Crayon-Rubbing Cornucopia

Find interesting textures with which to make crayon rubbings. Shape the paper into a cornucopia and fill it with natural textures—leaves, flower petals, or whatever you like!

• 1.

  Cornucopias are traditional symbols of abundance. They are often displayed with produce at Thanksgiving—but they can also be filled with spring flowers, pictures of loved ones, or anything else for which you are thankful. Think of those things for which you are most appreciative. Share some of your ideas with your classmates.

• 2.

  Choose one or more of your ideas to represent in a cornucopia. Create the texture of the cornucopia and its contents using crayon rubbings. Here’s how the sample was made.

• 3.

  To make the cornucopia, remove the wrapper from a Crayola Triangular Crayon. Lay paper over a textured item, perhaps a woven basket. Rub with the flat side of the crayon to cover the whole sheet. Roll the paper into a cone and glue the top edge. Air-dry the glue.

• 4.

  Fold the pointed portion of the opening into the cone or cut it off with Crayola Scissors to make the opening round.

• 5.

  To create leaves like those pictured, draw realistic shapes and cut them out. Use Crayola Glitter Glue to draw veins and other details on your leaves. Air-dry the designs. This same technique works with any other design you choose.

• 6.

  Turn the leaves over, place them on a textured surface, and make your rubbings. You’ll get double textures at the same time—the background and the veins. Add a 3-D look with more Glitter Glue. Air-dry the paint.

• 7.

  Glue leaves into the display. Air-dry before handling.

Benefits

• Students orally present a list of things for which they are thankful.
• Students create a variety of texture rubbings using found items within their environment.
• Students transform their rubbings into a 3-D cornucopia filled with replicas of the things for which they are thankful.

Adaptations

• Delve further into the spirit of Thanksgiving—or gratitude at any time. Students find pictures or words from magazines describing something for which they are thankful. Place the pictures and words into their cornucopias.
• Discuss the origin of the cornucopia in Greek mythology and its original depiction as a goat’s horn filled with fruits and grain.
• Create cornucopias and their contents with Crayola Model Magic® Fusion™ or Air-Dry Clay. Donate them to shelters or other residential care programs for use as centerpieces.