Wreathed in Beauty
heady projects for young crafty goddesses Perhaps only the toga is a more recognizable symbol of ancient Greek fashion than the laurel leaf crown. The following kid crafts offer a variety of wearable art evocative of Greece’s pantheon. The Olympic Laurel Victors of the Olympic games were rewarded with the coveted laurel crown, hearkening back to the early Pythian games, considered sacred to the god Apollo. Using a thin wire hanger or thick floral wire, cut wire long enough to go around head with a couple of inches to spare. Twist together ends of wire to make a loop. Then go crazy, embellishing with bay leaves affixed with thin floral wire, or artificial leaves that have twistable wire ends. The Fruits of the vine The Greek pantheon was inhabited by a variety of gods and goddesses all associated with different virtues, vices and aspects of nature. Head wreaths were common wear for revelers and those performing specific religious rites. Your little goddess can easily make Dionysis proud with a wreath made of leaves and fruit. Cut 3 vines or ivy a bit longer than needed to go around the child’s head. Tie one end together using ribbon or wire and let your young one have fun loosely braiding the vines together. Attach finished end to starting point with wrapped wire or ribbon then let your little one embellish by sticking or tying flowers, berries and leaves into the wreath. Add hanging ribbons for extra flair. Golden Fleece Headpiece Greek women coveted gold jewelry and crowns. Your finished headwear may not look quite as opulent as the one shown, but young listeners will love to hear about Jason and the Golden Fleece as they create a golden
adornment of their own. Have crafters begin by cutting a strip of flexible cardboard that is long enough to wrap around their heads, with a bit of an overlap for gluing or stapling later. Paint entire surface gold. When dry, form the band into a loop and affix ends with glue or staples. Cut round gold paper doilies in half and glue to band, lining up the cut straight edge of the doily with the bottom of the band. Embellish with gold pipe cleaners as desired, for additional intricacy. Medusa Tiara Regale young listeners with the grim story of Medusa as they embellish a standard plastic headband with twisted and contorted chenille pipe cleaners. Twist 2 or more pipe cleaners together to simulate the look of the gorgon’s snakes. Wrap these snakes around the headband, making sure to leave a ‘tail’ which then can curl around their finger to add to the snakelike effect. -36-
