday, and make every occasion special by combining new Crayola (R) Gel FX markers with kids' creativity.

Celebrate the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. by having students research this leade1 and create dioramas that pay tribute to his historic role in the civil rights movement.

Chinese New Year Dragon Parade

Children research Chinese New Year and create dragon puppets to use in a traditional puppet parade.

Special Delivery Valentine Box

Valentine's Day is a time for children to communicate thoughts of caring and kindness to each other. Create mailboxes and have every child create a special message for each classmate.

Freedom Train

Black History Month is a great time for students to learn about the Underground Railroad and commemorate its leaders, such as Harriet Tubman. Students construct freedom homes from recycled materials and document the role of this trail to freedom with written journal entries.

Fancy Foil Easter Card

Students research the Christian holiday of Easter and the symbolism of eggs in the celebration of Easter and the rebirth of spring. Students learn about egg decorating in various cultures around the world. Students create an egg-shaped greeting card with cutouts over aluminum foil.

Passover Matzah Cover

Children research the meaning of the Jewish holiday Passover and the symbols used in this holiday's rituals. Students design matzah covers, using Crayola (R) Fabric Crayons. The matzah cover is used during Seder, the ceremonial dinner which begins rue holy week when Jewish people avoid eating bread. Matzah symbolizes the unleavened bread their ancestors had to bake in haste as they fled from slavery to freedom.

Carp Streamer

Children research ways in which Children's Day (Kodomonohi) is celebrate in Japan in early May and how symbols are used to communicate different meanings in various cultures. Decorated carp streamers (koinobori) are used in Japan to symbolize personal strengths.

Mexican Celebration Students research the many ethnic, religious, national and cultural holidays celebrated in Mexico. Explore the role of mask making in Cinco de Mayo, Mexican Constitution Day, and Day of the Dead. Create masks using traditional Mexican styles.