What better way to teach your kids about the Mayflower than to make a Mayflower kids craft this Thanksgiving! Ella and Annie put together these paper plate Mayflower ships to learn about how the pilgrims traveled to America.
One paper plate makes one ship. Take one paper plate and cut it in half. Paint the bottom of the paper plate with brown paint. You can also paint the top side of the plate if it doesn’t have a glossy coating. Otherwise don’t worry about it, we will be hiding the inside with tissue paper.
Once the two halves of the paper plate are dry, put both of them together to form the ship. Staple the plates together along the outside rim of the plates. Using a sharp piercing tool, poke two holes into a craft roll (or toilet paper roll) on each end. Bend the craft roll slightly to fit into the pocket you formed when stapling the two plates together.
Insert dowels or paper straws into each hole. Trim one of the dowels so that the masts are different sizes.
Cut small rectangles from white cardstock for the ship’s sails. Punch two holes on each side of each rectangle. Cut three rectangles in total. Slide the rectangles onto the dowels to make the sails.
Cut two small rectangles from red construction paper to be the flags on your masts.
Decorate the Mayflower with the Thanksgiving foam shapes.
Stuff the ship with brown tissue paper. Hot glue a toothpick to the pilgrim foam shapes and stick them into the ship.
I love how this Mayflower kids craft turned out, don’t you? Photography and crafting by Shauna of Ella and Annie