Kid-friendly Kinara

Teach your child about Kwanzaa by sparking their interest with a kinara they can create and call their own.

DoorMouse in Space, Fri., 5/25 @ 10:30 on NICK

Materials

• 6 jumbo craft sticks
• 7 clothespins
• Child-safe paint (such as watercolors or tempera) or markers (red, black, green)
• Flames template
• Safety scissors
• Paperclip
• Craft glue

Directions

1. Step 1

   Help your child as he/she colors or paints three clothespins red, three clothespins green, and one clothespin black. Set aside to dry.<br><br> Have your child color or paint six craft sticks. These six craft sticks will be used to make the kinara so allow your child to paint them the color of his/her choice. Set aside to dry. <br><br> Print out the Flames Template and cut around the outlines.

2. Step 2

   To create the top area of the kinara, lay one craft stick down horizontally on a flat surface and apply glue across. Place another craft stick on top of it about halfway in either direction. Then do the same in the other direction. Make sure the extensions meets in the middle of the original craft stick. Wipe away any excess glue and press together. Now you have one long horizontal bar upon which you�ll add the clothespins.<br><br> After the craft sticks dry, flip over and glue a paper clip vertically to the center. This will be used to hang the kinara after it's ready.

3. Step 3

   To create the base of the kinara, lay one craft stick down horizontally on a flat surface, then glue two craft sticks vertically (about a third of the way in from each side) to the longer horizontal piece you created above (see photo for reference), which will create a T shape. The vertical craft sticks should be about two finger spaces apart.

4. Step 4

   After the kinara dries, glue in front three red clothespins on the left, three green clothespins on the right, and one black clothespin in the center of the top of the kinara. The clothespins should be spaced evenly, about two finger spaces apart. Let dry.

5. Step 5

   The kinara is complete, and now you can mount it on a wall and allow your child to add a flame to it each day during the week of Kwanzaa. Just open the clothespin, stick the flame inside, then close!