Star Festival Poetry Strips

This colorful Japanese holiday weaves together astronomy, language arts, culture, and design. Kids can fly their poetry strips on July 7, a date that springs from an ancient Chinese legend, or any day of the year.

1. Use Crayola® Scissors to cut colored construction paper into several long strips.

2. With Crayola colored pencils write poems or wishes on the strips. Write in rhyme, haiku, or free verse. Separate a long poem on several different strips or write a different poem or wish on each one. Young writers ask more experienced ones for assistance.

3. Illustrate and decorate your poetry strips with Crayola gel markers.

4. Punch a hole at one end of each poetry strip. Loop and knot yarn or Hallmark® Curl Sheen Ribbon through the hole. Tie the other end to a dowel stick to fly your Star Festival poems.

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.

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.

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.

Rocket Flyers

Book Stars

Fly Away, Butterfly

Crafts

crayola supplies

• Colored Pencils
• Gel Markers
• Blunt-Tip Scissors
• Construction Paper

household supplies

• yarn
• hole punch
• Hallmark ribbon

"Kids created poetry strips at a block party. Families hung them from porch flag poles for our very own Star Festival."
Huy C., dad of children ages 7 and 9.

"Students paraded their poetry strips during our World Cultures celebration. All ages joined in the festivities."
Rae D., PTO volunteer.

Tanabata, a Japanese festival celebrated on July 7, is based on an ancient Chinese tale of two stars who are in love with each other but separated by the Milky Way. Once a year, on the seventh day of the seventh month, the stars are granted their wish to be reunited when a bridge magically appears in the sky between their two galaxies. On Tanabata, also called the Star Festival, people write their wishes on colorful strips of paper and hang them on bamboo branches.