Brighten-Your-Day Placemats

Place others first and you’ll make someone smile! Show you care by creating a placemat to donate to an agency that provides meals to people who are homeless, elderly, or disabled.

1. There are lots of terrific kids who help others, care for the environment, and make their communities better places to live! What can you do to help others in your community? Here's a great idea to inspire you: Design a placemat to donate to a service organization, such as one that provides meals for people who may be lonely or unable to leave their homes.

2. With Crayola Scissors, cut cotton or 50/50 cotton/polyester fabric into a placemat. Put on your painting shirt, and cover your work surface with clean paper. Crayola® Fabric Markers stain clothing and surfaces, CLOSE ADULT SUPERVISION IS REQUIRED.

3. Use a ruler and Crayola Fabric Markers to separate sections on the fabric. Each section can be a different size and shape.

4. Create a cheerful design with large and small shapes, colors, or patterns. Add stripes or dots to fill each section with color.

5. Designs must be heat set by an adult so the placemat can be laundered. Set the iron to cotton. Iron on the reverse side using a back and forth motion for 4 minutes. Or put the placemat in the dryer for 30 minutes on the hottest setting.

Adult supervision is required for any arts & crafts project. Observe children closely and intervene as necessary to prevent potential safety problems and ensure appropriate use of arts and crafts materials. Some craft items, particularly beads and buttons, are potential choking hazards for young children. Avoid use of such small parts with children younger than 3 years. Craft items such as scissors, push pins and chenille sticks may have sharp points or edges. Avoid use of materials with sharp points by children younger than 4 years. Read all manufacturers' safety warnings before using arts and craft supplies.

Adult Assistance is required for this arts & crafts project.

Scissors—ATTENTION: The cutting edges of scissors are sharp and care should be taken whenever cutting or handling. Blunt-tip scissors should be used only by children 4 years and older. Pointed-tip scissors should be used only by children 6 years and older.

Rainbow Goals Chart

Painted Pine Cones

Flower Box

Crafts

crayola supplies

• Fabric Markers
• Blunt-Tip Scissors

household supplies

• white paper
• fabric
• iron (for adult use only!)
• ruler or straight-edge (optional)
• painting shirt

"This project started with a babysitting job and turned into my senior project. Kids in my local elementary school created 300 Brighten-Your-Day Placemats for a food bank. "
Vanessa A., teenage volunteer.

"My children added this act of giving to our yearly trip to sing for patients at a children's hospital."
Margaret R., homeschool parent of ages 9, 11, and 13.

The first American home-delivered meal program began in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in January 1954. Margaret Toy, a social worker, pioneered a program to provide meals to homebound seniors and other shut-ins who otherwise would go hungry. Most of the volunteers were high school students, who were dubbed "Platter Angels." The Platter Angels prepared, packaged, and delivered food to people who were elderly and disabled in their community.