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Kids' Krafts: Miniature Mountie celebrates Canada

By Kathy Antoniotti, Akron Beacon Journal, Source: MCT News Service

The largest city in British Columbia is Vancouver, home of the 2010 Olympic Winter Games. British Columbia is the westernmost province in Canada with an estimated population of about 4.5 million people. Almost half that number live in Vancouver, which is famed for its natural beauty.

Indigenous people have lived in the region longer than history can document. So it is fitting that B.C.'s First Nations people (aboriginal or indigenous people) are included in the presentation of the games that opened Friday.

During the 2010 Winter Olympiad over the next 16 days, athletes from more than 80 countries will compete in 86 medal events in 15 sports.

Athletes and spectators can expect to see firsthand the influence the historic people have had from the four mascots, a sasquatch; a mythical sea bear; an animal that is part orca whale, thunderbird and black bear; and a marmot, that are all inspired by mythology of the Four Nations.

Although Spain claimed the region in the late 1700s, the United Kingdom took over in 1795, and British Columbia joined the Canadian Confederation in 1871.

In 1873, the Parliament of Canada established a police force that is known today as the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. The officers of the RCMP are some of the most widely recognized symbols of our neighbors to the north. It gained prominence when Mounties policed the Klondike Gold Rush in 1897.

In honor of the 2010 Winter Olympiad, I made a Mountie with directions I found at http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/mountie_craft.htm on the Web.

Supplies you will need:

Plastic foam ball.

Paper cup.

Acrylic paint in pink, red, black.

	Brown felt.
	Wiggle eyes.
	Red and black craft foam.
	Black and gold markers.
	Glue.

Paint the ball pink and the bottom of the cup red and the top black, then leave to dry. Glue the ball to the bottom of the cup.

Cut two arms from red foam. Glue the arms to the body. Cut two small rectangles of black foam and glue to each shoulder.

Cut a strip of brown felt and glue it around the middle of the cup as a belt. Cut a thinner strip and glue it around the body, passing over one shoulder.

Use the brown felt to make a hat by cutting a circle for the brim, cut a smaller circle out of the middle so that it sits on the ball. Cut a strip of brown felt and glue it around the inside circle of the brim. Fasten the ends with a dab of glue and trim any excess. Carefully shape the strip by trimming a downwards curve at the front and back of the hat. Cut a circle of brown felt. Glue it to the top of the hat following the curves. Fasten the hat to the top of the Mountie's head.

Draw on some gold buttons. Glue on the wiggle eyes and use a marker to draw a nose and mouth.

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(If you have a craft idea or question, contact Kathy Antoniotti, Akron Beacon Journal, P.O. Box 640, Akron, OH 44309-0640; 330-996-3565; or via e-mail at kantoniotti@thebeaconjournal.com.)

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(c) 2010, Akron Beacon Journal (Akron, Ohio).

Visit Akron Beacon Journal Online at http://www.ohio.com/.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

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PHOTO (from MCT Photo Service, 202-383-6099): kidskrafts