Remembrance Poppies

In Flanders Fields

Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
  That mark our place; and in the sky
  The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
  Loved and were loved, and now we lie
      In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
  The torch; be yours to hold it high.
  If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
      In Flanders fields.

It’s a poem we hear every year, usually today for other fellow teachers, as November 10th is the Day most schools will take time to hold their Remembrance services.

As Tomorrow is Remembrance Day, the day where we remember the lives lost, and the sacrifices that soldiers, all around the world, have made in order for us to have our freedom.

It is a time for refection, and a time for gratitude as we thank all the soldiers for all that they have done and all that they will do.

This year, our remembrance will be a little different, as we can not gather together but that does not mean we can not learn and hold a little service of our own.

Our craft today is ‘Remembrance Poppies’ which can be completed at any age with any skill level and it will still have a meaningful impact. As you create your poppies, it is a good time to read your crafters “In Flanders Field” and maybe google up Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae and learn a little bit about why he wrote the poem and why the poppies are the symbol for remembrance day.

Materials:

Directions:

Flatten out your coffee filters.

Draw a flower the size of the filter with 4 or 5 pedals, using a pencil. You could also trace one half of a cup around the edge of the filter to make thicker pedals. (our lines are dark so you can see the shape as every picture we took the pencil lines were too dark and would not show up on camera.)

Add a little bit of water to the red paint and mix it all thoroughly, this is to thin out the paint. Paint your poppies red. Make sure to cover your workstation with newspaper or a piece of cardboard as the paint will leak through the coffee filter.

Dab the black paint into the centre of the red poppy. Let the poppies dry.

Once dry cut them out. Tape to your window to help remind us of every soldier’s sacrifice.