~Children's Crafts~

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Children's Holiday Crafts

 

 

~Holiday Chain~

 

The closer the Christmas season gets, the more excited children of all ages get! They start asking "How long?" "How many more days?" The "Holiday Chain" is one way to help pass the time and count down the days. The poem helps to explain it's concept. Enjoy! = )

 

 

Chain Assembly

 

Cut red and green construction paper into strips 3 cm wide and 15 cm long. Have the children form links, by gluing one end to the other end of the strip to form an oval shape. Continue with this, joining the strips together by looping them one through the other.

 

Once you have a chain with the desired number of links, read either of the following poems to your children (read the one that goes with the chain you make). Explain that each day until Christmas, they are going to cut one link off every day. When they are finished snipping links, it will be Christmas.

 

Christmas Chain
 
Christmas Day will soon be here
And I can hardly wait
I've made this little Christmas Chain
To help me celebrate
Each day I'll snip one loop from it
To help me to remember,
That happy, happy Christmas Day
Is the twenty-fifth of December.
Please help me hang the chain up high
I'll cut one loop each day,
And when we reach the decorative ring,
Twill be Christmas Day
*Note* If you choose to use this poem, you need to make some type of decorative ring for the top. It will allow your children to count the days right up to and including Christmas Day.
Holiday Chain
 
Holidays will soon be here
And I can hardly wait
I've made this little Holiday Chain
To help me know the date
Each day, I'll snip one loop from it
To help me to remember
That happy, happy holidays
Start the twenty-third of December
*Note* If you choose to use this poem, it will allow your students to count the days till school ends for the holidays. You can change the date to suit your personal needs.
 
 
~Pretzel Ornaments~
 
 
Materials
 
Pretzels
Clear Glue
Gift Wrapping Ribbon
Aluminum Foil
 
Place a piece of aluminum foil on a table. Arrange the pretzels in a design on the foil, so that each pretzel touches another in *2* places. Place one drop of glue on each point where the pretzels join. You may add more glue if necessary, once you have set the initial design. Allow to dry for several hours (overnight if possible). Carefully remove ornament from foil. Weave ribbon through the holes, leaving a loop at the top for hanging.
 
 
~Styrofoam Ball Ornaments~
Materials
 
Styrofoam balls
Aluminum Foil
Tempera Paint
Dish Soap
Tissue Paper
Liquid Starch
 
Wrap the balls in aluminum foil. Mix paint with a little dish soap (this should be a thick mixture, not runny). Paint the balls with this mixture. Or, you may apply liquid starch to the wrapped balls and cover them with tissue paper. The wet starch will stick the tissue paper to the ball. Another decoration idea, is to cover the balls with *WHITE* craft glue and roll them in glitter. It must be WHITE glue, as clear glue will dissolve the ball. To form a hanger, wrap ribbon around in one direction and secure with a pin. Wrap ribbon around in the other direction and secure with the same pin. Tie a loop in the top.
 
 
~Stained Glass Windows/Cutouts~
 
Materials
 
Tissue paper
Liquid Starch
Waxed paper
 
Apply the tissue paper scraps to the waxed paper using the liquid starch. Allow to dry completely. Once dry, cut Christmas shapes out of the waxed paper. Use a hole punch to punch a hole in the top and loop some string through for a hanger.
 
If you choose to make these into windows, you will need to cut a window shape from black construction paper to glue around the edges of the square, as well as a cross shape to glue in the middle to form the divider.
 
~Wrapping Paper~
 
 
Materials
 
Coffee Filters
Food Colouring
Plain Brown Paper
Paint/Crayons/Markers
Cookie Cutters
Stamps/Stickers
Aluminum Foil
Tissue Paper
 
 
Coffee Filters: Fold the filter in half and then in half again to form quarters. Place a small amount of food colouring in shallow dishes, each colour gets its own dish. Dip each corner in a different colour. Unfold and allow to dry. If you wish you may dip the filter in water once you have added the food colouring. This will cause the colours to run and you will get a marbleized look
 
 
Plain Brown Paper: Cut the paper to the size you need for the box you are wrapping. Allow the children into decorate the paper using paint,crayons, markers,stickers. Stamps, etc. They may dip cookie cutters in paint and stamp a design on as well.
 
 
Aluminum Foil: Wrap your chosen box in aluminum foil and decorate with tissue paper scraps. If you wish, you may cut the tissue paper into shapes to be glued on.

 

If you can hear the music, you are listening to Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer.

 

~Graphics by~

~Melanie's Heartspun Collections~ rolling snowman

Midi by Jack's shack (he is no longer online)

 

 

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