Christmas craft ideas?

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My kids are going crazy getting into the holiday spirit! Each day they want a new craft to do to get ready for Christmas. They've made cards, drawn pictures, hung every mitten, hat, and sock they could get their hands on with little stuffed animals in them. Yesterday we cut pine bows and made wreaths with wire and leftover tree ornaments, the day before we did the coathanger wreaths with tissuepaper and gift bows. Today we did birdfeeders with straws as perches on those green 20oz Mountain Dew bottles with wire hangers and big red bows on top. I'm running out of ideas! Oh, they decorated coffee cans to give away as pencil holders, too. They just can't get enough! It's like an addiction they got going! Any other suggestions would be appreciated: let's swap Christmas craft ideas for kids!

-- Epona (crystalepona2000@yahoo.com), December 04, 2000

Answers

Take a empty toilet paper tube, or paper towel tube and cut in half. Cut many pieces of yard about 3 inches more that double the length of the tube. Slip the strand of yarn through the tube to the halfway point and tie snug at the other end. You'll have yarn hanging down at the bottom, cut that evenly after all the yarn is tied. Take one more piece of yarn and attach it to either side of the top of the tube to make a handle long enough to hang. You know have a scissor holder. You can make this is red and green or whatever color you want. Hope this is understandable.

-- Cindy (atilrthehony_1@yahoo.com), December 04, 2000.

Something else. Make a gingerbread house out of graham crackers. You can probably use regular icing for the glue. I put the directions for royal icing on the gingerbread thread a couple weeks ago. Decoratte with candy, gum or colored cereal. Also for their snack or dessert they can make candles or pear mice. I put this on the forum a good while back, but I couldn't tell you where. Put a wring of pineapple on a saucer, put half a banana to fit the hole in the pineapple, put the banana in hole, put a maraschino cherry on the banana, squirt whipped cream on side to look like the handle of the candle holder. Not necessarily Christmas but you can work it out. Pear Mice. Put a pear half on saucer, cut slit where ear would be, put banana slice in slit. Put raisins where eyes would be, and use a curled carrot shred for the tail. Sprinkle coconut around to look like snow. They can also build with cheese cubes and pretzels. Make a log house, whatever.

-- Cindy (atilrthehony_1@yahoo.com), December 04, 2000.

cakes in a jar,, then let them decorate the jar (after they cool)

-- STAN (sopal@net-port.com), December 04, 2000.

Use the empty t.p. rolls to make old fashion " Crackers"! Take left over wraping paper or use tissue paper--"wrap" the paper around the tubes and tie one end with ribbon, raffi, or yard and fill the tube with candy & small "gifts" and then tie the other end! They can give them as gifts! I used them as party favors!

Teach them about giving--let them cook cookies or candy and then take them to a rest home or group home!

-- Debbie T in N.C. (rdtyner@mindspring.com), December 04, 2000.


Have them make some ornament/decoration storage boxes. Get some heavy duty cardboard boxes. Have them glue old Christmas cards and pieces of gift wrap all over the box. I got bored a few years back during the holiday season, and decorated some boxes. Now when I go through things in the closet, I know immediately what's in those boxes. During the Christmas season, the boxes themselves are stacked up in a corner, becoming decorations in themselves.

-- Chelsea (rmbehr@istar.ca), December 04, 2000.


How about letting them decorate some wrapping paper - turn them loose with some color crayons and markers, contruction paper, glue, glitter, etc. Maybe help them make prints by using a potato cut in half and carved, then dipped in poster paints and pressed on the paper. I loved to do that as a kid. This is all stuff you probably have on hand already. If you don't have freezer paper or something on that order, cut paper grocery bags and use the unprinted side.

Another possibility would be making some plaster of paris hand prints to give as gifts to grandparents etc. If I remember correctly, you could cut down something like a plastic 3 lb. margarine tub to pour a layer of the plaster of paris mixture into, then have them press their hand in to make an imprint, then let harden. You can also scratch their name and/or date in the plaster. Put a metal paper clip in at the top for hanging it. They now sell these kits in cft stores for around $10 or so, but when I was a kid it was done a whole lot cheaper than that. I intend to do this with my 2 yr. old granddaughter, to give to her parents for Christmas.

-- Lenette (kigervixen@webtv.net), December 05, 2000.


My son just made a sled ornament out of popscicle sticks at school. 4 wide - outside 2 set back 1/2 inch. 2 for the runners. 1/2 of one for the sterring, with holes drilled inthe end, and a piece of string for the rope and to hang it with.

Another project he did was take a pringles can (or 2 steel cans stacked together), covered it with felt, and he made a toy soldier.

-- Eric in TN (eric_m_stone@yahoo.com), December 05, 2000.


String popcorn, buy the cheep popcorn and pop it in a pan, like we used to do before microwaves.

Make paper snowflakes, take plain white printer paper (or any old paper) and fold it long ways then fold again to make a square, then cut pieces out and open. After some experimenting you can come up with really pretty snowflakes. Then hang them from the ceiling, doors, etc... did this at work one year and they look great, like snowflakes falling from the ceiling.

Make ornaments out of homemade playdough, the recipe is on pg. 82 of the last issue of Countryside. Don't make them too thick or they take forever to dry, mine are still drying after several days. I plan to paint them with some poster paint that has glitter in it that I bought a Walmart. You can write on them with a toothpick while soft, also make holes using a straw or toothpick.

Make a colage out of cardboard and pictures from adds in the paper or mags.

I read this on another thread, I think, string Trix cereal.

We did this in school,(a long time ago), buy red and green crepe paper that comes in rolls about one inch thick. Staple the ends together at right angles then fold one over the other back and forth when you get to the end staple the ends together and open it makes a good garland or you can loop it across the tops of curtians etc...

Can't think of anymore right now, sure will be fun when I'm a grandma someday and can do this stuff with the little ones. I bet you get some good ideas from these good people. Enjoy and happy holidays!

-- Tina (clia88@newmexico.com), December 05, 2000.


Have you ever tryed baker's clay and made ornaments? My children and I did that several years, cut out with cookie cutters, make a hole in the top for yarn, bake, then paint and shellac. Made a nice gift and we also hung many on our own tree. I have a recipe for the baker's clay if you need it. diane

-- Diane Green (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), December 05, 2000.

Tonight I had my kids sit down with their crayons and a sheet of paper each and draw a christmas picture . After they were done we glued it to a larger piece of poster board. Then cover it with clear plastic shelf paper. Makes great place mats for them. Or you could do the same thing with old christmas cards. Glue them to the poster board and cover. For gifts for them to give , they are taking long pieces of foil, roll it up into a 'snake' then form it into a heart shape. Tear strips of material and cover the heart with this. Add a raffia bow . These are simple and cute. Hope this helps.

-- sherry (Calfarm@msn.com), December 05, 2000.


Diane, please post your recipe for bakers clay. The playdough ornaments I made are taking forever to dry!

-- Tina (clia88@newmexico.com), December 06, 2000.

Baker's Clay - 4 cups flour, 1 cup salt, 1 1/4 cup water (sometimes a little more water to make plyable and able to roll out) Roll 1/4 inch thick and cut out. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to one hour or until lightly brown. We had a lot of fun with this. Don't forget to make you hole for the yarn before you bake. They are hard and we broke them trying. Hope you have fun with it. diane

-- diane (gardiacaprines@yahoo.com), December 06, 2000.

Check pomander air freshener post for some more ideas. I was just asked to post 18th century mothball there.Thats easy and fun and useful.

-- sharon wt (wildflower@ekyol.com), December 06, 2000.

We make a cute little angel for the tree or gifts...whatever.You need a pine cone(the short,fat and stubby kind)a milkweed pod,an acorn or hazelnut,a golf tee and a pipe cleaner.Stand the pine cone up on its base,snap off the litle tip(1/4 in)glue the acorn or nut on there for a head,wrap your pipe cleaner around the cone ,tucking it in to the cone it should come out to hold the golf tee which is a trumpet,the milkweed pod split in two makes wings(tips Up)Glue the fat ends of the pods into the cone.Take two inches of pipe cleaner and make a halo,glue it on her head.Leave natural or spray paint gols,silver or whatever.Merry CHRISTmas....teri

-- teri m (mrs_smurf2000@yahoo.ca), December 07, 2000.

Thanks Diane!

-- Tina (clia88@newmexico.com), December 07, 2000.


Hi! If you can find a store in your area that sells Asian produce, you could make Xmas decorations out of lotus root. Slice it in quarter-inch pieces. (The design is very beautiful). Then either air- dry or oven-dry on a very low setting. (170 degrees or so should be ok). When the lotus root is dry, it will look like bone. Paint or decorate however you like. When dry, attach string or ribbon and hang on tree. These decorations should last a very long time. I've only done this once, but i've never seen it written about anywhere, so i'm claiming it as my own invention. Bragbrag. Also, about graham cracker gingerbread houses: Only use royal icing, not regular frosting. Royal icing hardens like glue, but frosting never will. You don't want your GB houses collapsing like a pack of graham crackers! Have fun and Merry Xmas!

-- kathy (astoria25@aol.com), December 09, 2000.

I know what you mean about the kids getting into holiday decorations!! Our three boys do too. One thing they do every year is to make the old standard paper chains. All differant colors. Another thing we do is make our own cards buy getting rubber stamps and colorful paper. Stamp on the designs and color them with color pencils. Then before we mail them we like to make confetti. Sometimes we cut out stamped designs and sometimes we just cut up bits of paper. We like to really suprise people! Something else that the boysdo is to make crocheted chains too for the tree. This year because they are older now we will make cookies for neighbors. Pluss a suprise card. Michelle

-- michelle (tsjheath@ainop.com), December 11, 2000.

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