Medal of Honor

Recognize the accomplishments of friends, family members, or people in your community.

• 1.

  List ways in which human accomplishments are honored, such as a Pulitzer Prize, Purple Heart, or Olympic Medal, or in the community. Think of people in families, at school, or the community who are brave, volunteer, or do other considerate deeds.

• 2.

  Choose one person to honor with a medal. Think of a way to represent accomplishments with a simple design.

• 3.

  Fashion a medal base of Crayola® Model Magic® about 1/4-inch (8 mm) thick. Embed a paper clip into the side of the medal, leaving one end protruding.

• 4.

  Experiment with ways to mix Model Magic colors.<li>Blend white and colored compound to create tints, or mix colors and black to make shades. <li>Blend two primary colors (red, yellow, blue) together to produce a secondary hue (orange, green, violet). <li>Create a marble effect by incompletely blending different colors. <li>For multi-colored layers, flatten two or more pieces by hand or with a rolling pin or dowel stick. Stack the pieces flat on top of each other and roll tightly like a cinnamon roll. Cut segments with Crayola Scissors. Connect pieces to make forms.

• 5.

  With fingers or simple modeling tools, such as plastic dinnerware or straws, design the medal. Make textured surfaces by pressing objects into slightly stiffened compound.

• 6.

  Add other craft items, perhaps beads or feathers, to enhance the medal's meaning and appearance.

• 7.

  Run a 30-inch (70 cm) ribbon through the paperclip. Hang the medal around the honoree's neck, perhaps at a special Honors Day.

Benefits

• Children identify worthwhile accomplishments of people in their homes, school, and community.
• Students honor one person's achievements by designing a symbolic medal.

Adaptations

• Design a paper certificate-with words and symbols-to give to the honoree along with the medal. Create a border for the certificate that highlights the message.
• Research, write, and present oral histories about the award recipients. Design posters, videos, and other ways to visually present the person's accomplishments.
• Talk with the children's librarian about awards for children's books, including the Caldecott and Newbery Medals. Read these books to see why they were chosen for awards. Create similar awards within the classroom. Write to the award-winning author and illustrator.
• Younger children and special needs students may benefit from short practice sessions experimenting with modeling techniques before participating in this activity.