Indian Headbands for Thanksgiving Crafts
Celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday by showing children create American Indian headbands with a few simple materials. This project can be used to illustrate the first Thanksgiving story and teach a history lesson about the relationship between the early colonists and the Indians who helped them survive a difficult winter.
Fabric Headband
Cut wide strips of heavy fabric such as expired upholstery samples (available at home decorating stores, often for free). Use white glue to embellish with decorative trim around the band such as rick-rack cut into small pieces. Long pieces can also be added on the headband. Children can use dimensional paint to add colorful accents such as lines, circles, and American Indian designs.
Paper Headband
Cut 2 1/2-inch wide strips of heavy brown paper such as grocery bags. The strips should be longer than the circumference of the child's head. Give children markers and decorative supplies such as peel-and-stick foam shapes, and stickers such as tepees, buffalo, tomahawks, horses, eagles, and feathers. The kids can also use rubber stamps with black or brown ink with American Indian-themed images. After decorating, fit the headband around the child's head and staple one end over the strip. Cut off any excess for a neat fit. Draw two or three feathers on red or orange construction paper and let the children cut them out with safety scissors. Cut fringe along the feathers and staple them inside the back of the headband.
Felt Headband
Cut a wide strip of light-colored felt about 20 inches long. Children can use permanent markers to draw American Indian-themed images or decorative designs on the head band. Add accents with glitter glue or seed beads with white glue. Tie the felt headband at the back of the head. Insert two or three actual feathers, which are available at craft shops.
Beaded Headband
Show older children create a woven Indian headband with colored plastic beads and nylon-coated jewelry wire. Cut a long piece of jewelry wire and fold it in half. Slip on 10 plastic beads at the center. Divide the beads into two sections. Slip one end of the jewelry wire through the second group of six beads. Pull the wire through so there are two lines of beads side by side with jewelry wire extending out. Slip on another six beads on one end of the jewelry wire, then slip the other jewelry wire through. Pull the wire through. There are now three lines of beading in the creation of the headband. Proceed in this manner until a band of beads has been made to fit around the head. To connect the two ends, work the jewelry wire through the lines of beads, adding a crimping bead and press closed with crimping pliers.
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