Crafty Arab Tutorial

Black Lives Matter Painted Rocks {Tutorial}

| acraftyarab
Black Lives Matter Kid Craft

My daughters wanted to participate in the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement that is happening around the world. We crafted these BLM rocks to jump start conversations with other kids.

In the past, I have taken them to protests to voice our opinion. Lately, the city where we live, Seattle has been tear gassing peacefully protesting children. Also troubling, recently a terrorist drove through a crowd, then shot a gentlemen who had been peacefully protesting.

We brainstormed other ways we can help create change. Other than participate in a protest, we wanted to bring the unfair systematic racism conversation into our community.

We decided to add BLM rocks to a local area park. They were placed close to the sidewalk, to be seen & taken as conversation starters for other kids.

Rocks make a smooth, and inexpensive, surface to decorate, once a base paint is added to them. We have used rocks before to show appreciation, learn about flags, and other Islamic cultures.

Below are the steps to how we made them, in hopes that others will do the same to start other similar conversations. I received the supplies for my role at Plaid Ambassador.

Supplies

We took this flat rock from under our deck, so first we watched it with soap and a deep brush to remove any dirt particles. Once it was dry, my daughter added a coat of white paint, waited for it to dry, then added a second layer.

I helped her write the letters BLM on the rocks with the thin brush and black paint. After a few of them, I drew the letters in pencil & my daughter gave it a try by painting over the lines. Pretty soon, she was painting the letters directly on the rocks by herself.

And the final step was to add some heart shapes around the letters using red and pink paint. My daughter made these by using the thin paintbrush to make the letter V.

If your rocks are going to be inside, you are done. However, if you are going to put your rocks outside in a garden, make sure to add a sealant to help protect the paint. I also made one extra rock that said TAKE ONE to make sure kids (and their caregivers) knew they were gifts.

Check out this Racial Justice: Resources for Teaching Children list from Multicultural Kid Blogs if you need help in ways to jump start your conversation or these resources on our blog

Visit A Crafty Arab on Pinterest for more educational resources.

Eid Star Decorative Box {Tutorial}

| acraftyarab

I decorated these Eid star boxes for my daughters to find after they solve the clues in yesterday’s treasure hunt. They will have treats and cash in them.

Eid Al Fitar, is a holiday that commemorates the end of the holy month of Ramadan. It will be observed by Muslims around the world this Sunday.

I love using this color shift paint as it makes the boxes have an extra look of shimmer. I received a few of these products for my role as Plaid Ambassador.

Supplies

  • Paintbrush
  • Wood letters
  • Star decorative boxes
  • Awl
  • Glue
  • Colorshift paint
  • Vintage white paint
  • Brads (3)
  • Flowers (6)

I painted the stars with the vintage white to give it a base coat, then added two coats of the color shift paint. I did the same thing to the letters.

Once the paint had dried, I punched a whole in the middle of the star with the awl.

I added the brad to the middle of two flowers, then put the brad through the flower hole I just created. I closed the brad on the inside of the flower to hold it in place.

The final step is to glue down the wood letter to the top of the flower.

Actually, I thought it was the final step, but once the letter was on, I realized I didn’t like how it blended too well with the background and added glitterific paint.

I followed the same steps for the other letters to spell out the word EID.

eid star

If you enjoyed seeing how this Eid star was made, be sure to stop by these other tutorials.

99 Eid Creative Projects

99 Star Creative Projects

Stop by Visit A Crafty Arab on Pinterst to see more free crafts.

Eid Beaded Keychain {Tutorial}

| acraftyarab

We made these Eid Mubarak beaded letter keychains to give out to a few volunteers at our local mosque. They have been providing free iftar meals to anyone in the community.

Eid Mubrak is a common greeting Muslims say to each other during the holiday season, that means Blessed Festival, in Arabic it is written as عيد مبارك‎.

Eid AlFirtar, the holiday that commemorates the end of the holy month of Ramadan, is due to occur this Saturday.

Supplies

  • Alphabet letters
  • Cord
  • Black beads (4)
  • Keychain ring

We started by securing our cord around the keychain ring. You can do this by folding the cord in half, then looping it into the ring, bringing the open ends through the cord loop.

Before adding the letter beads, you will want to add the black beads. For the first word, tie off the cord about half way down the middle of it. For the longer second word, tie off the cord at the ring. Add a black ring to each cord, then the corresponding letters. Include the final two black beads and tie off the cord again.

That was such an easy craft that we made several. If you enjoyed making this beaded activity, check out these others we have made:

Eid Beaded Safety Pin {Tutorial}

Lebanese Beaded Cedar {Tutorial}

Be sure to stop by A Crafty Arab on Pinterst to see more tutorials about the Arab world and Muslim culture.