BLOSSOM Kicks for kids
FUN AND EDUCATIONAL
Blossom Kicks for Kids
Get ready to blossom in style! The National Cherry Blossom Festival (NCBF), along with presenting sponsor Events DC, invites DCPS students (grades 8-12) from all eight wards to showcase their creativity in the Blossom Kicks for Kids Program. This exciting program empowers students to tap into their passion for fashion and design by creating unique sneaker designs inspired by the beauty of cherry blossoms and the spirit of international friendship. Don’t miss your chance to step into spring through art and design—one sneaker at a time!
SUBMIT YOUR DESIGN
- Download the 2025 Blossom Kicks for kids sketch.
- Follow the Rules below and use the shoe sketch to create your design that reflects the theme “District Blossoms”.
- Use the freshness of springtime with pink cherry blossoms as a prominent element.
- Your work must be original and innovative in its creativity.
Submit your design by 5:00 pm on January 6, 2025.Due to weather, we have decided to extend the submission due date to Monday, January 13 at 5 PM- If NCBF picks your design, you must be available in-person on February 1, 2025 to put your artwork on the shoe as displayed in your submission.
RULES
- To enter, you must be a student in grades 8 – 12 attending a DC Public School and in good standing.
- You may submit only one entry which must include:
- Your proposed design, which must:
- Your proposed design, which must:
- Reflect the theme “District Blossoms”;
- Include the title of your proposed design;
- Incorporate cherry blossom flowers;
- Be able to be replicated on a real shoe using acrylic paint;
- Not include advertising, profanity or derogatory designs or language, or religious, political or sexual themes, or show disrespect.
- A written description of your design (200 words or fewer);
- Your shoe size; and
- A Personal Appearance Release Form, signed by your parent or guardian, allowing NCBF to film and photograph you and your entry.
- Your teacher must submit your entry on the NCBF website online submission form (saved as FirstName_LastName_ArtworkName)
IMPORTANT DATES
- January 13, 2025: Entries are due
- February 1, 2025: Shoe Design Day – Students will replicate their design on a physical shoe
For more information please contact TaKeyia Dickens, tdickens@ncbfdc.org
About the National Cherry Blossom Festival:
The National Cherry Blossom Festival commemorates the 1912 gift of 3,000 cherry trees from Mayor Yukio Ozaki of Tokyo to the city of Washington, DC, and celebrates the enduring friendship between the people of the United States and Japan. Today’s Festival is one of the world’s great celebrations of spring, spanning four weeks and welcoming more than 1.5 million people to enjoy diverse and creative programming promoting traditional and contemporary arts and culture, natural beauty, and community spirit. The 2025 Festival takes place March 20 – April 14.
ACTIVITY LIBRARY
Click on any activity to start collecting petals and earning Blossom Badges!
Asian Art at Home: Japanese Landscapes Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery
Cherry Blossom Painting for Kids Art House 7
Cherry Blossom Tree Coloring Page National Cherry Blossom Festival
Coffee Filter Blossom Emily Paluska
Color Our Collections: Japanese Woodblock Prints Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division
Fireworks Salt Art National Cherry Blossom Festival
JICC Tries It! Sakura Kirigami Japan Information and Culture Center
Origami Flower Craft with Ms. Victoria Ronald McDonald House
Paper Petals National Cherry Blossom Festival
Puppet-making Workshop with Puppeteer Sam Koji Hale Smithsonian’s National Museum of Asian Art
Recycled Blossom Art Beth Baldwin
Shaving Cream Fireworks Paintings National Cherry Blossom Festival
Tissue Paper Kite “Stained Glass” Carolyn Sewell
Cherry Blossom Word Search National Cherry Blossom Festival
Cherry Blos-sums National Cherry Blossom Festival
Japanese Flashcards National Cherry Blossom Festival
Let’s count in Japanese! Rika Kaneshige
Showing Respect in Japanese Planet Word
Smithsonian Gardens’ Habitat Exhibit Smithsonian Gardens
Word Searches Japan Information & Culture Center
Blossom Maze National Cherry Blossom Festival
Cherry Blossoms of Smithsonian Gardens Smithsonian Gardens Tree Collection
Cherry Blossom Viewing over the Centuries Library of Congress
Don’t Pitch It, Plant It Activity Smithsonian Gardens
Exploring the Parts of a Cherry Flower United States Botanic Garden
Nature Scavenger Hunt National Cherry Blossom Festival
State Flowers Coloring Activity Smithsonian Gardens
Sustainably Greening Your Indoor Habitat Smithsonian Gardens
The Science Behind Flowers Children’s Science Center
Cosplay Transformation Mallory Vaughan
DIY Musical Instruments DC Public Library
How to Make a Taiko Drum National Cherry Blossom Festival
Performance by the Shigeyama Kyogen Troupe Library of Congress
Taiko Without Drums with Mark H Taiko Matsuri Rhythm
Basketball Drills Washington Wizards
Create Your Own SOCKer Ball at Home! DC Scores
DC Movement Mix Girls on the Run
Double Dutch 4 Fun DC Retro Jumpers
Helmet Fit Washington Area Bicyclist Association
Rajio Taiso Workout Japan Information & Culture Center
CHECK OUT THESE EVENTS FROM OUR PARTNERS
MORE BLOSSOM KIDS ACTIVITIES
Join National Park Service, DC Arts & Humanities Collaborative, ad Girl Scouts of Nation’s Capital in these fun-for-all-ages activities!
Become a Bloomin’ Junior Ranger! Take a virtual walk around the Tidal Basin with a National Park Service ranger and friends. Learn all about the cherry trees, participate in at-home activities and learn how you can help protect the trees from our friends at the National Park Service.
Visit the online gallery featuring artwork from 200+ DC students depicting the theme “Home is Where the Blossoms Are” with an emphasis on Friendship, produced in collaboration with DC Arts & Humanities Education Collaborative and presented by Chase.
Developed in partnership with Girl Scouts of Nation’s Capital and the National Cherry Blossom Festival, this patch program commemorates the gift of the cherry trees and the enduring friendship between the United States and Japan.
Supported by
LEADERSHIP CIRCLE SPONSORS
The National Cherry Blossom Festival, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting the beauty of nature and international friendship through year-round programs, events, and educational initiatives that enhance our environment, showcase arts and culture, and build community spirit.