Holiday Fun!
The holiday season is not only the perfect time to break out the boxes filled with old memories but it’s also a great time to create new ones! What better way to do that then to create a variety of homemade tree decorations with your little one! Not only will this provide a wonderful opportunity for bonding but it will also give kids a chance to work on basic skills, such as cutting, pasting and so much more! Below are a few ideas that are not only easy, but equally as adorable.
Dangling Snowman
What you’ll need
3 round objects
Scissors
Craft foam, white and orange
Glue dots
Monofilament
Buttons
Permanent marker
Ribbon
How to make it
Using the round objects as patterns, cut out 2 white foam circles in each size.
Place one set of the circles on a flat surface, spacing them 1/4 inch apart. With glue dots, glue a 12-inch piece of monofilament across the circles as shown, then firmly press the matching circles on top.
Use more glue dots to attach buttons and an orange craft foam nose. With a permanent marker, draw on eyes and a mouth. Finally, tie a ribbon scarf around the monofilament at the neck, and then knot the line above the head to create a loop for hanging.
Colorful Christmas Cats
What you’ll need
Wooden craft spoons
Small Beads
Acrylic paint
Fine-Point Permanent Marker
White card stock
Green Tissue Paper
Glue
Red Beads
Pipe cleaners
String
How to make it
To make each one, first coat a wooden craft spoon with acrylic paint. Paint a patch of the same shade onto a piece of white card stock and let the paints dry.
Cut a 1⁄2-inch square from the card stock, then cut the square in half diagonally and glue the 2 triangles to the top of the spoon for ears. For a tail, curl a 6-inch piece of pipe cleaner and glue it to the back of the spoon.
Glue on black seed beads for eyes and draw a face with a fine-point permanent marker. Add a holly collar by twisting two or three 1-inch squares of green tissue paper around the tip of a pencil, then glue them in place, adding a few tiny red beads or glitter for berries. Glue on more beads for buttons.
Make a hanger by tying a piece of string into a loop and gluing the knot to the back of the spoon. Let all the glue dry completely before hanging.
Spoon Santa
What you’ll need
Red felt
White faux fur
Pushpin
Glue or Glue Dots
Monofilament
Googly eyes
Wooden craft spoon
Small white pom-pom’s
How to make it
Cut out a red felt hat that’s slightly taller than the craft spoon handle (ours is about 3 inches). Use a pushpin to poke a hole through the felt about 1/4 inch below the tip of the hat. Thread a 7-inch length of monofilament through the hole and knot the ends to create a loop.
Cut out a fur strip to trim the hat and glue it in place. Then cut out a fur beard.
Glue the hat and the beard to the spoon as shown, then stick the googly eyes to the wood. Finally, glue a small white pom-pom to the tip of the hat.
Jessie Degraffenreid
Assistant Director-Springfield 3