Beaded Candy Cane Ornaments
Using tri-beads, you and your students can create your very own sweet candy canes for hanging on the Christmas tree. These are also great to tie onto gifts or make a festive necklace.
What you’ll need:
- This will make 1 candy cane:
- 12″ white chenille stem (or any color, really)
- 18 clear translucent tri-beads (non-translucent beads may be used)
- 16 red translucent tri-beads (non-translucent beads may be used)
- Scissors
How to make it:
- Cut the chenille stem in half.
- Put on one clear bead, turn end of chenille stem around the bead. Feed next clear bead on the chenille stem all the way down to cover the sharp end.
- Feed the rest of the beads, starting with two red beads, followed by two clear beads, until all the beads are used. Or, you can use one red bead, one clear (or white bead), then one red bead, one clear (or white bead), and so on and so forth.
- After the last clear bead is added, bend the chenille stem around the bead. Feed the stem back through the second clear bead to cover the sharp end.
- Hang and enjoy!
3-D Tree
For each student, cut two identical triangles from green poster board. Make a cut in one triangle from the top toward the center and in the other triangle from bottom toward the top, as shown. To make a tree, invite a child to decorate one side of each triangle with materials such as paint, glitter glue and sequins, and allow the triangles to dry. Then invite him to decorate the other sides of the triangles in the same manner, allowing time for them to dry. Next, direct him to slide the triangle that was cut from the bottom onto the other triangle to make the project self-standing. Then glue a yellow pom-pom to the top of the tree.
Jingle Bell Bracelets
Encourage each child to thread craft foam shapes (snowflakes, stars, lights, etc.) which have a hole punched in its center, and several large jingle bells onto a pipe cleaner. Help her twist the ends together. After youngsters perform with their instruments, they can take them home to help decorate their tree or to wear as musical jewelry!
HOLIDAY WREATHS
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An Activity for Preschoolers: This is a fun, easy, hands-on (and messy) experience for preschoolers. |
Goals:
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Before You Start: You will need shredded wheat cereal, green Liquid Watercolor™ mixed with white glue, ornament hooks, small lids such as from margarine tubs, small plastic bowls, wax paper, red-hot candies or red beads, clear varnish and red bows. You also may want to have handy wipes or wet paper towels on hand for quick clean up of sticky fingers! |
Furthermore: Teacher will need to varnish with clear gloss and add a red satin bow as desired for great take home gifts for children! |
Step 1.
Assist children in shredding the wheat cereal into a small bowl or on wax paper until it resembles sticks.
Step 2.
Help them add their prepared green glue to the shredded wheat until it is covered completely but not runny.
Step 3.
Ask the children to scoop approximately 1/3 cup onto margarine lid.
Step 4.
Using their fingers, instruct children to form an “O” shape.
Step 5.
Place ornament hook into top back of wreath.
Step 6.
Add red-hot candies or beads as berries.
Step 7.
Allow wreath to dry thoroughly 2-3 days on wax paper until rock hard.
An Activity for School-Age Children: A quick and easy Christmas craft to celebrate the holiday season! |
Goals:
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Before You Start: You will need a set of blank puzzle pieces (or a old puzzle you would like to recycle), green activity paint, scissors, green cardstock or construction paper (measuring 8 1/2″ x 11″), ribbons, sequins, and glue. If you have other holiday decorations like holly berries or other small craft items, you can use these to decorate the wreath as well. |
Step 1.
Take a puzzle piece and paint one with green paint. Encourage the children to take a few pieces each and to start painting the pieces green.
Step 2.
Allow the pieces to dry, and cut a doughnut shape out of the cardstock.
Step 3.
After the pieces have dried, have the children glue the painted puzzle pieces onto the cardstock doughnut.
Step 4.
Allow the children to use sequins or other decorative craft items to decorate the wreaths. (Stickers work well too!)
Step 5.
Tie a bow in the ribbon and glue it onto the top of the wreath.
Twinkling Stars
To prepare, cut two same-size triangles from poster board for each child. Have a student glue one triangle on top of the other one as shown. Instruct the child to crumple tissue paper squares and then glue them to his star. Invite him to add sparkle accents by squeezing drops of glitter glue on his star. Allow the projects to dry. Then help him punch a hole near the top of the star and add a loop of yarn for hanging.
CHRISTMAS BOTTLE TOP MAGNETS (from Irresistible Ideas for Play Based Learning)
Gather materials: any discarded bottle tops or lids; sequins; glitter; glue; and magnetic strips (cut into squares).
Decorate, decorate, decorate …
Glue a magnet on the back …
And voila! Some pretty nifty Christmas fridge magnets!
Materials Required:
- Cranberries
- Wire
- Dried Apple (sliced)
- Cinnamon sticks
- Join three to four pieces of the sliced apples, cranberries, and cinnamon with a wire in a garland in a manner using different patterns and designs.
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