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Contact_FullName: Lara Contact_Email: jomom_2001@yahoo.com date:: 12/06/06 Area: Christmas-Art Idea: Simple Baby Snow Owls All you need is cotton balls, pine cones, and felt pieces. Using popsicle stick push cotton balls in the pine cones continue until you fill the whole pine cone, add eyes small beak and two felt feet and you have baby snow owls. You can add a pipe cleaner wrapped around it and you have an ornament. Contact_FullName: Erica Contact_Email: Skylers_mommy04@msn.com date:: 11/29/06 Area: Christmas art Idea: Angel ornaments with photo: You start out with a cut out photo of the childs head, a triangle cut out of white poster board (about 4 or 5 inches tall), a silver ink pad (paint will work too), silver pipe cleaner, and crayons or markers. Let the child decorate the triangle however they want, or for older children, they can write a little poem or message to their parents, grand-parents etc... Then you have them make two little handprints on separate white paper with the ink or paint. glue the handprints to the sides of triangle to make wings, and glue the photo to the top of the triangle. Use the pipe cleaner to make a halo, and hook for the tree (you can also forget the hook idea, and add a magnet to the back instead) This was a huge hit. My 2 year old daughter and I made them last year for her grand-parents for Christmas. We had tons of fun, and she is still so proud of them. Contact_FullName: Miss Penny Contact_Email: dolphin261060@yahoo.ca date:: 11/25/06 Area: Christmas Art Idea: A real cute Advent Star for the countdown to Christmas for young children. Make a star with a slit just below the center. Have children make 24 paper chains (if starting on Dec. 1) Attach paper chain to center of star and add the following poem. Each evening after prayers are said, take off one ring and jump in bed. When only the star is left to shine, then you'll know its Christmas time. I don't remember where I found this cute idea but it was a hit in my preschool program for 20 years. Contact_FullName: Michelle Contact_Email: m_sweet_24@yahoo.com date:: 10/30/06 Idea: have the child make Reindeers out of their hands by painting their hands brown for the antlers and their foot brown for the head . Add the nose and mouth hang them on the wall like you would the real reindeer ,instead of Rudolph, Dasher ,Donner etc put the names of the children on their individual Reindeer and hang them on the wall pulling the sleigh Contact_FullName: Catherine Contact_Email: UK Area: art/science Idea: Mix powder paint thinly, pour into ice-cube trays, insert lolly sticks & freeze over night. Instant paint on a stick! Messy but great fun, try pastels for Spring, orange & black for Halloween or red, green & gold for Christmas. Contact_FullName: Jackie Contact_Email: bjv63@conxxus.com Area: Christmas Craft Idea: I used the letter j to make jingle j's. I cut red j shapes out of construction paper. The children glued cut up pieces of old Christmas cards and sequins to the letter. When they were done, I punched a hole in the bottom of the letter and attached a jingle bell with a piece of gold pipe cleaner. They loved their "jingle j's" Contact_FullName: Dawn Contact_Email: dawnyrendy@hotmail.com Area: Secular Christmas Craft Idea: Snowman Family Ornament Materials: Blue round bulb ornaments, white paint and brush, markers, children's hands The age of your children will depend on the amount of the work they will do on this project. Paint the palm of each child's hand and fingers white. Place the bottom of the ornament in the child's palm with the fingers and thumb pointing up toward the top. You now have 5 little snowmen. When the paint dries, use the markers to draw hats, scarves, buttons and faces on your sweet little snowmen. Then attach the following poem before giving the ornaments to parents: "These aren't just 5 snowmen as anyone can see. I've made them with my hand which is part of me! Now each year when you trim the tree you'll look back and recall the Christmas of (year), when I was just this small! Merry Christmas! Contact_FullName: linda Contact_Email: lin3154@aol.com Area: Christmas Art Idea: More handprint variations for infants and toddlers. Angel: Make one footprint (white). With toes at the bottom, put handprints on either side for angel wings (gold, silver, yellow or white). I make a glitter halo. Santa: Put red paint at hand near wrist and on the thumb, peach/pink in middle of palm and white on fingers . The white forms Santa's beard, the peach/pink his face and the red his cap. Embellish face as you desire. Contact_FullName: lannie Contact_Email: lannieharris@yahoo.com Area: Christmas-art Idea: We made Christmas tree sun catchers as one of our gifts this year. We took a square of leftover laminate and used our handprint to make a Christmas tree on it. Paint the tree upside down with fingers away from the child to make it easier. Then the children used their finger tip to paint lights. We cut out a frame and glued it on. I allowed it to just dry and then laminated it. Contact_FullName: Susan Contact_Email: Busybb@aol.com Area: Christmas Art Idea: Hanger Holiday Trees: Bend a wire hanger in the shape of a triangle. Have the preschoolers tape green tissue paper around the triangle. Decorate with foam shapes for ornaments. Bend a pipe-cleaner into the shape of a star for the top and use a small square of brown foam for the tree's trunk. We have these trees hanging all over our classroom and it makes it look so festive! :) Contact_FullName: Nicole Contact_Email: Bratnik81@san.rr.com Area: Christmas Art Idea: Take a clothespin and paint it brown then glue google eyes on it and a red pom pom cut in half for the nose. There you have a reindeer. Makes a nice ornament for a Christmas tree Any questions email me Contact_FullName: Tracy Contact_Email: tracychan71@hotmail.com Area: Christmas Crafts Idea: My co-op student brought this idea in, it is simple but loved by parents. Have the kids bring in a small box. Using craft box, have them make the "wrapping paper". Wrap it with a ribbon and attach this note: This is a very special gift That you can never see The reason that it is so special is That it is for you from me! Never ever open it Just keep the ribbon tied Hold it close to YOUR heart It is filled with love inside! Love: The parents loved this! Contact_FullName: Marsha Contact_Email: mrsmarsha@juno.com Area: Christmas/secular Idea: Santa Plates: Needed: clear plastic plates, acrylic paints Paint palm of child's hand a skin color, fingers white, top of palm and thumb red (this will be Santa's face, beard and hat. Later teacher can add facial features and white fur around hat and pom-pom. When dry, seal with second clear plastic plate. These can be used as gifts or a plate for Santa to eat his cookies on Christmas Eve. Contact_FullName: Christine Contact_Email: rita.girl@earthlink.net Area: Christmas ideas Idea: Many years ago, our Sunday School Babies made tree ornaments, using scenes cut from used cards (pinking shears) glued to the plastic tops from coffee cans. Sprinkled with glitter, and with a string through a hole punched at top, they made pretty gifts to give to Mama and Grandma and... Contact_FullName: Tso Abbie Contact_Email: tsoabbie@yahoo.com Area: Christmas Idea: I found this idea in an old mailbox book. I sized it down a bit. The idea in the book was to trace children's bodies and make elves. I found an elf cutout, colored them and added the child's pic to it with a hat and placed them on my door with green wrapping paper. The parents and children loved them! Contact_FullName: Heather Contact_Email: hlowen@telus.net Area: Christmas Crafts/Art Idea: Christmas Tree Craft Cut a Christmas tree shape from green construction paper. Give each child a tree, glue, sequins, beads, buttons and like materials to decorate the tree. When tree is "decorated" drizzle glue over tree in garland pattern and sprinkle with glitter. Awesome Project!! Contact_FullName: Sherri Contact_Email: notthe_momma@yahoo.com Area: Christmas-Art Idea: Using a Styrofoam cone, place double-sided tape in vertical strips on all sides of cone. Place red, green, and silver Hershey's kisses on the tape strips. You have just made a "Kissmas Tree". Kids of all ages love making this yummy treat. You can also use this tree to count down the days until Christmas. Let everyone remove one kiss from their tree each school day then send home for the rest of the days until Christmas. Contact_FullName: Linda Contact_Email: Lindylou75@aol.com Area: Christmas art Idea: WE put up a large nativity scene on the bulletin board. I let the children make glitter glue stars to fill the sky. Make a star pattern on paper. Put wax paper over it. The children can trace he star with Elmer's glue then sprinkle glitter on top. Let it dry for about 3-4 days. gently pull off the wax paper! We also make sheep with cotton balls to put around the stable.
Contact_FullName: Rachel Contact_Email: levi644@bellsouth.net date:: 05/4/03 Area: Christmas Art Idea: A week before Christmas break I bring in a small table top Christmas tree with nothing on it but lights. Then every day for art the children make a Christmas tree ornament to add to the tree. When it is time for break you can send the ornaments home for the kids to place on the tree at home.
Contact_FullName: Christy Contact_Email: christy.anne@sympatico.ca date:: 12/11/02 Area: Christmas Art Idea: Rice Wreaths: Mix plain white rice, white glue and green food coloring to the thickness of dough. Children should scoop out a handful, roll into a ball, flatten to about 1/2 inch, and poke a hole in the middle. Pinch around the circle to form the shape of a wreath. Insert a paperclip for hanging with a ribbon. Decorate with red construction paper punch outs from a hole punch. Let dry. Attach ribbon and maybe a small bow at the top. The dried green rice looks like the texture of evergreen needles. It looks great and is dead simple and really fast to complete.
Contact_FullName: Helen Contact_Email: helengunther@sympatico.ca date:: 11/26/02 Area: Christmas Art Idea: This is a very easy craft idea that smells wonderful. Simply mix equal parts apple sauce and cinnamon (approx. 1/8 cup of each per child) in a ziploc bag. Knead the bag until the ingredients are well mixed. Roll out on a piece of waxed paper or a cookie sheet and use cookie cutters to cut out shapes. Remove the excess dough and punch a hole in the top of each shape with a straw. Allow the shapes to dry completely. This may take several days at room temperature or you can place them in a warm oven (that is turned off) until they are completely dry. Dry a ribbon or string through the top to hang the ornament. You can also decorate them with glue, glitter, sparkles, paint. These ornaments can be stored in an air tight container to retain their wonderful smell. Contact_FullName: Vicki Contact_Email: tictoc157@aol.com date:: 11/09/02 Area: Christmas-Art Idea: Christmas star ornament You will need the tops of cardboard egg cartons. Cut around the center hoe part removing the sides and most of the border surrounding the center. Bring the ends together to form a star and staple to hold in place. Have the children paint the stars or decorate them any way you wish. Add a piece of yarn to hang the star on the tree. They are so easy to make and look very cute when finished.
Contact_FullName: Despina Contact_Email: bryantme@earthlink.net date:: 8/8/02 Area: Art Idea: This is a great idea for Christmas: Go to Michael's and buy clear Christmas ornaments (for as many children as you have). I have 6 children and I bought 12 just because, but it's up to you how many you would like your kids to make and take home to show to their parents. Put different colors of paint inside the ornaments (just a little bit, that way it seems neat from the outside), and you can make any designs you like, such as: waves, lines up and down, make circles etc. You can choose Christmas colors too. Then, throw a little bit of glitter spray painting on the outside of the ornament and let dry. Choose any colors you like. When you're done you can put a ribbon on top. Have the children show their parents and take it home so they can hang it on their Christmas Tree. Have fun.....I know I did with my kids!
Contact_FullName: Holly Contact_Email: hollyfsawyer@hotmail.com date:: 12-30-01 Area: Christmas art Idea: Using wagon wheel pasta, die some green and a few ( ie 5 per child) red. Using a pipe cleaner (green) thread them on to make a wreath! It was very easy. We used about 25 wheels per wreath. After they have threaded them on the teacher must shape it into a circle, leaving enough to form a small loop on top to hang it on a Christmas tree.
Contact_FullName: Sandra Contact_Email: slcollin119@hotmail.com date:: 12/18/01 Area: Christmas Activities Idea: Use two stocking shaped felt pieces. Punch holes with a hole punch all around, (but leave the top open). Use yarn and large plastic safety needles and let them sew. They were so excited to sew and it makes them feel like "big kids". Then we wrote each child's name in glue and sprinkled glitter on top. They loved to see their glittery names, and they can't wait to bring them home after our holiday party, all full of goodies from the teachers!
Contact_FullName: Kimberly Contact_Email: antonsen@loretel.net date:: 12/11/01 Area: Art-Christmas Idea: Santa Hats Cut out a big triangle from red construction paper. Glue a cotton ball on one of the tips. Glue more cotton all along the bottom. Then take a 3 by 16 strip of red construction paper an staple it to the triangle. There is the adorable Santa hat!
Contact_FullName: Joy Contact_Email: Ccw227@aol.com date:: 12/11/01 Area: Christian Art Idea: For Christmas gift to the parents I bought white hand towels and fabric paint. I painted the child's foot blue and put it on the towel (this is the body) then I painted the child's hands and pressed them to the side of the foot (this is the wings) then outlined the shapes in the colors that I did them in then used black fabric paint for the eyes and mouth. Gave them hair if girl made it long if a boy made it short and spiky. then at bottom of towel wrote their names with fabric paint and the date.
Contact_FullName: Mary Contact_Email: Bluegill95@aol.com date:: 12/8/01 Area: Christmas art Idea: Here's a cute but time consuming parent present. Make a calendar from legal paper, leaving top blank. For every month put an art project your child did. This was definitely a parent pleaser!!
Contact_FullName: Mary Lynne Contact_Email: BCLOAR@sbcglobal.net date:: 12/07/01 Area: Christmas-Art Idea: Christmas photo trees. Take white poster board and cut into a triangle shaped tree 12 inches tall. No trunk is necessary. Cut live, long, soft, pine tree branches to be used as your paint brushes. Children dip ends of pine branches into green paint and brush across the cut out trees. Dip the ends of new pencil erasers into red paint and dot on green trees for berries. Cut opening for a 4x6 photo to be glued in the center of the tree. A small magnet strip on back of tree so it can be displayed. The children love using the live branches that can be obtained at your Christmas tree sale lots.
Contact_FullName: Miss Wendy Contact_Email: wlee@city.richmond.bc.ca date:: 12/06/01 Area: Art Idea: Beaded CHRISTMAS WREATHS/CANDY CANE Take a pipe cleaner and cut it in half. Bend the tip of one end of the pipe cleaner (so the beads don't slip through). Let the children thread on the "tri-beads"--it will take approximately 36 beads. Once you are done, twist the ends to prevent all the beads falling off. Then decorate with bow (to cover up where you've twisted it. Take ribbon or string so you can hang it from the tree or glue a pin to the back as a broach. CANDY CANE--It is made exactly like the wreath--the only difference is that you bend it to resemble the shape of a Candy Cane.
Contact_FullName: Erica Contact_Email: eam3@ra.msstate.edu date:: 11/29/01 Area: christmas art activities Idea: Christmas Wreaths Using: coffee filters, green, yellow, and red tissue paper, glue, and yarn. cut a hole in the center of the coffee filter, lay flat. Take the tissue paper and cut in small squares, then glue them to the coffee filter. Punch hole in top of filter and add green, red or yellow yarn. It's such a cute and colorful wreath!!!
Contact_FullName: nikki baillif Contact_Email: wbaillif@wecnet.com date:: 11-24-01 Area: christmas-art Idea: painting with a gift wrap bow put a small amount of paint on a plate or paint tray. give the child a bow (like the ones you put on the top of a present -the kind with the sticky stuff on the back) then have them dip bow side down in the paint and then press on a piece of paper. you can use different shapes and sizes.
Contact_FullName: Deborah Contact_Email: date:: 10/06/01 Area: christmas art Idea: Here's a fasta pasta wreath. Cut a wreath shape from cardboard or matting board. Have children glue on macaroni or rotini or other glue-able pastas. When very dry, adult spray paints entire wreath with gold paint. Let dry. Add a green or red ribbon to hang. Don't forget to date the back, you'll have this around for years! Contact_FullName: Pamela Contact_Email: PamelaC93@aol.com date:: 11/19/02 Area: Christmas Idea: This is a variation of several great ideas that I have seen (& made) thru the years. Those cute handprint trees that are made by tracing the children's hands on green paper or painting green handprints on white paper can be painted directly on the windows to make a class tree. They dipped their thumb in colors to make ornaments after the tree dried. These made our room look festive & looked great from the road, too. This can be done in other seasons as well. This year we have giant hand & footprint turkeys on our window for Thanksgiving. It is adorable, the parents love it & the kids have fun.
Contact_FullName: wendy Contact_Email: jeffh@wvi.com date:: 11/18/02 Area: Christmas Craft Idea: Christmas Angels 1. use either white craft tubes or tp tubes covered with white paper. have the children use markers to decorate the angel bodies. 2. have the kids trace and cut out two hand prints for the wings 3. with a hot glue gun attach a glass colored ball ornament with wiggly eyes and pipe cleaner halo glued on. (The really cheap ones you can get a box for under $5.00) 4. You will probably have to attach all the pieces with the hot glue gun but once they are dry you can hang them on the Christmas tree or put on top. Contact_FullName: Melissa Contact_Email: teddyexpress_10 date:: 09/30/02 Area: Popcorn - Christmas Idea: At Christmas time we take 3 tongue depressors and paint them blue then we clue on popcorn to make a snowflake ornament.
Contact_FullName: Lori Contact_Email: Jenkslt@aol.com date:: 9-11-02 Area: Christmas Idea: Cut Christmas tree shape out of poster board. Glue fruit loop cereal on the tree for decorations. Glue sparkly pom pom on top of the tree for the star.
Contact_FullName: Isabel Contact_Email: BellA0028@hotmail.com date:: 12-09-01 Area: Christmas-Misc Idea: Every year we try to make creative gifts for our parents. This year we took carpet samples that were donated and we made welcome mats! With the light carpet squares we made reindeer. Use fabric paint and paint the bottom of the child's foot for the face and then paint the hands for the antlers. We also made snowman with the darker carpet squares using their right and left foot. With a stencil you can also paint on a welcome sign!
Contact_FullName: Amy Contact_Email: Camryns@aol.com date:: 11/23/01 Area: Christmas wrapping paper Idea: I have toddlers and 2 year olds and we make angel wrapping paper. First I sponge paint the bottom of their feet blue (boys) and pink (girls) and let them walk on butcher paper (make sure it's spaced out a little and taped to the floor). Then when it dries we sponge paint our hands yellow and (with fingers facing down towards the toes on paper) we make "wings". I draw a halo and add a little hair w/markers (or they can) and it makes the cutest wrapping paper! We also do reindeers...take black paint and paint either the hands or foot and make the face (if using the ands make sure the fingers are closed). Then take brown paint and make handprint antlers. Glue on a nose and some eyes (or thumbprint eyes) and you've got some great paper =) Contact_FullName: Carol Contact_Email: caware@ivillage.com date:: 10-28-01 Area: Christmas-Art Idea: This is a great gift idea that my daughter brought home from Kindergarten last year. All ages can do this. It's a calendar for the new year. On the front, put "My Handprint Calendar by (Name)" and then trace each hand of the child on construction paper and glue on to the front. On the back, put a new year's blow horn with 3 hand prints of that child, coming out of the blow horn, with stars around. And put "Happy New Year!" The next page, put a copy of the January Calendar. On the back, Draw a fancy heart, trace each of child's hands and put around heart, with hearts in the middle. Next page, put a Feb. Calendar and on back, Draw a large shamrock and put handprint in each of the 3 parts of the shamrock. Label it "Lucky Shamrock". Next page, March Calendar and on back, take 2 handprints and put on paper to make them look like clouds, draw raindrops under them and label "April Showers". Next page, April Calendar and on back, Use handprints as flowers, label "May Flowers". May Calendar and on back, Draw an oval shape and put a round head at top, with antennas, Use handprints as wings and you have "Beautiful Butterfly". June Calendar, on back, Draw an ice cream cone and place 3 handprints, upset down as the ice cream, "Summer Treats". Next page, a July Calendar and on back, take 4 yellow handprints and overlap to make a sun, "Fun-in-the-Sun". August Calendar and on back, draw an apple and use green handprint to make a leaf "Apple Time". September Calendar and on back, draw a spider web, and place a white handprint upside down to make a ghost "Boo!". October Calendar, on back, make a Turkey Handprint "Turkey Time". November Calendar and on back, Take a picture of Child with Santa, "Merry Christmas". Then you need a December Calendar. All pages are different colors and all handprints are done of different color construction papers. It is a lot of teacher work, but the parents really appreciate them. They are great to use all year long.
3-12-01This is a simple and easy Christmas gift idea I used this year. At the Christmas clearance sales (about 75% off) look for paper mache boxes that look like small trees or whatever they have. Clip a clothespin onto whichever part the child is going to paint first as a handle. Then have them paint with green acrylic paint both pieces. Let dry. The next day have the child paint a layer of glue onto the lid and sprinkle with sequins. Have an adult spray shellac over it. Fill with red & green m&m's. They turn out so pretty and the kids really do all the work, except the shellac. Be sure to write their name and year on the bottom after painting.
1-11-01I work in a public library, and so cannot use the picture ideas (which are always great, by the way). For Christmas this year I had all my Story time kids trace and cut out their handprints on thin green paper, and then decorate the fingernails of the hands with glitter and small shiny Christmas figures (the kind that you put into Christmas cards). I layered the "hands" in a Christmas tree shape (the fingernails looked like ornaments), make a trunk from a paper towel tube, a holder from some shiny gold paper, added snowflakes and gingerbread men, and had a great Christmas tree bulletin board!
12-27-00At Christmas time we make tea light candle holders as gifts. Take empty baby food jars and have the children cover it with lots of glue and then with overlapping small pieces of tissue paper (we used red and green, but any colors work). After it's covered, add an extra layer of glue over the tissue paper, then when its dry, cover the top part of the jar in glue, dip in glitter and add a candle! It's very pretty, the colors glow from the light of the candle!
12-27-00SUPER EASY CANDY CANES-- Cut out candy cane shapes from white poster board. Place one candy cane shape in a cardboard shirt box top and secure with some tape. Add 3-4 marbles and a few drops of red paint and you're ready to roll! Have the children shake the box and make the marbles roll through the paint and onto the candy cane. The red paint makes wonderful stripes! I did this activity with the children and some of their parents and they loved it! Very festive!
12-27-00Garland: My class made garland with items brought from home. Together as a class we made a list of things that could go on a string. Then, the list was sent home and each child was to bring in a small baggie with whatever items he/she had at home. We mixed all of the items in a large bowl and then strung them on a string. Some of the items that worked best were O shaped cereals and small pretzels. The kids loved seeing their creation wrapped around our class tree.
12-27-00Hand-y Ornaments Supplies: Make approximately 7 little hands 1 cup cornstarch 1 cup salt 1 cup water Add it all in a pot and cook on low until it resembles firm mashed potatoes. Then you will take it off and let it cool. Put a damp cloth over the top so the dough doesn't dry out. Next you will take 1/4 inch of the dough and let the child form a handprint in it. You will use a plastic knife to cut out the hand. Then you will make a hole a the top with a straw for the ribbon to go through and then you will take a film canister to cut a hole out of the center of the handprint. After you have done this, place them on an un-greased cookie sheet. Bake at 200' for 3 hours. After they are done baking let them dry overnight. Then the next day you can paint them green and decorate them with sequins. Tie a ribbon through the little hole and attach their picture in the bigger hole with a piece of felt behind it. When everything is finished. Spray it with Acrylic gloss so it will last as a keepsake.
12-12-00Here's a great way to use up all those small jars/lids that you have lying around. Give each child a jar and lid. Let them chose a small ornament or toy (I use McDonald's toys) and help them to glue this onto the inside of the lid. Remember to use waterproof glue!!! When the glue is dry pop in some glitter (coconut is great if you want the snow look) into each jar. Then fill almost to the top with water. Place a small amount of glue around the screw part of the jar and then screw on the lid. Turn over and shake! These make awesome presents and the kids love them.
12-12-00Take a large piece of poster board or mural paper and draw a circle about 12" in diameter in pencil on it. Have the children put their hands in green paint, then make prints with their hands around the circle, with fingers facing out. Using a paint brush, add tiny red circles for berries and you have a handprint wreath for the holidays.
12-12-00Margarine Lid Ornaments: Hopefully you had all parents save their Christmas cards from last year…now is time to put them to use! Give each child a plastic margarine lid (from the smaller-sized tubs.) Assist them in cutting two Christmas cards - cut each card in a circle to match the size of the margarine lid. (Sometime we have two pictures from two cards - and sometimes we have a picture and a verse.) Now glue these cut out circles - one on each side - to the margarine lid. Glue wide rick-rack around the rim of the lids. Now the teacher should poke a small hole in the lid (I use a warm needle) and run fishing line through so the ornament can be hung from a tree. The kids like to do these because they choose their favorite scenes/verses from our huge stack of Christmas cards.
12-6-00Christmas tree strings. Great for shape recognition, gluing, choosing materials and creating a gift for Christmas! Child cuts out 3 pre drawn triangles. Chooses from selection of materials such as glitter, shiny stars, sequins, silver foil. Glues on to triangles. These are then attached to thick ribbon to form a tree which can hang up. Very popular in our group and not too adult led. 12-5-00To make your classroom look even more festive around the holidays add a little spearmint candy sweetness! Using an old record player, have each child put a paper plate on it. (They will have to punch it through the record notch.) Then let them use red or green paint. Simply have them place a paint filled brush on top of the plate as you turn it on. They will giggle with glee as they watch their white plate become a festive piece of "candy" for the gingerbread house. When their paintbrush dries, simply re-dip it in the paint. Before it dries have them add some coordinating colored glitter to it. The next day, have them help wrap it up on holiday colored cellophane, don't forget to add extra to the sides so it looks authentic. I hang them from my ceiling to really emphasize the gingerbread/holiday baking/fun theme! Super cute!
12-5-00We are just finishing up with a Christmas gift for the children to give their parents. We have been working on calendars. Each month of the calendar is thematic for that month, Apple trees September, Pumpkins October, etc. I have had them all filed at home and after the children finish their pictures, I then attach them to a 2001 calendar. A piece of construction paper holds the project attached to a wide 8X11 monthly calendar, we then fastened the whole 12 together with paper fasteners. We used a lot of hand print pictures for this. Today we had the children make the wrapping paper mentioned in the Christmas art section. Next week we will have each of them wrap their gift to bring home! A long process but well worth the effort!
12-5-00Dog Biscuit Reindeer. Get large bone-shaped dog biscuits. Make antlers out of pipe cleaners - adding short bits to the main antler stem for "forks" in the antlers. Turn the biscuit vertical and glue antlers at the very top - right behind to the two bump ends of the top of a biscuit. Now glue on wiggle eyes and a red hot for a nose. Add a tiny bow tiny/ribbon tie under the nose...so cute!
11-18-00Christmas cards: you need a potato, a carrot and some grease-proof paper. You also need Sweetie wrappers or shiny gift wrap (The bluish kind is the best). Cut out star shapes in the potato and chop the carrot in three. Use the two sizes of carrot to make snow men by dipping into white paint. Also dip the star in white paint. The grease-proof paper together with the paint adds a very interesting texture. When they are dry cut the shapes out but leave a good 1/8 of an inch...3mm around the edge. this finishes the shapes off. then glue to a slightly larger square piece of festive paper...shiny, sweetie wrappers. the overall size of each piece should be no more that 2 inches long or wide. If you have a laminating machine laminate them all up and cut them out again. Stick onto card and write your festive message underneath. They are cheap, great for small hands and they look very professional when finished. We made a small fortune at our Xmas fair last year. We make them with 3 yr old in UK and they are fabulous. Merry Christmas!
11-4-00This activity takes a little preparation but is sooo cute. First collect some pine cones (the bigger the better). Next the teachers spray paint the pine cones green, When they dry mix up some plaster of paris and fill a empty (one serving ) applesauce container (if your school is like mine we have thousands). Next place the pine cone in the plaster of paris standing up so it looks like a tree. This is where the kids come in, Have the children once these trees are dry (plaster of paris) decorate their tree with glitter, sequins, and other assorted trinkets to make Christmas trees. The parents adore these and keep these as a keepsake for years and years. Have Fun!
10-16-00Christmas ornaments In my 3 year old class the children make snowflakes. Each child gets a small piece of waxed paper on which I have them squeeze a puddle of glue. I then give them several Q-tips cut in half which they place around the glue puddle, swab end sticking out to look like a snowflake. Stick a loop of string in the glue puddle for a holder. Have child sprinkle glitter onto the glue. Let them dry a couple of days and peel them off the waxed paper. In my four year old class the children make cinnamon ornaments with the easy recipe of one part cinnamon to one part applesauce. I but the cinnamon at the bulk store and the cheapest applesauce I can find. The children roll their dough, cut it into shapes, add a hole for string. Let dry on waxed paper a couple of days.
10-6-00In December we cut Christmas tree out of green construction paper (folded in half then open it so it is perfectly symmetrical) then while it's still folded use a hole puncher and make holes all over it. Open it up. On one side spread glue with paintbrush and let children tear small pieces of tissue paper to cover the holes creating the "lights". When this is held up to light, they "glow" ! It's very pretty !! 9-14-00Have each child bring in the little cups from Pepto-Bismal. add school glue all over the cup. Next put the cup in a Ziploc bag filled with glitter. Close the bag and shake. You make bells from these. You insert a little jingle bell. 8-21-00To make inexpensive Christmas ornaments I have saved some toilet rolls over the years. You will need glitter, paint, sequins (optional), punch holder and lace (optional). Paint the toilet rolls and decorate the rolls with your decoration. When the rolls are dry, punch a hold so you can put the yarn through it. The ornaments came out very beautiful in my class. 8-15-00For a Christmas gift for the parents we take baby food jars with labels removed and fill them with layers of different colors/kinds of dried beans. Do not use rice because it's too small and will filter down into the other layers. We then put on the cap which we have painted gold or silver. We take another painted cap and glue it upside down on top of the first cap to hold a votive candle. 8-15-00At Christmas time the children make their parents an angel on a piece of muslin. It is cut in a square and fringed around the perimeter by simply pulling out some of the threads. The top is folded over a wooden dowel and fabric glued. We then add a piece of yarn which is tied on each end of the dowel to hang it. The angel is made by painting the child's foot with light blue paint and "stamping" it horizontally in the middle of the cloth to make the body. We make wings by making hand prints in gold or silver in the middle of the footprint vertically. A thumbprint makes the head and fingerprints make the hair. We glue sequins on to make the halo and draw on a face. Date: 2-29-00Around Christmas time I take a piece of sand paper 8x11 1/2, we then draw a picture of a Gingerbread man. Using cinnamon sticks the children color in the body of the gingerbread man. When finished they decorate the rest with scraps of fabric, yarn, glitter glues, whatever you have on hand. Not only they cute and festive they smell great. The kids love the coloring process. 1-20-00use the AOL Free CD's to make Christmas decorations, seasonal sticker and photo wreathes. Glue construction paper to the side with the words and the blank side put stickers or write on it with a permanent marker. Use Crayola school glue, it works best. idea 12-23-99You'll need a paper/plastic plate, puffy paint/glitter glue and other various decorations. Have your child decorate the plate and write a cute letter or poem to leave Santa's cookies in. You can also do one for Santa's milk with a plastic cup. Date: 12-21-99You'll need construction paper, glue, glitter and cheerio's. Cut 2 sheets of construction paper into the shape of gingerbread boys. Then glue the 2 sheets back to back for support. Glue the cheerio's all around the gingerbread boys body add eyes a nose, mouth and button. Finally use the glitter on it's eyes, nose, mouth and buttons. Daylene 12-14-99 Wrapping Paper Materials: Christmas cookie cutters, butcher paper, paint Have the children dip the Christmas cookie cutters into the paint, then make prints on the butcher paper. Let their creation dry and use it to wrap their parent's gift in. Date: 12-14-99This is an adorable wreath idea that the parents especially will love, because it will look great hanging at home! Together with your class, make gingerbread men and women. You will need quite a few. Then, with each child, help them glue the figures together in a wreath shape head to feet. To finish it off, you can tie a ribbon on the top. I like to use red and white gingham. Date: 12-14-99You will need ice cream cones (cone shaped), green icing, white icing, confectioners sugar and an assortment of candies. Let the child place some white icing on the middle of their plate. ( I use Christmas paper plates) and stick the ice cream cone on the icing so that it looks like a tree. The white icing will make it stick to the plate. They will then ice the cone all over with green icing. I encourage them to use as much as possible, so that the candy will stick. They then cover the "tree" with candy. This is a completely child directed project. They should make their tree look however they like it! They can then take it home and eat it with their family. 12-6-99Christmas Ornaments We found a use for all those CDs you get from certain internet service providers that end up getting thrown away or laying around the house. Put some glue on the CD, and then give the children felt in different shapes, as well as glitter, confetti, or anything else you can think of. You can then put a string through the middle and make it an ornament, or stick a picture of the child in the middle and put a magnet on the back. Both make great presents for mom and dad! 12-6-99This is an easy idea for making ornaments. You need a small aluminum baking pan for each child (the size of pot-pie pans) and several starlight mints. Make a circle with the mints in the bottom of the pan. Be sure the mints are touching. Put them in a 350 degree oven for 5 minutes. Let them cool and pop them out of the tins....the mints melt together, then cool to form a wreath-shaped ornament. Add a bow and hang with yarn! Daylene 1 1/2 Cups of flour 1 1/2 Cups of ground spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, allspice) 1 Cup salt 1 Cup water (you may need to add a bit more depending on how dry the dough is) Mix everything together. Knead the dough until it is pliable and is not sticky. Have the children use cookie cutters to create ornaments. Bake at 300 degrees for a half hours. Check the ornaments, if they are not hard enough, bake for another 15 minutes. These ornaments smell GREAT even after they have been baked. dianna dclifner@aol.com Date: 12-5-99 Instead of just decorating cookies at Christmas time we decorate sugar cones to make Christmas trees. Just turn the cone upside down on a small plate , spread some green frosting on and decorate with all kinds of yummy things. Depending upon the age we use things like gum drops or for the older kids mini M&Ms. They turn out very cute and can be allowed to dry or eaten for snack. areaMaria Date: 12-4-99Bow Tie Pasta Wreaths: To make pasta wreaths first, in a bowl of water add a few drops of green food coloring. Add bow tie pasta and stir until you have the color that you want, you can add more coloring if you want. Strain water and spread pasta on a cookie sheet to dry, it may take a night or longer, sometimes I put it in the oven on a very low heat and let it dry that way. Using a small paper plate, cut out a hole in the middle to make wreath, allow children to color wreath green and then glue bow tie pasta onto the plate. Coloring the plate first covers up any spots the children may have missed. To finish craft glue a cut out paper bow onto wreath or make one using ribbon. You also can add string to it so that they can hang it up. The bowtie pasta gives it a real wreath look. It's allot of fun. Daylene daylene@perpetualpreschool.com Date: 12-4-99 Potpourri Stars Materials: Potpourri, plastic canvas stars (I bought these at Wal-Mart in a pack of 5 for $1.00), lots and lots of glue, and tin foil. Have the children place their star on a piece of tin foil. Next, have the children paint the star with LOTS and LOTS of glue. Finally, the children can sprinkle the potpourri all over the star. Let the glue dry COMPLETELY, then remove the star from the foil. My two-year-olds loved this activity!
Daylene
daylene@perpetualpreschool.com
Take an old puzzle, with at least 100 pieces, and spread it on newspapers outside. (Please do not do this first step around the children.) Take green spray paint and cover all the puzzle pieces until they are the color you desire. Let the pieces dry. Next, take paper plates and cut a hole in the middle of them so they resemble wreaths. Finally, take green food coloring and add it to your glue. Have the children paint the green glue onto the paper plates and arrange the puzzle pieces on it any way they want. These wreaths turn out wonderfully! |
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