DLTK's Crafts for Kids
Olympic Fingerprint Wreath

contributed by Kaitlyn Guenther

The best crafting tools are our hands, and this craft is a cute olympic wreath made from fingerpainting! It is a very simple craft and is fun for children of all ages. This craft can either be a laurel wreath or an olive wreath.

Olive wreaths were given to the winners of olympic games in ancient Greece and are associated with Hercules in Greek mythology.  They were originally made from a branch of the olive trees growing in Olympia (the place in Greece where the Olympics were held).  In Greek mythology, the wild olive trees in Olympia were planted by Hercules near the temple of his father Zeus.  And, yes, these are the trees that olives grow on!

Laurel wreaths were given to scholars, poets and conquering heroes (like Julius Caesar) in ancient Greece.  They are associated with Apollo in Greek mythology.  Laurel wreaths are still given to some graduates of university.  The laurel wreath was made from laurel bushes.  Laurel leaves, also known as bay leaves, are nice smelling and can be used to flavour food (I use them in soup!)

Materials:

• printer,
• paper,
• green paint,
• fingers!
• Optional:  red ribbon

Craft Instructions:

• Print out the template or draw the branches of the wreath on a piece of construction paper.
• Dip one finger in green paint and make fingerprints along the branches of the wreath, as if the fingerprints are the leaves.
• OPTIONAL: Tie a red ribbon into a bow and glue the ribbon bow to the bottom of the wreath!

Craft Templates:

• Close the template window after printing to return to this screen.
• Set page margins to zero if you have trouble fitting the template on one page (FILE, PAGE SETUP or FILE, PRINTER SETUP in most browsers).

Template     color  or   B&W

Print friendly version of these instructions