Materials:
Pussy willows
Paper
Plastic straws, one for each child
Brown paint
Water-soluble packing curls
Plate
Hot water
Instructions:
1. Show the children real pussy willows and explain that they will be makingtheir own pussy willows.
2. Give each child a straw and a piece of paper.
3. Pour a small amount of brown paint at the bottom of each piece of paper.
Demonstrate how to blow through the straw gently to spread the paint to
look like a stem. To help spread the paint further (if needed), hold the paper
upside down and at angles to let the paint run.
4. Break the packing curls in half and give a few to each child.
5. Pour a small amount of hot water onto plates. Show the children how to dip
one end of a packing curl into the hot water and place it along the paint
stem.
6. Encourage the children to place their packing curls along their paint stems
until they are satisfied with the pussy willows.
More to do
Instead of using packing curls, put a little gray paint onto the children's pointer
fingers and encourage them to make pussy willow fingerprints.
Related poem
The Pussy Willow Poem
I know a little pussy,
Its coat is silver-gray.
It lives down in the meadow
Not very far away.
It will always be a pussy,
It will never be a cat.
For it's a pussy willow
Now what do you think of that?
Meow, meow, meow, meow, meow,
Meow, meow, meow, meow,
Scat!