Bravery Badges

crayola supplies

household supplies

Why?

St. George’s Day (or any day) is the perfect time to celebrate brave deeds. Create colorful bravery badges for yourself or to present to friends.

Steps

  1. 1. St. George was a kind, courageous, honest knight who protected people. He is the Patron Saint of Great Britain, Portugal, Catalonia, Aragon, and Lithuania. He is also one of the patron saints of chivalry. The British flag has the rectangular cross of St. George as its foundation, overlaid with the crosses of St. Andrew of Scotland and St. Patrick of Ireland.
  2. 2. The St. George Cross is an award presented for acts of great heroism or incredible courage while in extreme danger. In Great Britain, April 23rd is a day set aside to honor St. George’s memory with parades, battle reenactments, and celebrations. Find out more about the life of St. George. Read about bravery in our world today. Discuss and list times when you saw or participated in brave acts.
  3. 3. St. George’s banner was a rectangular red cross on a white background. Here’s one way to make badges that display this symbol of courage.
  4. 4. Use Crayola® Erasable Colored Pencils to draw interesting shapes on cardboard, such as the back side of cereal boxes. With Crayola Scissors, cut out your favorite shapes. Trace them on dark construction paper. Use Crayola School Glue to glue the construction paper to the cereal box backing. Air-dry the badges.
  5. 5. Use Crayola Gel Markers to neatly print words such as Bravery Badge. Have fun adding borders and designs to your badges.
  6. 6. Think of interesting ways to add the St. George symbol of bravery to your badge. You could cut tiny flag-shaped rectangles from white paper. Use Crayola Twistables to create the bright red cross. Glue the emblems to your badges. Glue jewelry backing to each badge. Air-dry the glue.
  7. 7. Keep several Bravery Badges handy to reward your classmates’ acts of courage.

adaptations

April 23 is also the birthday of William Shakespeare. In Great Britain both celebrations are sometimes combined. Complete a KWL chart (what we know, what we want to learn, what we did learn) about Shakespeare. Cite works such as Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Discuss some of his well-known quotes such as: "Neither a borrower nor a lender be" and "To be or not to be, that is the question" (Hamlet). Learn about life in the Middle Ages, then compare Shakespeare’s life experiences to what they would be if he lived today.

Discuss and define the term hero(ine). Create a graphic organizer web chart of hero characteristics. Make a list of heroes from all countries. Your list might include people such as: Black Elk, Anne Frank, Che Guevara, Helen Keller, Pele’, Andrei Sakharov, Mother Teresa, or Charles Lindbergh. Research to learn more about them, write a short biography, and draw a portrait of your chosen hero(ine). Compare what you learned about each of your heroes to the web of hero characteristics. Add characteristics as needed. Display the hero web in the center of portraits and biographies.

Assessment: Consider the accuracy of St. George’s symbol and the thoughtfulness that went into the creation of each badge.

benefits

Students gather information about St. George, the Patron Saint of Great Britain.

Students compare and contrast the brave deeds attributed to St. George with acts requiring courage today.

Students design and create bravery badges to acknowledge brave actions observed at school.

grades

Pre-K and Kindergarten
Grades 1 to 3
Grades 4 to 6

subjects

Language Arts
Social Studies
Visual Arts

time

30 to 60 minutes
Multiple Sessions

curriculum standards links

US: Research U.S. Standards
UK: Research UK Standards
Canada: Research Canada Standards

safety guidelines

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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