A few days before Canada Day, set up an area for the small ones and provide them with newspapers, pipe cleaners, crepe paper, glue sticks, safety scissors, ribbons and glitter, to create their own Canada Day decorations and headgear. Have an older sibling or friend supervise and download and print out templates beforehand.
1. Leaf Party Invitations
To make the invitations, select your template (see below for websites with templates) and add text (where, what, when, etc). Cardstock paper should be used. Make sure that the text font is in a darker colour (black is always good) than the paper for printing out the invitation. Print out as many as you need and cut out each one. Place in envelopes, add addresses, and hand deliver or mail.
2. 3-D Maple Leaf Decoration
Using the same template used for the invitations, it’s easy to create three-dimensional, leaf-shaped cut-outs. Festive and easy to make, they're ideal for decorating tables or place settings. Or string a bunch together to create garlands to decorate doorways and patio.
To make the 3-D decorations, print out as many as needed. With sharp scissors cut out the leaf shapes. Fold the leaves in half along the centre of each leaf and glue the leaves together to form a three-dimensional shape. Four folded leaves make one decoration.
3. Party Favours
Little treat favours that are actually matchboxes covered in leftover paper scraps and filled with white mints or red jelly beans. To make these favours, first remove the matches (an adult should do this) from the match box. Cut and glue a piece of paper over the match book cover and fill with treats.
No match boxes? Use small envelopes and decorate with leaf stickers instead.
4. Pinwheels
To make pinwheels as decorations or for the little ones to run around with and spin, first scan or photo copy a small flag, making multiple images of it on a page and then printing it out on striped paper. To make the pinwheel, push a straight pin though the folded pinwheel cut-out and then through the eraser of a pencil. Bend the pin in the back and hold it in place with masking tape.
5. Candy Cup Flag Tags
Peanut butter cups are a sweet end to a delicious meal or use soft cookies instead. Print name tags on coloured paper and cut into flags. Pierce two holes in the paper to hold a bamboo skewer, and plant in the candy. Place one at each setting.
6. Can-Do Cans
Wrap up your holiday entertaining with patriotic containers. Wash and dry empty cans. Cut out the wrapping (use wrapping paper scraps) to fit around the can. Place paper wrong side up; add glue along each short end. Align and stick one end to can; wrap paper around can, then secure the other end.
For leaf templates and other Canada Day projects, visit the following websites:
