Sparkle Craft: Home Team Pennant
Go, team, go!!
There is so much fun creating to be done this week making your very own sports team and sport! From uniforms to the game itself, Martin and Sylvia had so much fun coming up with teams of their own in this week’s Martin & Sylvia: Saturdays! story “Sports from Scratch”, and we know you will too. Listen to the story and then come up with a sport and team of your own – remember, you’ll need a few important things:
A team name (What is something you love or love to do? Martin drew inspiration from a favorite animal.)
A uniform (Do you have an old tee-shirt you can decorate with fabric markers or paint?)
A sport or game to play (What game does your team name remind you of? Sylvia’s name had everyone buzzzzzing this week.)
A sport’s pennant to show your team spirit – that’s what we’re going to make today!
A pennant is a special flag made out of felt that has been used for many years to show support for sports teams of all levels, so it’s fitting that your new team should have one too. They usually include the team colors, and may include the team name or a picture of the team mascot (the character that represents the team, so Martin’s mascot, for example, would be a bobcat.)
You Will Need
Felt
Scissors
Glue
Markers (optional)
Yarn (optional – for tassels)
What To Do
Cut out your pennant flag. It can be as big (or small) as you would like. Some pennants are very long triangles – have a grown-up help you cut out the type of triangle you’d like.
Cut out pieces of felt to decorate your flag. We chose to use abstract pieces for our team flag, but you can cut out letters if you’re able, or even draw a picture of your team mascot!
Glue the pieces down to your main flag. You can layer your felt, create patterns and shapes, or spell out a word! When you are happy with how your pennant looks, go ahead and let it dry for a couple of hours.
Attach the tassels to your pennant. Cut a small slit on the two corners along the shortest side of your flag. Make a tassel by cutting several 8-inch pieces of yarn, pull them through the slit, and tie them in a knot. We used 4 pieces of yarn per tassel.
Now it’s time to cheer your team on! Run! Jump! Hide! Whatever the sport is that you created, cheer on your fellow teammates to victory! When you’re done, you can hang your flag in your bedroom to remind you of your very own sport from scratch.
Explore More & Make Connections
What do you think Martin and Sylvia’s team pennants would look like? Can you make pennants for their teams? If you don’t have enough felt you could use colored construction paper or draw a picture of what you think they would look like!
Are there any other sports teams that you and your family enjoy watching? Can you make a pennant for that team? What colors will it be? What images will you include?
About the Authors
Andrea Folsom
Andrea Folsom describes herself as a writer, editor, creative maker, and eternal optimist. She is passionate about learning and sharing new creative techniques, making beautiful spaces, and talking about the social-emotional benefits of creativity and art. She runs Crafting Connections - a website providing inspiration, practical advice, and projects for creative families - with her close friend Danielle Reiner.
Danielle Reiner
Danielle Reiner describes herself as a creative, a maker, and a mama. At the heart of her story is creativity, though that hasn’t always been the case. She rediscovered her deeply hidden creativity early in adulthood – with a ball of yarn and a couple of knitting needles – and hasn't stopped since. Danielle also runs Crafting Connections - a website providing inspiration, practical advice, and projects for creative families - with her close friend Andrea Folsom.
