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Crayon Rubbing Cornucopia

Create a cornucopia - a horn-shaped container filled with seasonal flowers, leaves, produce, or anything you'd like - using patterns made by crayon rubbings.

Lesson Plan

Supplies Needed

Gather all the supplies needed to bring your craft ideas to life! From paints and markers to glue and scissors, our crafts section has everything to spark creativity and make every project truly special.

  • Paper
  • Textured Materials

Steps

  • Step 1

    A cornucopia is a symbol of abundance. Also known as a horn of plenty, the word is from the Latin "cornu" meaning horn and "copia" meaning abundance. The cornucopia has roots in Greek and Roman folklore, but it has become a traditional symbol of Thanksgiving in the United States and represents a bountiful harvest. Ask students to think about what they're thankful for. This could be tangible items like food or books or intangible items such as health or love.

  • Step 2

    Ask students to create a textured crayon rubbing for their cornucopia. They do this by laying a piece of paper over a textured item such as a basket, dish drainer, sandpaper, leaves, etc. and then rubbing over it with the side of a crayon. When the paper is decorated they can roll it into a cone and tape or glue the sides together.

  • Step 3

    Have students make items to fill their cornucopia. They can draw these on paper and then cut them out. Ask them to make several of each item so they can trade with classmates. Challenge them to count how many of each item they have and write it as an equation; for example, 3 leaves + 2 flowers + 4 apples = 9 items.

Standards

MATH: Describe, compare, quantify, and classify objects by attributes. Sort objects into categories.

SEL: Social Awareness: Understand the influences of organizations and systems on behavior. Recognize family, school, and community resources as supports and express gratitude.

SEL: Self-Awareness: Understand one's own emotions, thoughts, and values and how they influence behavior across contexts.

Adaptations

Read a book such as "We Are Grateful: Otsaliheliga" by Traci Sorell and Frane Lessac about the Cherokee community giving thanks for seasonal blessings.

Talk about symbols of abundance in other parts of the world. For example, in Scotland, seeing a hare is a sign that there are good things in store. In China, the word for "fish" is similar to the word for "abundance," so people eat fish during New Year celebrations to summon wealth and good luck.