May | 2016 | Words On A Limb

Mother’s Day is fast approaching and we have surely begun preparing for it in the classroom. This year we are showing Mom (or the special mother-figure in our life) how much we love her with lots of kisses in a love-filled picture frame. We sure hope this becomes a craft Mom will treasure.

Kisses For My Mother is a poem I wrote for the special occasion. I wanted students to make it somewhat their own so I left the last line blank. This is where they get to add adjectives and/or verbs that best describe their mom (if they’re up for the challenge, they can try to make it rhyme).

Now for the craft…

Before you begin: 1. Take a profile picture of each student blowing a kiss into the air, head slightly tilted upwards. 2. Ask students to enlist help from family members (other than their mom) and bring in a picture of their mom for the frame.

1.Loosely tape a heart shaped cut-out onto a white sheet of paper (thick enough for paint).

2. Using outward strokes, have students paint lines all around the heart (you may want to incorporate various colour themes – primary, secondary, warm, cool, or let student choose whatever colour scheme they like – perhaps mom’s favourite colour).

3. After the paint has dried, fill small jars with water and food colour. Using dropplers, invite students to dab the liquid onto the frame and extend the drops into line designs (curvy, jagged, parallel, striped, etc.).

4. Have students cut out various size and colour heart shapes and glue them around their frame (maintaining the heart shape in the centre).

5. Students cut and paste the poem, Kisses For My Mother, as well as their picture and a photo of their mom in the centre of the frame.

6. You may want to invite students to continue adding hearts to their frame, overlapping and creating a sense of space.

Here is a sample of the final product:

To download a free copy of my poem for your personal use in the classroom, click on the kiss image below. To download a copy of the poem as a shared reading handout, click on the image of the poem at the top of the post.