September 2007-Craft of the Month-Herb Swag

With the growing season coming to an end soon, it is time to pick some of those herbs!  Ask the children if their parents are raising any herbs, and then have them bring a bunch in.  The children will love rubbing the leaves and smelling the different smells.  Assembling a swag of assorted herbs, and then letting them dry naturally, will make a lovely decoration for their home refrigerator, and allow their parents to cook with the herbs.


Materials Needed:

* Assorted fresh cut herbs
* rubber band, pipe cleaner,or string for tying
* ribbon or raffia
* scissors
* glue
* small magnet

Directions:

1.  Sort herbs into piles.
2.  Assemble herbs by starting with the longest branches.
3.  Add the next longest branches and work your way down to the small flowered herbs, holding tightly by the stems.
4. Wrap the stems tightly together with the rubber band, pipe cleaner or string.
5.  Tie with a cut piece of  ribbon.
6.  Attach a magnet to the back of the ribbon with glue.  Let dry.
7.  Once the magnet is dry, it can be placed on the refrigerator, so the herbs can dry naturally.

This craft addresses a lot of tactile interaction as well as olfactory involvement.  This craft requires bilateral coordination to complete, and can work on tying skills.