Make a lion mask

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Description

Celebrate the Sikh festival, Vaisakhi, and make a paper plate lion mask.
From www.scouts.org.uk


Resources

Scissors
Glue sticks
Something to protect surfaces (for example, newspaper or tablecloths)
Paper plates
PVA glue
Rulers
Pens or pencils
Paint brushes
Orange, light brown and yellow card
Orange, light brown and yellow tissue paper
Orange and yellow paint
Black marker pen
Black card or felt
Googly eyes
Paint sponges
Something to hold paint in
Something to wash brushes in and dry the

Instructions

https://www.scouts.org.uk/activities/make-a-lion-mask/

Planning and setting up this activity

You might want to set up the paints or glue before starting this activity.
You may want to pre-cut items, such as the noses or strips, before this activity is run.



Running this activity

Gather everyone together and explain that you’re going to be making a lion mask from a paper plate.
If you’re doing this activity for Vaisakhi, take time to explain what it is.
Everyone should take a paper plate and paint it yellow, orange or any lion colour they’d like. Use a sponge and paint the paper plate by lightly dabbing the surface and blending the colours. You could also colour the plate in, or use glue and paper/card to collage a yellow-orange background.
The plate can then be put to one side to dry.
To create the nose, use scissors to cut a triangle out of the black card or felt. Glue the triangle in the middle of the paper plate, after the plate has dried.
Now, add two googly eyes in any of the space above nose. Then, use the black marker pen to draw a mouth. You can add some dots around the nose and mouth for whiskers, too.
It’s time to make the lion’s mane – you can use paper or tissue paper!


Option 1: Making the mane out of paper

Cut orange, light brown and yellow paper in half across the middle, going horizontally.
Now, cut the paper into strips, about 4cm wide.
When the plate is dry, glue the strips of yellow and orange paper around the outer edge of the paper plate.
Curl the strips by rolling them toward the paper plate and releasing the rolls. You could roll them around a pen or pencil to make it easier.
Glue a second row of yellow and orange paper strips and, again, curl those strips to finish making the lion’s mane.


Option 2: Making the mane out of tissue paper

Cut orange, light brown and yellow tissue paper into strips, about 4cm wide and 10cm long.
When the plate is dry, glue the tissue paper strips around the edge of the paper plate.
Keep building it up until it forms the lion’s mane.



Learn more about Vaisakhi

Vaisakhi’s is a harvest festival which celebrates the founding of the Sikh community, the Khalsa, in 1699. It’s also known as Baisakhi.
It’s celebrated throughout North India, as well as around the world, and it marks the start of Spring.
The celebrations include dancing, singing, colour and music.
It usually happens on the 13 or 14 April every year.
Vaisakhi’s celebrated by Sikhs around the world.
Vaisakhi has been a harvest festival in Punjab - an area of northern India for a long time.



What’s the story of Vaisakhi?

In 1699, Sikhs from all over the Punjab, in India, gathered to celebrate the local harvest festival of Vaisakhi.
There was a ceremony by the tenth guru, Guru Gobind Singh.
He came out of a tent carrying a sword and said, ‘if you want to follow the path unconditionally, you can come into the tent’.
Guru Gobind Singh then asked for people to step forward.
One man went into the tent with him.
Soon Guru Gobind Singh came out of the tent alone, his sword covered in blood.
Guru Gobind Singh then asked for another volunteer. This happened several times, until five Sikhs had gone into the tent.
Everyone was very worried they had been killed by Guru Gobind Singh.
However, the five men came out of the tent alive.
The five men became known as the 'Beloved Five'.
Guru Gobind Singh initiated all the men into the Khalsa, which means ‘pure’.
The Khalsa is a group of pure people. He said prayers and anointed them with a holy water called Amrit.
He then requested the ‘Beloved Five’ to initiate him into the Khalsa Panth (Path).
Being initiated is now an important stage of being a Sikh.


Reflection

Singh is the surname given to every Sikh man on Vaisakhi in 1699. Singh implies a status of great majestic courage, even divinity, and it means Lion. Why do you think this may have been chosen as the surname?

How much did you know about Sikhism or Vaisakhi before this activity? What have you learned?

We made some paper plate lions. Did you enjoy making the lions? What was easy? Did you find anything difficult? How did you manage to keep going and not give up, even if it was hard?


Tags

  • craft
  • international
  • Lion masks
  • paint
  • sikhism
  • vaisakhi

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