Coffee filters can be used to mimic the look of poppies with a little creativity. This is a craft that adults and children can do together. Then you can use them as a prop for any Veteran’s Day activities.

For this craft, you’ll need 2 coffee filters, red paint or food color, a green piece of pipe cleaner, and something to use as the poppy center, such as a button, pom pom, or round piece of construction paper. You’ll also need a pair of scissors and craft glue.

To begin, cover your work surface with newspaper, as this craft can get a little messy. Lay your two coffee filters flat, and paint them red. Alternatively, you can use food coloring, but this approach will not yield as dark of a red.

For the food coloring version, add about 5 or 6 drops of red food color to a 1/2 cup of water. Scrunch the coffee filters up and dip them, one by one, into the water until saturated.

Once you’ve gotten your filters red, lay them flat. When they are both completely dry, lay one on top of the other. Fold these into half, and then in half a second time, so it’s only a quarter of a circle.

Hold the filters from folded corner that is the center of the coffee filters. Using scissors, carefully cut off the right and left corners into a rounded shape. When you unfold the coffee filters, you should have a shape that looks like a four-leaf clover.

Place one filter on the top of the other, move so that you see all eight rounded bumps, then pierce a hole through the center with the pipe cleaner. Secure the end of the pipe cleaner by folding it over just a little bit.

Finish your remembrance poppy up by gluing a black button, pom pom, or round piece of construction paper in the center. Once the glue has dried, you can scrunch up the petals a little to make it look more realistic.

This is also a great class project.  With inexpensive supplies required, this project not only will serve as a great way to teach a lesson, it also will provide an inexpensive and fun way for students to learn about Veteran’s Day.

You will need:

Several sheets of red, white, and blue construction paper

Cardboard star template

Scissors or safety scissors

Marker or pencil

Glue

Glitter

Decorations such as stickers and small stars

A long strand of yarn measured to the right length for the room

Tape

Hole puncher

To assemble:

1. Draw the star pattern on the red, white, and blue construction paper.

2. Cut out the pattern on each paper. Make sure children are using safety scissors. You may also want to do this part of the project in an assembly line, because you will need quite a few stars for decoration. The actual number depends on the length of the garland and how full you want it to look. You can always save extra stars for wall decorations.

3. Punch a hole about a 1/4  in from the top of the star. Don’t punch the hole too close to the edge, otherwise, it can tear.

4. Decorate the stars ensuring that the holes aren’t covered. Allow children to go crazy on the decoration. They can decorate both sides. You can also write the name of veterans on the stars if you are throwing the party for specific people.

5. Allow all of the glue to completely dry before proceeding to the next step, otherwise, things might fall off while the stars are dangling.

6. Thread the stars onto the yarn. If the stars break, you can still attach them with the tape.

7. Attach the star garland around the room with the tape.

Enjoy your decorative Veteran’s Day party decorations.

Some of the best gifts are the homemade ones given by children. A hand decorated patriotic card with the words, thank you, shows that they were remembered. It is a way for children to express their feelings.

Every veteran loves electronics. One of the best electronic gifts to give is a global positioning system. The GPS is very practical, and the veteran likely already knows the basics of using it.

Some veterans are kids at heart, and they love to control vehicles. A remote control truck, plane, or helicopter is a cool type of present for a vet. This gift is something that can be shown off to friends or shared with loved ones in the family.

Another item that your veteran will like is the newest battle video games to hit the market. You do want to check out what kind of video game system they have before buying. Also, be sure to check out their sensitivity to battle scenes if they have been in combat situations.

For veterans that you don’t know that well, you can always present them with the American flag. It should be presented in such a way that honors their sacrifice for their country. Remember to thank them for their service.

A gift card is also a way to say thank you when you aren’t sure exactly what to give them. You don’t need to spend a lot, but it is something that will be appreciated; however, you don’t want to get too store specific. Instead, go for the more general Visa or MasterCards.

Our veterans should be applauded for the sacrifices they made. Veteran’s Day is a day to say thank you for everything they have given. A simple gift is a good way to say those words.

On Veterans Day we honor our military personnel including the armed forces, air force and navy for their bravery and courage during times when the world has been at war. In the United State there are two days a year set aside to honor those who serve in the military and those who have died in the service of their country. There is Memorial Day in May and Veterans Day in November. Veterans Day always falls on the 11th of November.

For our neighbors north of the border, November 11th is also a day to honor those who served their country. In Canada, Veterans Day is called Remembrance Day and citizens hold ceremonies and wear poppies in remembrance.

Veterans Day was created to commemorate the date on which World War I came to an end which was November 11, 1918. The nations signed the armistice on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. On this date fighting ceased, and peace was declared.

Following the many casualties of World War II, as well as those in the Korean War, Veterans Day became the day on which those who died in all of the wars were remembered and honored with ceremonies and parades. Originally known as Armistice Day, the name was changed to Veterans Day after the end of World War II. To be exact, it was President Dwight Eisenhower who made the name official in the year 1954.

From the first Armistice Day in 1918 until today we set aside a very special day to honor all of the brave men and women in uniform who have served our country with pride. We honor all the veterans who are both living and dead.

There are so many quotes surrounding wars but this one seems fitting when discussing the upcoming Veterans Day holiday:

“All wars end up being reduced to statistics, strategies, debates about their origins and results. These debates about war are important, but not more important than the human story of those who fought in them.”

-Martin Gilbert, “The First World War”

Honor the veterans on November 11!

Armistice Day was first proclaimed to be such by Congress in the year 1926. It was honored on the same day every year after that. Armistice Day was renamed “Veterans Day” due to legislation passed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower in 1954. The reason for the name change was to honor all of the brave individuals who served the nation in all conflicts and wars that had taken place and those that were to come.

Veterans Day has been observed on November 11 every year since 1978 with the exception of a very short span of time when it was marked on the fourth Monday of October.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, in 2005 there were 24.5 million veterans in the U.S. Of these, 1.7 million are women. Five percent of World War II veterans are women while 16 percent or Persian Gulf veterans are women. There are 8.2 million veterans from the Vietnam era living in the United States.

Those who served our country deserve to be remembered and honored on Veterans Day every year. May their sacrifices never be in vain. Lest we forget.