Crafty Ideas to Entertain the Kids

WOOT! School gets out today!!!!

.... OMG! School gets out today!!!! What to do with insanely excited little peeps??? 

Deep breath.... That's right, deep, deep breath. Now, never you fear! I have you covered, OK?

Here are some ideas to help keep the kids entertained this week and throughout the Christmas break:

• Footprint Reindeer drawings or ornaments - trace your child's foot, or if you are brave, dunk it in brown paint. Colour, draw on eyes and nose (nose at the heel!). Make antlers (pipe cleaners, draw, or trace hands for huge ones!). Done. 
• Sparkle ornaments - it doesn't get easier than this: Break out the sparkly pipe cleaners, and bend into stars (two triangles of different colours twisted together makes a nice star-of-David), a wreath (twist multiple strands for different looks), a tree (green triangle with red square on bottom)... or let the kids go freestyle - my tree has a few 'unidentified' glittery object, LOL!
• Glittery orbs - for the older kids, these are fun, rewarding, beautiful and oh-so-sparkly! Get a Styrofoam ball and a ton of sequence and some short pins (hence the older kids). Cover the ball with the sequence, one at a time, overlapping slightly. Takes time and patience (they'll be good for the morning, Mama!), but so worth it. Try multi-colour, red & green, or go for a disco ball look in all silver!
• Popsicle Stick Reindeer - colour 3 Popsicle sticks brown (or paint). Glue together to form a triangle (on one tip the sticks should match up exactly, on the other two, let them overlap to create little antlers). Add googly eyes and a red pompom nose.... that was easy, wasn't it?
• Santa's Napkin Rings - take an old paper towel paper tube roll, and cut it into 4-6 even pieces. Paint red or cover with red construction paper. Add a black belt and gold buckle. Trim edges with fuzz from white cotton balls. Now you have napkin rings for the table on Christmas Day!
• Paper Snowflakes (how could I not include them?) - We all know the basics, right? Fold paper 6-8 times, cut out shapes (careful not to cut the entire seam!), open and see what ya got. Take is a step farther by stringing several to form a window garland. 
• Falling Snow in the Windows - string cotton balls on string or white wool, leaving spaces. Hangs several such strings in the window to imitate big, fluffy flakes of falling snow. 
• Beaded Wreaths - string beads on pipe cleaners, bend into wreaths. I like this one because you can adjust to any age: big beads randomly strung for the youngest kids, more delicate beads (strung on jeweler's wire even) and more intricate patterns for the eldest ones. 
• Santa Candles - have some old glass jars? Red tissue paper? Perfect... just get the kids to rip the tissue paper into small pieces and glue on the outside of the glass jar. Use a marker (or construction paper) to make a belt. Put a candle inside.... a glowing Santa belly candle!
• Santa ornament - trace your child's hand. Turn upside down (fingers on bottoms as the beard) and decorate with a face and hat. Cover the fingers with cotton balls as a stringy Santa beard. 
• Yarn ornaments - cover old plastic children's bracelets (available in the loot bag section of the dollar store) with yarn and hang.  Use heart-shaped ones!
• Pringles Can decorations - Get out the glue and construction paper and add a child's imagination.... create a snowman, Santa or a nutcracker on the outside of a full size Pringles can. Stash some Christmas cookies inside when done!
• Cards - easy-peasy. Just cut construction paper in half, then fold each piece in half, decorate the front with stickers, drawings, stamp art, recycled magazine pictures, leftover\recycled Christmas cards, etc.... and write a personal message inside. 
• Christmas Card ornaments - Glue the fronts of old Christmas cards to sturdy construction paper or card stock. Cut out, punch a hole and hang. Makes a nice gift tag too!
• Christmas Trees - Get a cardboard cone (or make one out of sturdy card stock or card board). Glue or tape the tip of some wool (green, red, or sparkly gold or silver - use your imagination) to the underside and wind the yarn up and around the cone, gluing every so often till you reach the tip. tuck end in and secure. Top with a pipe cleaner star ;-)

Hopefully, that will keep you busy for a bit, I think! 

Enjoy your time with the peeps!