Poppies for Remembrance

Here are some lovely ways to use poppies for your Remembrance Day Service, or for Messy Church or a school assembly, plus links to other resources. Links first:

Here is a service outline from Churches Together in Britain and Ireland (from which the Bible verses below are taken). Here is a huge round up of Remembrance resources including videos, crafts and service outlines. Click here for The Colours of a Poppy – creative meditation and prayers for Remembrance Day.

Fingerprint Poppy

This is a simple but powerful act of remembrance suitable for a Remembrance Service or for a more reflective element of a children’s or youth event.

You will need:

White paper plate
Black permanent marker
Red ink pad or paint-soaked sponge
Tissues / wipes / water for clean up

What to do:

Cut four notches as shown to make a poppy shape.
Colour the centre black (use marker pen because paint tends to smudge).
You can write a short prayer or one of the verses suggested below on the back of the poppy, or on a card nearby.
Mount the poppy in a prominent place with the ink pad and clean up materials close by.
Invite people to add a finger print to the poppy in remembrance of those who put themselves in danger to protect others.

Poppy Bunting

This bunting serves a double role – both as a decoration and an act of remembering. It’s a great way to involve all ages and bridge the gap that often appears between children, youth, and adult members of a church.

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You will need:

Paper plates
Cupcake cases
Red paint and black paint in saucers plus sponges for painting (uses less paint and dries quicker than using brushes)
Glue stick
Scissors
Hole punch
Pens
Green yarn
Optional – green card or thick paper

What to do:

Paint a cupcake case black on the inside and outside (but not the base). Leave it to dry while you do the other steps.
Cut two or four wide notches from the plate, making petals as shown below.
Paint the front red and leave it to dry.
Optional: Cut a large leaf from the green card or paper and use the hole punch to make a hole at one end.
Cut the ribbed part of the cupcake case into a fringe, leaving the centre whole.
Use the glue stick to attach the cupcake case to the centre of the poppy petals.
Punch two holes at the top for hanging.
Write a short prayer or verse (see below) on the back, or the name of someone you wish to remember before God.
Use the green yarn to string the poppies (and leaves) into bunting and hang it as an act of remembrance.

For Assemblies

If you use these for school assemblies, the children can make poppies ahead of time and dedicate them in assembly. For the fingerprint poppies, you can have a number of children add their fingerprints at the front, and send the plate and ink pad around classes for children to add their fingerprints during the day. This saves mayhem during the assembly itself, and makes a good reminder of the message. Alternatively, each classroom could have their own poppy.

Verses

You can add any of these verses to either of these crafts, or any wreath.

A child’s verse

The petals of this poppy
are as red as red can be
to show that we remember
those to died to keep us free.

from ‘For the Fallen‘ by Laurence Binyon, 1914

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

Bible Verses

God is our refuge and strength;
a very present help in trouble.
Psalm 46.1

I lift up my eyes to the hills –
from whence will my help come?
My help comes from the Lord,
Who made heaven and earth.
Psalm 121.1-2

This I call to mind,
and therefore I have hope:
the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,
his mercies never come to an end;
they are new every morning.
Lamentations 3.21-23

Those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength,
they shall mount up with wings like eagles,
they shall run and not be weary they shall walk and not faint.
Isaiah 40.31

What does the Lord require of you
but to do justice, and to love kindness,
and to walk humbly with your God?
Micah 6.8