Over-Under Woven Paper Placemats

What you need

• Paper, 1 sheet base color plus 8 to 10 strips of a contrasting color per mat
• Kid scissors, 1 pair
• Glue stick, 1
• Ruler, 1 (optional)
• Pencil, 1 (optional)

How to do it

Grown-up prep: Cut the second-color paper into strips about 1 inch wide and as long as the base sheet is wide. Younger kids may need you to start the slit cuts. Keep scissors and glue within reach.

1. Pick your base sheet and gather your strips.
2. Fold the base sheet in half.
3. Cut slits from the fold toward the open edge, but stop short of the edge. Ask for help if you need it
   Ask: Why do you think we stop before we reach the edge?
4. Unfold the sheet and look at your slits.
5. Weave the first strip over, under, over, under through the slits.
6. Weave the second strip, but start with the opposite: under, over, under, over.
   Ask: What happens if you start the same way as the first strip?
7. Keep weaving, switching the pattern each time, until the mat is full.
8. Glue the ends of each strip to the border.
9. Use your finished placemat at a family meal!
10. Now make more for everyone! How colorful can your next placemat be?
    Ask: Who else at your table needs a placemat?

Play it again

• Three color twist: weave three colors in a repeating pattern, like red, blue, yellow.
• Wavy mat: cut curvy or zigzag slits and see how the weave changes.
• Name mats: weave a mat for each person and add their name in the corner.