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Did you know that June 12th is Philippines Independence Day? The Philippines gained its independence from Spain in the late 19th century, but in 1962 president Macapagal made the date of independence a national holiday. Here’s an idea for a craft to get your little one excited to learn about other cultures and their traditions, especially as represented by their national colors and flag.
What’s in a Flag?
When we teach children about American independence, we often reference our flag as an important source of national identity and unity-building. These principles can be applied to discussions across cultures. Talk to your child about flags and how they can represent a group of people standing behind united principles. These principles can be symbolized by the design of a flag. If you’d like, invite your kid to design a flag that represents their own principles. You can allow them to use any media and images you want but be sure to emphasize the importance of colors and basic shapes in how flags tell a story about the people they represent.
The Filipino Flag and It’s Colors
Younger children who are just learning to identify colors will be satisfied by naming the colors of the flag, but older kids might want to know more about what those colors represent.
1. A white equilateral triangle symbolizing equality and fraternity, or a feeling of universal family.
2. A blue upper half to symbolize peace, truth, and justice.
3. A red lower half symbolizing patriotism and valor.
4. A gold eight-pointed sun which symbolizes the first eight provinces of The Philippines to revolt against
Spanish rule.
5. Three gold stars representing the three geographical groups of islands that make up The Philippines.
Invite your child to speculate why certain colors mean certain things, and to find other examples of color symbolism in their lives. Examples include phrases like “I’m feeling blue” or “Green with envy”. Get them talking about the flags of other countries and speculating what their colors could mean.
DIY Filipino Flag Paper Lanterns
This super-easy craft is excellent for kids ages 3 to 10. The only materials you’ll need are:
1. White copy or construction paper
2. Scissors or safety scissors
3. Blue and red crepe party streamers
4. A gluestick
5. Yellow or gold marker or paint
6. Fishing line (to hang the finished lantern)
Instructions
Have your child cut two large, equilateral triangles out of the white paper. Help them by measuring and drawing where they should cut if they’re unable to do it themselves. Have them glue streamers along the “inside” rim of both triangles—red on one side and blue on the other-- and let dry.
Flip the triangles over and have your child paint or draw an eight-pointed sun in the center, and one star in each corner of the triangles.
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