State Flag Headbands

Today's project is a headband made from chipboard, featuring a state flag. I made one for Arkansas...

... and one for Iowa. 

Jonna made headbands for Georgia and South Carolina. 

You may be wondering why anyone would need a headband with their state flag on it. I can think of a few scenarios. As a 4th grade teacher covering state history, it would be really fun to plan a birthday party on statehood day and have everyone wear their headband party hat. (Note to self: Make California headband to wear on September 9.) In a 5th grade classroom where students typically do state reports, they could wear their headband as part of a report about their assigned state. You could also use these for a state-themed version of Hedbanz (affiliate link here and below). 

If none of these are reasons enough for you to wear a headband with your state flag, then feel free to use the flags a different way. You could use them as flash cards (print the state name, capital, and whatever other info you're trying to learn on the back). You could place them along the buffet at a 50 State Party to identify the origin of each food. I'm sure kids could dream up plenty of other ways to use them. 

State Flag Headbands

Materials:

• chipboard (I used what I had and cut it to size; if you're buying, get pre-cut white)
• centering ruler
• markers
• stapler (this panda stapler is so cute!)
• glue dots

Steps:

Draw the basic shapes of the design onto the chipboard.  

After a lot of frustration getting things the right size for Iowa, I realized that I could use my iPad to enlarge the design to the exact same size as my chipboard. Then I just measured directly on the screen and made my design that way. In the classroom, I would print a sample the correct size so that students could measure from that. Some state flags will give students LOTS of practice measuring! 

Once you've sketched your design, color it with markers. Jonna and I intentionally used the kind you'd have in a classroom rather than some of my fancier markers. Since the pen strokes were visible, I used them as a subtle design element. 

While most people can get much better detail with markers than with paint, don't expect kids (or bloggers and their friends) to make fully accurate replicas of the flags. 

To make the headband itself, cut the chipboard into 1" wide strips, then staple several together until you have the correct size. Attach the flag to the headband. I used 1/2" Glue Dots, which held really well. If you really don't want it to come off, use hot glue. 

Can you think of another use for state flag headbands? Let me know in the comments!