Memorial Day is right around the corner. There are a lot of ways you can take the day to remember the sacrifices made by our soldiers throughout history. Many people decorate gravesites, others leave flowers, and some people have a more private day of remembrance. One way that you can reflect is to create a remembrance poppy to wear on Memorial Day.
Why We Wear Remembrance Poppies
The poppy flower was a common sight in the fields of World War I. The sight of them inspired the poem, “In Flanders Fields” by John McCrae. John McCrae served in Ypres in 1915 and became familiar with the poppy flower. Punch published his poem and in 1918 the American Humanitarian, Moina Michael, began a campaign to make the poppy a symbol of remembrance. “And now the Torch and Poppy Red, we wear in honor of our dead,” she wrote. Since the publication of those lines, the poppy has been a symbol that honors our fallen soldiers.
Remembrance Poppy Supplies
You can purchase poppy flowers to pin to your shirt, but that may get a bit messy and the delicate petals are likely to fall off. Another option is to make an artificial poppy to wear. You can use colored tissue paper and just a few extra supplies to make one that you can wear all day on Memorial Day. Below are the supplies that you will need to complete the project.
- Black tissue paper
- Red tissue paper
- Larger flower hole puncher
- Stapler
- Glue
- Pin bar back (alternatively you can use a Straight pin)
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How to Make A Remembrance Poppy for Memorial Day
- Use your flower hole puncher to cut out six red flowers and two black flowers.
- Stack your flowers together with the black flowers on top. Then, staple them together in the center.
- Fluff up the layers so that you can see each flower
- Crumble the top flower around the center covering the staple.
- Roll the second black flower tightly around the center.
- Attach a pin bar back with glue or use a straight pin to stick the poppy to your shirt.
Creating and wearing a remembrance poppy is just one way to honor our soldiers on Memorial Day. The team at Thomasville Toyota encourages you to find a way to reflect on what feels right to you.
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