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DIY Penguin Christmas Tree Ornament

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This Felt Penguin Ornament Christmas Craft Activity is perfect for kids, tweens and teens who can sew. This penguin is actually cute all year round. You can add some Christmas scent to this little fellow as a scented gift idea.

List of Supplies:
1. Felt fabric –black, white, orange and another color of your choice
2. Pencil or pen – for tracing the template
3. Scissors
4. Needle and thread
5. Ribbon
6. Pink sharpie

Penguin Template

Step 1:
Trace the 2 main body parts on black felt fabric (you can choose any other color if you want to).
Trace the other body part on white felt; the beak and feet on orange felt and lastly, trace the strip
(muffler) on any colored felt you want.

Step 2:
Prepare orange thread in needle and stitch the beak on the white body part.


Step 3:
Use black thread to stitch the eyes. Trace the eye shape on the white body part using a pencil.
Simply stitch along the traced eye pattern.

 

Step 4:
Use the pink sharpie to draw 2 blush patterns on both cheeks. Place the white body part on any one
of the black body parts. Prepare white thread in needle and stitch along the outer edge of the white
piece to join it with the black piece.

Step 5:
Done stitching the white piece? Now place the prepared piece (from the previous step) on the other
black body part. Make sure that all sides are matched.

Step 6:
Take a small piece of ribbon (about 6 inches will do) and fold it into half.


Step 7:
Insert the 2 open ends of the folded ribbon between the 2 black body parts, on the top end. Prepare
black thread and needle. Start to stitch the 2 black body parts together from the top end, stitching
both black parts and the ribbon together.

Step 8:
Keep a small opening to stuff the felt penguin.

Step 9:
I am using left over felt fabrics. Cut the left over felt penguins into small pieces to prepare them for
stuffing.

 

Step 10:
Simply insert the felt pieces into the felt penguin through the open end.

 

Step 11:
Stitch to close the open end once you are done stuffing.

 

Step 12:
Take the felt strip and wrap it around the penguin’s neck. Do a small stitch on the join of the muffler
to secure it.
Add more details if you want to.
Enjoy!

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Learn about Bulgaria for Kids

Bulgaria, officially the Republic of Bulgaria, is in Southeastern Europe that’s bordered by Greece, Turkey, Serbia, North Macedonia and the Black Sea. It was founded from an empire that deeply influenced the Slavic nations and was once part of the Eastern bloc controlled by Russia.

Bulgaria Facts

  • Bulgaria is 42,855 square miles, or 110,994 square kilometers, with a population near 6.5 million.
  • Its capital and largest city is Sofia.
  • The Bulgarian Empire, from which the nation takes its name, took power in the area in the late 7th century and developed Cyrillic script, which is used for many Slavic languages. The country was under Ottoman rule for almost five centuries, but it declared its independence in 1908.
  • Bulgaria sided with Germany in both world wars and became part of the Eastern bloc led by the Soviet Union in 1946. The Communist Party ceded control in the late 1980s and Bulgaria adopted a democratic constitution in 1991.
  • It is a unitary parliamentary republic with a president and a prime minister as well as a National Assembly.
  • The word Bulgar might have some from a word meaning to mix or stir, or a derivative of that word that means revolt or disorder. About 85 percent of the country is ethnically Bulgarian, and the official language is Bulgarian.

Bulgarian National Symbols

The Bulgarian flag is made of three horizontal stripes, one white, one green and one red. It was adopted when they gained independence from the Ottoman Empire.

The national anthem, “Mila Rodino,” or “Dear Motherland,” was adopted in 1964 but its lyrics have been changed many times, most recently in 1990, and a shortened version was approved in 1991.

The Eurasian griffon vulture is considered the national bird, and a lion is used as it heraldic symbol.

The patron saint of Bulgaria is Saint John of Rila, the first Bulgarian hermit, whose followers founded many churches in his honor, including the famous Rila Monastery, now a UNESCO World Heritage site (and a very cool looking building).

The national instrument is the kaba gaida, a bagpie that is native to Bulgaria.

Bulgaria Activities for Kids

Listen to the kaba giada in this video, or you can listen for two hours(!) here.

Learn more about Bulgarian folk dancing and watch some people doing it. The people in this video are also wearing traditional Bulgarian folk costumes, which is fun to see. (As a knitter I love those socks!) You can learn more about Bulgarian folk costumes here or at Meet the Slavs.

See what your name looks like in Cyrillic and see if you can write it! You can also learn the sounds of the Bulgarian alphabet here.

Learn more about Bulgaria from Kids World Travel Guide, or check out the resources available at Teachers Pay Teachers.

Wonders of Bulgaria has a good rundown of traditional Bulgarian foods you might want to try. For kids I’d suggest their version of moussaka, which is like the Greek dish only made with potatoes and not eggplant or zucchini. The Modern Nonna has a version that includes carrots, but they’re optional.