In today's story, we heard a legend about the Green Man in honor of Midsummer. You can see a gallery of historical Green Man carvings and designs here! Let's make our own Green Man masks with leaves from outside in honor of Midsummer.

Supplies

-leaves

-cardboard

-scissors

-Xacto blade

-glue

-pencil

-bamboo skewer or other stick

Step 1: Go Outside!

I didn't have to go far to find some great leaves. Make it a little bit of an adventure!

Step 2: Pick Out Some Leaves.

There will be lots to choose from. Use a pair of scissors to clip them off to minimize damage to the plants. You can thank the plants, too.

Step 3: Don't Forget to Appreiciate the Other Things You Find!

Part of our UU 7th Principle is appreciating the wonders of the natural world. While I was looking for leaves, I found raindrops catching the sunlight, a spider spinning a web, and tiny purple flowers. What will you find?

Step 4: Take Your Leaves Inside.

Look at them all!

Step 5: Prep Your Cardboard.

Grab or cut out a piece of cardboard larger than your face from the recycling bin. Hold it up against your face and mark on the outside where your nose and eyes are.

Step 6: Make a Mask Shape.

Using the eye and nose marks as guides, sketch the shape of a mask. Then cut it out! This is easiest if you have a grown-up or older sibling use an Xacto blade, but you can also use scissors.

Step 7: Lay Out a Design.

Now comes the fun part! Grab your leaves and start laying out some designs. I decided I wanted my ferns to be my eyebrows, and then I added leaves around them. What will your mask look like?

Step 8: Glue on the Leaves.

Glue all of your leaves onto your mask. Let it dry.

Step 9: Add a Stick If You Like!

Your mask can just be to look at, but you could also add a stick if you'd like to hold it to your face, like your at a masquerade. Take a bamboo skewer or chopstick and put some glue on the end. Shove it between the layers of the corrugated cardboard and let it dry.