Hello crafty moms. My son's class is having their Christmas party next week. I need a craft idea. They will make it and take it home the same morning so it cannot have lots of glue or paint that needs to dry. There are 12 kids in the class and they are 5 year olds.
Some parents suggest ornaments, Christmas tree, Candy canes, Christmas Cards, etc. You can check out the article for more ideas.
Michaels has a 50% off sale on all of their craft foam Christmas crafts. (Around $4 for 30(ish) crafts depending on what you are looking for) They have snowman frames, and girl and boy gingerbead cut outs. The kits contain everything that you need for it.
Hand wreaths are fun, but a lot of work.
Nutcraker paper towel rolls.
Paper cone christmas trees.
Graham craker ginger bead houses.
Enchanted Learning is a great site that has some very BASIC and easy crafts for all ages.
Also if you go the store Michaels' website they also have a kids knack group and kids section with several projects.
Having worked in classrooms for years I give this advice keep it simple. Their own creativity can add more to any idea than you could imagine.
Good luck.
UPDATE
My husband says that instead of peanut butter, you can use lard. It will not hurt the birds and you would not have to worry about the peanut allergies. (He was a Boy scout and learned the lard trick)
When I was a child I remember doing this craft in Girl Scouts.We used to make pine cone bird feeders.
This will only work if you do not have kids with peanut allergies.
Take a pine cone. Tie a ribbon to the fat end, roll the pine cone in peanut butter, roll in bird seed. Have them take then home and hang them from a tree close to a window. The birds will go crazy.
HEB carried some pre-made ginger bread men. Get some premade iceing and different candies and let the have at it. This will be something they can make and eat also. Have fun. Merry Christmas.
Two ideas:
1. Get a piece of pipe cleaner and have the kids thread red/green/white beads (5 year olds should be able to make patterns too). Then make a circle and you have a "wreath" ornament to put on the tree. A bow or small ribbon could go on the top.
2. Have the kids trace one foot and each of their hands on brown construction paper and cut them out. With the foot piece (heel side on the bottom) you can glue a red pom pom at the bottom (in the heel). Then put googlie eyes up by the "pad" of the foot. Then use the hands and even tape to avoid drying time and apply them with the wrist part on the back to make antlers. Can you picture it? It turns out really cute! The pom pom is fun but you could use a circle of red foam or even just construction paper to avoid the drying time...or set up a hot glue gun with one mom in charge and it would dry instantly.
Hope this helps. It is a cute and inexpensive idea.
If you can order anything online, checkout www.orientaltrading.com, they always have cute stuff, and, will get to you in time for your party.
Hi A.,
This is very cute and easy to do. Does take gluing, but Alene's dries pretty fast if not applied excessively.
Need: plastic Christmas balls, ice cream cones, glue, glitter(opalescent is really pretty).
Glue the plastic ball on the top of the cone with the hanger on the top. Apply glitter to the top of the ball like snow. Let dry. If they do it at the beginning of class, it should be dry in plenty of time to take home.
HTH, C.
A quick answer....www.familyfun.com. This website and magazine is fabulous. You can also google, christmas projects for __ year olds and you can't imagine the things you will get. Good luck. Merry Christams!
You'll need
oranges for everyone
some 1/4 inch wide ribbon (the kind that's usually 2 or 3 for $1 at the craft stores)
whole cloves
Cut a length of ribbon long enough to go around the orange in two different directions. The first length will just meet at the top. The second length, placed at a 90 degree angle from the first, should be cut long enough to form a loop large enough to hang from a doorknob.
You can do the prep ahead of time and assemble little "kits". Put the precut ribbon, an orange and some cloves into a zippy bag. Much less fuss at activity time. Don't forget to include one for the teacher and for whoever is going to do the demonstration to show the kids how.
Use the whole cloves to attach the ribbon to the oranges and decorate however they wish. Each student will have a fragrant masterpiece of their own making that will last throughout the holidays.
You need 2 sheets brown construction paper per child. Trace one shoe on one piece. Trace their hands on the other. Cut them out and staple together to make a reindeer. Kids can add face on the shoe tracing with wiggly eyes, red pompom or cut black paper into eyes and use red sticker for nose. Make sure you add the year for this keepsake.
Hi A.,
I just got done reading a really cute craft book and it all kinds of cute ideas maybe this will help you.
coffee filter basket-strips of red,green,white,construction paper, staple across the filter and fill with candy.
Christmas cards-card stock paper,stamps of your choice, using any kind of object, and washable markers.
bell wreath for door-Michaels carries all colors of bells,
you just tie them up with ribbon and hang from door,using different sizes of bells.
paper plate Santa Clause -paper plates,cotton balls,you can use anything for eyes,construction paper for hat. Use quick dry tacky glue works great. Michaels carries it.
snow flake t-shirts- all the kids bring white t-shirts, use sharpy pens, sharpy comes in a variety of colors so you could use different shades of blue or just any design so it can be anything you want really. On the t-shirts you just make Astrix or star shape, this is where the adult will have to help. You take a drop of hydrogen peroxide over the the shape. Then you let it dry and your done.They are really cute I did that last year for Christmas with my kids and it was alot fun and very little mess.
I hope this gave some help good luck! :)
My kids always enjoy those foam shapes and stickers. We picked up a package of snowflakes at Wal-Mart the other day(which they've actually been painting), but they also sell containers of foam stickers that they love sticking to shapes. We punched a hole in one part of the snowflake and put some curling ribbon through it to make an ornament/decoration.
Hi A.,,
i've got a few for you .You could use candy canes and make them reindeers,, get pipe cleaners for there antlers go ahead and cut them to the right size they will need and then glue a red nose on them,,,,,or you could use cookie cutter and make stars,trees,snowmen what ever you like cut them out and then make a double slit that cany canes will be secure in them these are cute and easy
Good Luck L.
What about ornaments? They could make them out of thick paper, or even plastic lids like the ones on butter tubs. I did that when I was in preschool They just glued a photo of the child to the center of the lid, and then had the kids glue sequins all over the rest of it. Punch a hole in the top and put yarn through it to hang it on the tree. So it's not too messy, you could just use glue sticks. It's really cute--my mom still has the one I made, and I'm 28 with a 2.5 year old who I'm going to make these with this year. Merry Christmas!
One thing that I recall doing is making hand cards. Get a piece of construction paper, fold in half, trace one hand and cut out. When you unfold they can write a poem or whatever they would like for thier loved ones! Give them crayons or markers so they can jazz it up with artwork. It was always a fun and easy project.
We made candy canes with my cubbie group at church and they did not take a long time. What you do is take a pipe cleaner and about 45 criss cross red and white beads. YOu can also make Candy cane reindeers http://familycrafts.about.com/cs/miscchristmas/l/blccrein...
http://www.craft-ideas-guide.com/christmas-craft-ideas.html
Hi A.,
I'm a pre-K teacher. I teach 4 and 5 year olds. Here are a few ideas I do with my class. They don't take long.
-ornaments- cut out star or ornament shapes out of posterboard (enough for class). The kids decorate them with sparkles and you can put their picture in the middle.
-Candy canes or wreaths- use tri-color beads in red and white (and green for wreaths) They thread these onto pipe cleaners making a pattern- red and white for candy cane and red, white, green pattern for wreath. When finished you bend them to form candy cane or wreath. They can hang these on their tree. Tri-beads are available at wal-mart or any craft store.
-Reindeer- trace shoeprint for head and trace both hands for antlers. Have kids cut them out. Put thumbprint eyes at top of shoe print and can put a red pom pom for nose.
-Christmas tree- you can use die-cut tree or collect pine cones and spray paint them green. Use beads, glitter, or other things to decorate them.
I hope some of these ideas help. I have more things I do, but they take a little longer.
