Golden Coat of Arms

In medieval times, every knight had a coat of arms on his shield. Design a crest that tells about you and your family's heritage.

• 1.

  Research information about coats of arms and the knights who wore them on their shields. Why did they have these shields? Look for the many different symbols in coats of arms. Find out what the symbols meant during medieval times. If you had been a knight, which symbols would you have chosen?

• 2.

  To form your crest, fold a large piece of construction paper in half lengthwise. Use Crayola® Erasable Colored Pencils to draw a slightly curved line from the bottom of the fold up about 1/3 of the way on the outer edge. With Crayola Scissors, cut off the piece. Unfold your crest. Fold it in half the other way to form four equal sections. Crease well.

• 3.

  Cover your art area with recycled newspaper. With Crayola Paint Brushes, paint two sections of the crest using gold Crayola Premier™ Tempera. Cover the other two sections with another color of Crayola Tempera. Dry.

• 4.

  On a separate piece of paper, use your imagination to draw templates of your initials and other symbols about yourself and your family's heritage for your crest. Cut them out and trace them on your crest. Paint your initials and symbols using the opposite background color. Dry.

• 5.

  Accentuate designs in your crest with Crayola Glitter Glue. Dry.

• 6.

  For more stability, outline your crest on cardboard or posterboard. Cut it out. Attach to the back of your crest with Crayola School Glue. Dry.

• 7.

  To form a hanger, punch two openings on the top of the crest. Run ribbon or yarn through the holes and knot.

• 8.

  Explain the meaning of the symbols on your crest to classmates.

Benefits

• Students research medieval times and the importance that coats of arms had during this period of history.
• Students examine several historic family crests and coat of arms to identify the various symbols used and find out what they mean.
• Students create original coats of arms using images that best symbolize their personalities and heritage, and explain their meanings to classmates.

Adaptations

• Create other medieval artifacts such as a chalice, sword, or crown using gold or silver Crayola Premier Tempera.
• Draw and color a knight in a suit of armor using silver Crayola Premier Tempera for an authentic look.
• Compare and contrast the use of coats of arms with Tartan plaids and other historic family symbols.