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A Chirpy Robin For Your Christmas Thank-You Letters

Have you written thank-you notes for your Christmas presents yet?

Photo showing a hand with a black felt-tip pen adding the wings, beak, eyes and legs to a painted robin on a white card. The robin has been made out of 3 different sizes of carrot ends: the largest carrot circle painted brown, medium carrot - white and smallest piece of carrot - red.



To help you get started, we've got a chirpy Christmas robin to put on your thank-you notes!



All photos © Show Me


What you will need:
paper or card and envelopes;
red, white and brown paints;
some brushes;
a black felt-tip pen;
and a carrot.

 Photo showing a hand with a piece of carrot painted white about to print on a brown painted circle on a white card. The card is on top of newspaper.Paints and brushes are dotted around the newspaper.

Photo showing a hand with a large cut of carrot on which has been put brown paint. On the white card beneath the hand, there is a large brown, circle - the beginnings of a robin bird.

Cut the carrot into 3 pieces - ask a grown-up to help you do this.

With a paintbrush, paint some brown paint onto the thickest piece of carrot. Press it onto your paper or card. Let it dry.



Paint some white paint onto the middle-sized circle of carrot and then print it low on the robin's body.

Leave it to dry.

 Photo showing a hand with a middle-sized cut of a carrot painted in white. On the white card beneath the hand, there is a large brown, circle.

Photo showing a hand with a small end of a carrot painted in red. On the white card beneath the hand, there is a small red circular painted print on top of a middle-sized white circle on top of a larger brown circle. This will make a robin bird.



Paint the smallest circle of carrot you've got with red paint. Press it low on the white circle of the robin.

Leave it to dry.



Use a black felt-tip pen to draw on the robin's eyes, its beak, legs and wings.

And that's it!

 Photo showing a hand with a black felt-tip pen adding the wings, beak, eyes and legs to a painted robin on a white card. The robin has been made out of 3 different sizes of carrot ends: the largest carrot circle painted brown, medium-sized carrot circle - white and smallest piece - red.

Do you know why the robin became a popular bird for Christmas cards? The V&A Museum can tell you...

If you click on return to lightbox near the top of the V&A page, you can look at lots more card designs.

Photo showing a robin bird on the grassy ground in the sunlight. The robin's breast is an orange-red colour.



Over the Christmas holidays, we took this photo of a robin in the gardens of Queen Victoria's home, Osborne House.



How about looking after robins and other birds in your own garden? You can make them a bird cake.

We'd love to see your efforts, so why not send us a photo of birds feeding from your bird cake?