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YULE LOGS
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Give your children an empty paper towel roll. |
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Have them paint the roll brown, or color the roll with a brown crayon, adding log knots and bark lines. |
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Next, have children stuff the rolls with crunched up pieces of newspaper. |
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Small twigs or kindling can also be added. |
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Have children stuff a yarn wick from each end of their log. |
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Tie each log with a bow and add some holly. |
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These log starters can be placed in a fireplace with kindling teepeed over it for the start of a roaring good holiday fire.
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SILVER BELLS
You will need cardboard egg cartons, silver paint, pipe cleaners, silver glitter and red ribbon for this activity.
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Cut the individual cups out of the egg carton and trim around edges. |
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Poke a small hole in the top of each cup. |
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Bend one end of a pipe cleaner and then poke the other end up in the middle of the cup and out the hole. Pull the pipe cleaner through until the bent part prevents it from going further. |
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Set the cups out with some silver paint and some brushes. |
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Have children hold cups by their pipe cleaner handles and each paint three or four cups silver. |
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While still wet, have children set the bells in a small box lid filled with a layer of silver glitter. |
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Hang bells up to dry. |
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When dry, remove the pipe cleaners and attach each child’s bells to a single red ribbon. Start by tying a knot at the bottom of the ribbon, then sliding one bell down the ribbon until it rests on the first knot. Make a second knot and repeat the procedure. Continue until all the child’s bells are hanging on their ribbon. |
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These bells can be given as gifts to hang on doors or windows. |
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SPICY CHRISTMAS ORNAMENTS
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In a large bowl, let your children help mix together fresh spices, such as whole allspice, whole cloves and cinnamon sticks (broken into small pieces). |
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Select a light weight, colorful fabric and cut out a square, about 8 by 8 inches, for each child. Lay squares on table up-side-down. |
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Let the children each spoon 2-3 tablespoons of the spice mixture onto the center of their squares. |
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Then have them gather the sides of their square together and secure it with a string or a rubber band. |
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To complete, children can wrap a colorful ribbon over the string and tie it with a bow. |
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Attach a card to each child’s gift explaining that the sachet ornament is for tucking among the branches of a Christmas tree or for placing in a holiday display to add a spicy scent. |
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| STAINED GLASS CANDLEHOLDERS |
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Give your children small jars without lids. (4 oz baby food jars work well) |
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Set out sheets of red, gold, blue, and green tissue paper. |
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Invite your children to cut our tear the tissue into small pieces. |
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Working on small areas at a time, have children brush glue on the sides of their jars and place the tissue pieces on top of the glue. |
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Encourage children to overlap the tissue pieces to create new colors. |
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When they have covered their jars completely with the tissue pieces, have children brush on a final coat of glue. |
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After the glue has dried, help children to trim off any excess tissue around the rims of their jars. |
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Give each child a tea candle to place inside his or her Stained Glass Candleholder to complete. |
| GLITTERY TREE ORNAMENTS |
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For each child, place a 4” pattern of a Christmas tree ornament (such as a bell or a star) on a paper plate, then cover the pattern with a square of waxed paper. |
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Using a small bottle of white glue, have children make a glue outline of the ornament shape on the waxed paper. (Be sure that children do not leave any glue breaks in their outlines.) |
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Now, have children sprinkle glitter on their glue outline, completely covering the glue. |
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Move the paper plate to an area where the glue can dry overnight or longer without being disturbed. |
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When the glitter outlines are completely dry, help children tap the excess glitter off onto their plates and gently peel the glue ornament off the waxed paper. |
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Tie on a loop of colored cord for a hanger and help each child slip the ornament into a plastic sandwich bag before gift-wrapping it. |
| Variation: Younger child may enjoy the same activity by just creating their own glue design on a piece of waxed paper. |
| HOLIDAY BOOKMARKS |
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Give each of your children a 2 ½ by 7 inch strip cut from felt. |
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Then cut out small felt shapes for them to glue onto the bottom of their strips. |
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Let your children include these bookmarks in Holiday greeting cards as a special gift. |
| PICTURE BOOKMARKS |
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Let your child glue small pictures of themselves onto bookmark sized strips of heavy paper. |
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Let your child sign the book mark with lots of X’s and O’s for love and kisses. |
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