Veterans Day Poppy Wreath

Veterans Day is something we always celebrate in our house because we have so many family members near and dear to our hearts that have served, both in times of war and in peace. I guess a strong love for your country and the will to defend it runs thick in a bloodline, huh?

I can’t write a Veterans blog without honoring my late grandfather, Raymond Hayes, who served as a medic in the Navy and survived World War II, the Korean War, and Vietnam War. I wish he were here to tell my children his stories and, well, just to hug him and thank him. If you know any Veterans, make sure you reach out to them today while you can.

To celebrate this special day, my daughter and I decided to make a poppy wreath. There is significance behind the poppy flower and it’s association with Veterans of the United States of America. It became a national symbol of remembrance because, as History.com describes, “From the devastated landscape of the battlefields, the red poppy would grow and, thanks to a famous poem, become a powerful symbol of remembrance.”

Supplies:

• Paper plate
• 16 red cupcake liners (to create 8 flowers)
• 8 green buttons
• Black & green construction paper
• Pencil
• Scissors
• Glue

Directions:

• Cut the center of the paper plate out.
• Invert the cupcake liners and take 8 of them and cut off the very edge in a swervy manner so it resembles a flower.
• Take the other 8 liners and cut a swervy edge about 1/2 way down to create a smaller layer that will be placed inside of the larger liner.
• You will also draw and cut out 8 small circles (slightly larger than your buttons) on the black construction paper for the center of each flower.
• Glue them in this order button to black circle to small liner to big liner.
• Repeat for all 8 flowers.
• Glue each poppy that you create on to the outside ring of your paper plate.
• Cut leaves out of the green construction paper and fill in any empty spaces between each flower.

The day prior we had begun our discussion about what a Veteran is and what he/she has done for our country. I found a color-by-number printable of a boy with a camouflage hat holding the American flag and thought it was pretty patriotic and supportive of our Veterans so we had fun coloring this while chatting about our loved ones that have served.

 Happy Veterans Day, y’all. If you have served, thank you so much for your selflessness. We are the home of the free because of the brave!

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