Kwanzaa Mat

This reproduction of the traditional woven Kwanzaa mat is easy to make with Crayola® Color Wonder™. Children celebrate the rich heritage and culture of Africa while expressing their creative gifts.

1. Fold a sheet of black construction paper lengthwise in half. Leaving a margin all around the paper, use Crayola Scissors to cut about 8 lines even widths apart into the paper at the fold. Open flat.

2. Cut a sheet of Crayola Color Wonder paper into strips about the same width as the lines in the construction paper.

3. Weave Color Wonder Paper strips through the slits in the construction paper, alternating starting over and then under.

4. With a Crayola Glue Stick, attach the ends of the Color Wonder Paper to the construction paper mat.

5. Using Color Wonder Markers in red and green, alternate coloring the squares woven into the mat. Kwanzaa colors are black, red, and green.

6. With Crayola Metallic FX Crayons, decorate the mat with images of Kwanzaa such as the seven candles, harvest foods, or beautiful decorative patterns.

Adult supervision is required for any arts & crafts project.

Color Wonder™—Wash hands well with soap and water after use.

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.

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Crafts

crayola supplies

• Metallic FX Crayons
• Color Wonder™ Markers
• Color Wonder™ Fingerpaints
• Color Wonder™ Paper
• Glue Sticks
• Blunt-Tip Scissors

household supplies

• construction paper (black)

"We included all the information we learned about Kwanzaa in this one beautiful project."
Paul L., scout leader.

"The kids decorated their mats in great detail, showing how much they valued the holiday in the process."
Sekani V., after-school club mentor.

During Kwanzaa, families decorate their homes with beautiful woven, straw mats called mkeka. An ear of corn (called muhindi) is set on the mat for every child in the family, as well as other fruits and vegetables of the harvest. The kinara, seven candles in a holder, is displayed to represent the 7 principles of Kwanzaa, which are unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith.