Ribbons from horse shows are special. They’re mementos of your achievements and come in many different colours. Are you like many people and keep your ribbons hidden away in a drawer or box? Instead, why not create a Christmas wreath to decorate your home or barn?
Materials Needed
Here’s what you need to make your very own Christmas Wreath from Horse Show ribbons:
- horse show ribbons
- glue gun
- scissors
- grape vine wreath (or some other kind)
If you don’t have enough ribbons of your own, ask friends and other riders at your barn or stable to donate a few for your project. People are often more than happy to give you some, especially if you then hang the wreath at your barn for the holidays!
The materials you need are simple and easy to find at your local craft store or you may even have them around the house.
The diameter of our wreath was 18 inches (46 cm).
For the form of the wreath, you can reuse an old holiday wreath or buy one at a craft supply store. Grapevine wreaths are not that expensive, but if you have vines growing in your garden you can make one of your own. Click here to watch a video that shows you how to make your own wreath from grape, wisteria, or other vines.
The circumference of the wreath we used was about 57 inches (145 cm).
Math Talk – circumference: The distance around a circle, in this case, the distance around the wreath.
Math Talk – diameter: A straight line going through the centre of a circle connecting two points on the circumference.
We used two sizes of rosettes.
1. Which dimension of the rosette are we measuring in the pictures above? (radius, diameter or circumference)
If we know the circumference of the wreath and the diameter of the rosettes, is there some way we can estimate how many horse show ribbons we need to cover a wreath? Sure there is! We’ll just use a little math.
2. If the circumference of the wreath was 50 inches (127 cm), and you only used the large size rosettes, estimate how many you would need to cover a wreath.
3. Estimate how many you would need of the small size rosettes.
Now that we have a wreath and we know we have enough ribbons, let’s get to work!
Instructions
Here’s how to put it all together:
- Gather all your horse show ribbons.
- Remove the ribbon tails with scissors except for 1 to 3 ribbons, these will go at the bottom of the wreath.
- Start by placing the one, two, or three ribbons still with tails at the bottom of the wreath. You know for sure that’s where they’re going.
- Arrange the rest of your ribbons around the wreath. Try different positions and arrangements until you find the one that looks best.
- When you have decided on a layout, carefully use your hot glue gun to glue the ribbon rosettes onto the wreath.
- Allow the glue to cool and then hang with a wreath hanger, large ribbon or twine.
That’s all there is to it! Once we had all the materials together, the wreath took about an hour to make.
If you make a Horse Show Ribbon Wreath yourself, send us photos and we’ll put them up on the Horse Lover’s Math Facebook page for everyone to see!
Horse Show Ribbon Wreath Answers:
1. Which dimension of the rosette are we measuring in the pictures above? (radius, diameter or circumference)
Answer: diameter
2. If the circumference of the wreath was 50 inches (127 cm), and you only used the large size rosettes, estimate how many you would need to cover a wreath.
Imperial Answer: If you divide the circumference of the wreath by the diameter of each rosette, you should get a good estimate for how many rosettes you’d need. 50 inches ÷ 5 inches = 10. You would need approximately 10 ribbons.
Metric Answer: If you divide the circumference of the wreath by the diameter of each rosette, you should get a good estimate for how many rosettes you’d need. 127 cm ÷ 13 cm = 9.77. You would need approximately 10 ribbons.
3. Estimate how many you would need of the small size rosettes.
Imperial Answer: The small rosettes measure 4 inches in diameter. 50 inches ÷ 4 inches = 12.5. You would need approximately 13 ribbons.
Metric Answer: The small rosettes are 10 cm in diameter. 127 cm ÷ 10 cm = 12.7. You would need approximately 13 ribbons.
Common Core:
4.OA.A.2 – Divide by 2-digit numbers: word problems
4.OA.A.3 – Divide larger numbers by 1-digit numbers: interpret remainders
7.G.B.4 – parts of a circle
