Weaving Paper Placemats

 You have to have a special placemat for Thanksgiving!  This year, we wove ours using fall colors of construction paper and them laminated them. 

 The kids have gotten good at alternating the under/over pattern.  We did ours in two groups of 9, with teachers walking around to help where needed, pushing the strips close together, and taping down the ends.

Figuring out the measurements can be the trickiest part of this project.  So, here is a quick tutorial to get you started (as well as to document it for my use later!).  We prepared everything for our kindergarten class, but older kids could probably do a lot on their own.

 Make a paper weaving mat tutorial (following the pics above):
1. We used the large sized construction paper (12x18).  Fold in half and use a ruler to mark a straight down the edges.  You will not cut past this line.
2.  Mark the folded edge every 2 inches.
3.  Cut from the marks on the fold to the straight line you drew.  (If you are concerned about straight lines, you can draw them with a ruler.)
4.  Open it up and you have a weaving mat!
5.  Time to make strips to weave with.  Each mat takes about 9 strips.
6.  Cut your paper strips using regular sized construction paper (9x12).  Cut strips 1-1/2 inches wide and 12 inches long. (So you measure across the 9 inch side)
Now you can begin to weave!  Remember the key is how you start at the beginning - under, over, under, over...

After weaving, laminate and bon appetit!