Blooming Poinsettia

crayola supplies

Gel Markers
Model Magic®
No-Run School Glue
Glitter Glue

household supplies

aluminum foil
craft sticks
raffia
plastic dinnerware
recycled plastic containers

Why

This perfect poinsettia arrangement stays in brilliant bloom. What a lovely centerpiece to grace a winter holiday table!

Steps

1. Prepare the pots. Collect and clean 11 recycled plastic containers to be flower pots. Crumple aluminum foil into 10 balls, and place one ball in 10 cups.
2. Mix green Crayola® Model Magic® with a small amount of red Model Magic to get a dark green color for the bottom leaves. Press out a pancake of this green to cover the aluminum foil.
3. Sculpt poinsettia blooms. Shape several pointed leaves from the same dark green color. Use craft sticks to cut them out if you wish. Press leaves down on the aluminum foil so they fan out over the pots.
4. Make several more leaves from bright green Model Magic. Layer them on top of the darker green leaves.
5. Make several large red leaves and layer them over the bright green leaves. Create some smaller red leaves, and place them on top of the first layer of red leaves.
6. Finish your poinsettia with several small yellow balls of Model Magic. Press them into the center of your leaf arrangement.
7. Repeat steps 3 through 6 nine times.
8. Assemble the centerpiece. Place a flattened ball of white Model Magic on the bottom of all 10 flower pots. Turn the one remaining empty cup upside down in the middle of a plastic dinner plate. Make a pancake of Model Magic to cover the ridges. Place a pot of poinsettias on the pancake and press down.
9. Arrange the eight remaining poinsettias around the higher center arrangement so they cover the plate. Use Crayola School Glue to attach flower pots to the plate.
10. Add finishing touches. Glue iridescent acetate raffia around the flower pots for a sparkling, snowy effect.
11. Finish your arrangement by drawing veins on the top layer of leaves with a white or yellow Crayola Gel Marker. Accent your arrangement with Crayola Glitter Glue. Air-dry your arrangement.

When & Where

"Each girl made a poinsettia pot for our centerpiece. At the end of our celebration, girls took the pots home."
- Justine R., scout leader.

"The kids made this arrangement as a surprise for our Christmas dinner. They were so proud!"
- Jacob H., father of ages 9 and 11.

Interesting Info

Poinsettias were brought to the United States in 1820 by a U.S. diplomat, Dr. Joel R. Poinsett. He was so impressed by the beautiful large, red-tipped plants that grew in Mexico that he found a way to propagate the plants from cuttings when he returned to Charleston, South Carolina.

Safety Guidelines

Glitter Glue— WARNING: CHOKING HAZARD—Small parts. Not for children under 3 years. Not for use on skin.

Crayola Modeling Materials including Crayola Model Magic®, and Model Magic Fusion™, Crayola Air-Dry Clay, and Crayola Dough—

Keep away from open flames. Do not use to make candleholders, hot plates, trivets, or other similar objects that will be used or placed near fire and other heat sources.
Do not put in an oven, microwave, or kiln.
Do not make into vessels/containers that will hold unpackaged food.
The use of modeling material to make items that look like food is discouraged for children younger than age 5 to avoid their confusion with real food.
Unless sealed with a water-resistant glaze, do not make projects exposed to or immersed in water, such as boats or outdoor bird feeders. They would disintegrate when exposed to moisture.
Crayola Dough—contains gluten (wheat flour) as an ingredient.
Crayola Air-Dry Clay, Crayola Model Magic and Model Magic Fusion are gluten-free. However, they are produced on the same machinery as Crayola Dough which does contain gluten. Although the machines are cleaned prior to the start of each production run, there is a slight possibility that trace amounts of gluten from Crayola Dough may be present in the other modeling compound products. For information regarding specific ingredients or allergic concerns, please call our Consumer Affairs department at 1-800-272-9652 weekdays between 9 AM and 4 PM Eastern Standard Time.

Modeling Tools—Use the least dangerous point or edge sufficient to do the job. For example, craft sticks, plastic knives and forks, and cookie cutters can cut or carve modeling materials.

String-Like Materials—Includes string, raffia, lacing, yarn, ribbon, and other similar material. Children 3 years and younger should not be given any string-like material that is longer than 12 inches. Close adult supervision is essential whenever children use string-like material. When crafts are to be worn around the necks of children 8 years and younger, attach the ends of the “string-like material” with clear adhesive tape, which allows easy release of the bond if the craft becomes entangled or caught on equipment. For children older than 8 years, the ends of the “string-like material” may be tied and knotted.

Wood—By its nature, wood is rough and may contain splinters or sharp points