Super Simple Christmas Crafts

This is an accumulation of some incredibly easy Christmas crafts that could keep you and your kids entertained through these cold December days.  They are all pretty self explanatory:

Candy Cane Rudolph 

Paper Cup Christmas Tree

 This one was made into a photo/card holder:

Pine cone Ornament

 (with gold glitter glued to the edges)

Felt Stocking

Egg Carton Glasses

Yet another quick craft idea!

 No explanation needed for this one!

Paper Christmas Tree Decorating

Yet another idea that came from the classroom.

(Don't you just LOVE the handprint design??? SO adorable...)

The possibilities are pretty much endless.  Here are a few that the boys have done:

Cotton Ball Snowman

This is a fun (and easy) activity for the snowy months.

Cannon brought this home from pre-school last year after they had spent a few months talking and reading books about snow.

Cotton Ball Snowman

Materials Needed:

- Cotton Balls

- Black Pipe Cleaners

- Google Eyes

Hand and Foot Reindeer Prints

Last year Lincoln's fabulous nursery leaders made us these cute Reindeer Prints for Christmas.

Brown and white paint, a red pompom or button, and your little ones prints are all you need!

Such a cute idea...

Turkey Hats

Turkey hats are a fun Thanksgiving craft that your kids can wear around and show off.

This particular one is SUPER ADORABLE and fairly easy to make.

Here is what you will need:

I didn't measure anything; I just sort of eye-balled it:
- two brown strips (to measure around the child's head
- one brown circle (for the turkey head)
- 4 colored feathers
- one set of eyeballs
- one red waddle thing (whatever it is called)
- two red feather 'hands'
- one yellow diamond (for the beak)
- one sturdy strip of cardstock (for the neck)

Putting it all together is pretty self explanatory:
Measure the brown strips around the child's head, and tape/glue everything else together:

Fold the diamond in half so the beak can open and close, and use the cardstock "neck" to make the turkey's head wobble:

And that's it!

If this seems a little too ambitious for you:
They can be as easy as you'd like.

This one was made by my friend while she was watching Cannon for a playgroup.  She had him tell her 3 things he was thankful for and wrote them on the feathers.

Either way my kids have enjoyed them.

Paper Turkeys

Here are some quick craft idea's for making your own paper turkeys:

Turkey Handprints

The turkey hand print idea has been around forever.
At least I was doing it when I was a kid...

This particular one came from Cannon's pre-school last year.

The poem makes it perfect to give as a gift:

Poem Reads:

This isn't just any turkey,

As anyone can see.

I made it with my hand,

which is a part of me.

It comes with lots of love,

Especially to say - 

I hope you have a very

Happy Thanksgiving Day!!!

Or try this one:

And of course just your plain old hand dipped in paint!

If you are afraid of letting your kiddo dip the entire palm of his hand in paint you can always just trace it on colored paper or let them color it in themselves.

Painted Paper Plate Fish Craft

This is an incredibly easy craft that requires hardly any materials (or time).

Pretty self explanatory...

Materials Needed:

Paint

Paper Plate

Google Eye

Brad

Scissors

Painted Paper Plate Fish Craft

Use the brad to hold the tail on so it can 'swim'.

Handprint Craft and Poem

Every year Cannon's pre-school class sends him home with some adorable Mother's Day card / craft that they made.

This is a simple and cute reminder if you have a small class/playgroup - just in time for Mother's Day!

(This would also be a cool gift for grandma)

Mother's Day Hand-print Poem

Hand Print Flower and Poem

9These would be fun for your kids to make any time, but can also double as a Mother's Day card/gift.

Hand Print Flower

Hand Pint Poem

Sometimes you get discouraged

Because I am so small

And always leave my fingerprints

On furniture and walls.

But every day I'm growing -

I'll be grown some day

And all those tiny handprints

Will surely fade away.

So here's a little dandprint

Just so you can recall

Exactly how my fingers looked

When I was very small.

If you are afraid of what can happen with paint smeared all over your child's hands, just trace it on colored paper and cut it out.

Yarn Octopus

I have a box in my office, and I try to keep it stacked with bagged activities in case I am ever in the need of something instantly.

Well, the other day Cannon asked to play with an octopus.

I didn't have one of those lying around.

But I did have the materials to make one in my handy little box:

Materials Needed:

- Yarn

- Ribbon (to tie around neck)

- Two small buttons (for the eyes)

- String (for the smile)

- small ball (ping-pong or golf ball size)

Step 1:

Cut 24 pieces of yarn into equal lengths (about 1 1/2 - 2 feet long)

Make them into a spider web.

 Wrap the middle section around your ball and tie the neck off with your ribbon:

Glue the eyes and mouth on.

You should have enough strings to make 8 braids (6 strands per braid).

I pretty much won the "awesome mom of the day award" for actually producing an octopus upon request.

It was pretty easy, too.

Thankful For Turkey

This is an excellent idea that will help bring the 'spirit' of Thanksgiving to your house all month long (or however long you would like).

The idea is to put a picture of a turkey up on a wall in your home.  We put ours on the front door, so the boys would be reminded of it often.

You could draw your own, or just print one from the internet.

We colored our printed turkey, then we cut out several feathers, in coordinating colors.

Once a day, we would talk about things that we are grateful for.  We would then pick one blessing, and write it down on a feather.

We started at the beginning of the month, and had Cannon do one feather per day, but this could easily be done in a single day or over any amount of time.

This would also be a good Thanksgiving Day activity; especially if you were having a large group of people.  Everyone could have a feather and write down something that they were thankful for.

I think this is going to turn into an annual tradition at our house.  I am really enjoying it so far!

Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly Puppet

Cannon's preschool class focuses on one book each month, and coordinates their activities around it.
They just finished There was an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly.
The main concept they were teaching was size.

He came home with this puppet, and told me the story over and over (and over) again.
I was amazed at how well he had picked up the details.

I've included the story, if you don't have the book.
Either way it would be a fun craft to recreate at home, and a great way to teach small vs. big, big vs. bigger, etc.

I Know an Old Lady who Swallowed a Fly

They decorated paper bags by adding a head, cotton balls for hair, and tiny decorative balls for earrings (which were my favorite part).

On popsicle sticks they attached the individual animals:

You will need a fly, spider, bird, cat, dog, goat, cow and horse.

Like I said, it was easy to practice sizing them up...

 The little old lady's head was only secured to the front of the bag, so the animals could be eaten.

 He loved loved loved this!

I did some researching online, and found this website that has some printables if you want to make your own.
Here is the story, if that is all you need.

Enjoy!

Paper Pumpkins, Napkin Ghosts and Egg Carton Arachnids

These are 3 really easy Halloween crafts that you can make with stuff you have lying around the house.

We did all three for a play group - it lasted about 1 1/2 - 2 hours with three kids.

 

Paper Pumpkins

I got this idea last year when Cannon brought this home from preschool:

I have a plethora of scrapbook paper but not 1 piece of construction paper, so we did ours a little differently.

I started with a cereal box so they would be more sturdy.

On each big piece of the box I drew a pumpkin.

Then Cannon and I cut off the edges.

Each kid colored their pumpkins however they wanted.

Then I asked them what types of shapes they wanted for the eyes, nose and mouth.

They liked picking their own shapes and colors.

I used the flaps of the cereal box to make everything else.

Then they glued them onto their pumpkins.

Here's what we came up with:

Napkin Ghosts

I made these every Halloween as a kid.

Start by having the kids each unfold a napkin.

Give them each a plastic spoon, and 2-3 additional napkins.

Wad the napkins into a ball, and place it inside of the spoon.

Take the unfolded napkin and wrap it over the 'head' of the ghost.

Tie it off with a rubber band.

Now draw faces:

 

 The spoon gives them a handle so they can 'fly' their ghosts around, which they loved.

**  This would be even better if you used a lollipop instead of napkins and a spoon to make the head.  That way they could have a treat to go home with, but I didn't have any.  Next time...

And now for my personal favorite:

Egg Carton Arachnids

You will need to paint the cup portions of your egg carton black.  I didn't really feel up to letting 3 kids break out paint with only me supervising, so I spray painted before they got here.

 

Cut out individual cups (the corner pieces work best).

Now take 2 pieces of black pipe cleaner (per spider) and cut them in half.

Use a large quilting needle (or sharp pencil, etc.) to poke 4 holes in each side of the egg cup.

Start feeding your pipe cleaners through the holes.

 

  

 ** I actually found that it works much better to criss-cross the legs, rather than go straight across.

Now glue some google eyes into place.

 

Bend each leg out at the bottom to form the feet, and you're done.