What Christmas Crafts Have You Done So Far?

[Crazy8]

I know there are lots of threads with IDEAS on crafts, but just curious what everyone has completed so far.

We did the snowman fingerprint ball ornaments on our Parents Night Out, did paper xmas trees with tissue paper lights today, and I just painted some small canvases blue - either going to do the snowman footprints or santa handprints on them as our "gift" to parents.

I haven't done as many crafts as past years, I only have 2 kids over 2 - the younger ones just don't want to sit for crafts much.

So what crafts have you done so far??

[meganlavonnesmommy]

We made wreaths out of paper plates and christmas foam stickers
we did the handprint snowman ornaments
doing salt dough ornaments later this week
cookie cutter painting
santa face and beard out of cotton balls
made a felt tree for the wall with felt ornaments
and making hand print santa faces later this week

[melissa ann]

We did a countdown to christmas, christmas tree. We made a tree out of construction paper, and stamped out christmas stockings, reindeer heads, presents, etc on some square paper. 25 of them. Each day, they glue on one square to the tree.

Paper doily angels

paper gingerbread man reading a cookbook

gingerbread man made out of paper plates

paper candy canes

paper reindeer heads

paper christmas stockings

When I say paper, I assume you all know it's construction paper.

We also made choc covered pretzels, sugar cookies, p.buter oatmeal cookies and peanut brittle.

[Lianne]

We've made:
*Pictures frames decorated with Christmas candy (parent gift)
*Felt trees with gems
*Reindeer hats with hand-print antlers
*Decorated gingerbread men cookies
*Made collage stockings with sequins, foam shapes, pompoms, etc.
*Beaded candy canes & wreaths
*Decorated ornament balls with gems, sequins and glitter
*Made crystallized Borax ornaments
*Reindeer candy canes
*Gumdrop stars
*Paper plate Santa faces with cotton balls and construction paper

We still have to make:
*Bells with styrofoam cups & stickers
*Pipe cleaner chains
*Reindeer food
*Popsicle stick snowflakes decorated with pompoms
*Paint stamped wrapping paper for the parent gifts.
*Paint swirled ornament balls

[Crazy8]

oooh, thanks... I almost forgot we have to do reindeer food!!!!

[Crystal]

Bah. Humbug. We haven't made ANY, and we won't make ANY. The parents will get a picture frame with a current pic of their kids. That's it. I have NEVER done crafts, for any holiday. I don't know how ya'll do it.....I only do process art that they can engage in independently. My only involvement is set up and clean up.

[Unregistered]

Bah. Humbug. We haven't made ANY, and we won't make ANY. The parents will get a picture frame with a current pic of their kids. That's it. I have NEVER done crafts, for any holiday. I don't know how ya'll do it.....I only do process art that they can engage in independently. My only involvement is set up and clean up.

Do you have littles? OR- are you more on the Montessori side?

Just curious why you don't do crafts?

[Blackcat31]

Bah. Humbug. We haven't made ANY, and we won't make ANY. The parents will get a picture frame with a current pic of their kids. That's it. I have NEVER done crafts, for any holiday. I don't know how ya'll do it.....I only do process art that they can engage in independently. My only involvement is set up and clean up.

This is how I did it this year as well. I think the arts and crafts are super cute but in all honesty, I end up doing most the work and the kids just want to explore the materials so I let them. I am not expecting any specific end-product or result.

Now, if the kids themselves initiated a specific craft, I would allow them to create one but it would have to be somehting they can do without me taking over or having to facilitate it.

[melskids]

This is how I did it this year as well. I think the arts and crafts are super cute but in all honesty, I end up doing most the work and the kids just want to explore the materials so I let them. I am not expecting any specific end-product or result.

Now, if the kids themselves initiated a specific craft, I would allow them to create one but it would have to be somehting they can do without me taking over or having to facilitate it.

Bah. Humbug. We haven't made ANY, and we won't make ANY. The parents will get a picture frame with a current pic of their kids. That's it. I have NEVER done crafts, for any holiday. I don't know how ya'll do it.....I only do process art that they can engage in independently. My only involvement is set up and clean up.

I agree. 99.9 % of our art is process.

...but we did do salt dough ornaments...they mixed the dough, rolled it out, cut out the shapes, and painted them themselves...the only thing i did was dry them in the oven.

and i did do a reindeer handprint ornament for the two babies..i just couldnt resist.

[SilverSabre25]

Bah. Humbug. We haven't made ANY, and we won't make ANY. The parents will get a picture frame with a current pic of their kids. That's it. I have NEVER done crafts, for any holiday. I don't know how ya'll do it.....I only do process art that they can engage in independently. My only involvement is set up and clean up.

I only do it because my parents expect it and want to "see" the "results" of the "learning" their children do here. I have great parents, but they don't "get" learning through play. I love my families and my parents, they're great, but they want the more "official" stuff. Someday, once I've gotten more experience under my belt as well as a teacher's license and possibly a Montessori certification, I may be able to convince my clients that I really do know what I'm doing when it comes to a play-based program. Until then, I play it their way.

[WImom]

*Paper plate christmas trees - these turned out cute
*Paper plate reindeer (hand prints are the antlers)
*Paper Stockings and they decorated with stickers (alt. red/green to make a *AB pattern when I hung them)
*Red and Green Collage
*painted Glass Candle Holders (parent Gifts)

Wed- Reindeer Food
Thurs - Cook and Decorate Gingerbread Men

Lots of paper ornaments and pony bead wreaths - these were layed out on the tables during free play with stampers, stickers, markers, cut up wrapping paper, etc. All the ornaments are on our DC christmas tree in the reading area.

[Blackcat31]

I only do it because my parents expect it and want to "see" the "results" of the "learning" their children do here. I have great parents, but they don't "get" learning through play. I love my families and my parents, they're great, but they want the more "official" stuff. Someday, once I've gotten more experience under my belt as well as a teacher's license and possibly a Montessori certification, I may be able to convince my clients that I really do know what I'm doing when it comes to a play-based program. Until then, I play it their way.

I did the same thing Silver. All my parents wanted to see tangible arts/craft projects, even when it was painfully obvious that I did all the work. After a few years and a bit of education on the concept of art as a process, I slowly began phasing those old routines out.

Now, I am proud to say that I practice a complete developmentally appropriate child-led play based curriculum approach. I agree that it is frustrating to know the "stuff" (like you do) and not be able to get the parents to understand it.

[momma2girls]

I start crafts at age 3- same as preschool items, worksheets, etc.
We begin to color at age 2, if child isn't ready, we wait til 2 1/2. I have had children, all they want to do it eat the colors, throw the colors, etc. at age 2.
The exception to this is Holiday crafts, ex. Christmas, I make handprints around a wreath, with a picture of the child in it. I did this with everyone, exc. the new baby. We are making snowmen in Jan. even my little 2 yr. old will enjoy helping with that one, but otherwise, fingerplays, nursery rhymes, playtime, storytime, etc... I only have one 2 yr. old, 1 1/2, and a 1 yr. old and a newborn baby.

[Lucy]

I did the star that someone here posted a link to. It's a big star that they glue different shapes of noodles onto, and then you spray paint it silver (or gold I suppose) and there is a cut out in the middle for their picture. So cute!!!

Edited to add the picture. This is not MY picture, it was on someone's blog.

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_TTjMBmDbrn0/SxxzjI0UTHI/AAAAAAAABxQ/6a6_YyOFYsM/s1600-h/silver+star+ornament.JPG

[Lucy]

Here is how our Christmas Star ornaments turned out. Cute!!! I recommend starting about a week before Christmas though. The glue needs to dry before you can spray paint, and the spray paint needs to dry before you attach the picture and hanging string.