Make a Christmas Card Window to Hang

        Young children can either hang this holiday card window on a Christmas tree or in their room or as a decoration anywhere in their home to remember their loved ones. 

A charming and traditional way to recycle past memories and Christmas cards. The greeting card,
Christmas window craft has been around for 100 years!

       The supplies you will need for this craft include: recycled cardboard, Christmas greeting cards depicting outdoor scenes, glitter, white school glue, cotton balls, a craft knife or scissors, wire for hanging and acrylic paint for the window panes.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Collect and save old Christmas cards that illustrated charming scenes of outdoor views, people sledding, ice skating, or of a tiny neighborhood, like the example shown above. 
2. Measure your Christmas card so that you can make a window pane the same size.
3. Cut the window pane from scrap cardboard leaving square or diamond cut panes intact.
4. Cut a shallow set of side pieces approximately 1/2" wide to glue around the exterior of the window pane before attaching the card if you are looking at an outdoor scene with snow. In this shallow space will create a shallow space you may wish to glue cotton batting 'snow' and glitter to make the winter view more convincing.
5. Paint the window pane. Let dry.
6. Glue the recycled Christmas view to the backside of the window pane.
7. Shape wire and attach at the back or top of your window so that it may be hung.

More About Christmas Cards:

• The History of Christmas Cards
• Craft Miniature Snow Scene Baubles - using recycled Christmas cards too!
• Decoupage Retro Paper Mache Baubles - use left over Christmas paper and cards

DIY a Christmas Toy Soldier Candy Container

        To make this candy container you will need the following supplies: a recycled coffee creamer bottle, masking tape, permanent black marker, pom poms, two buttons, small amount of yellow or gold foam sheet, red braid, acrylic paints, Mod Podge, hot glue and hot glue gun.

This candy holder shaped and styled after a toy Christmas soldier should be filled to the brim with
a child's favorite candy on Christmas Day or on St. Nickolas Day. These coffee creamers have 
such dramatic lids that remind me of toy soldiers! These bottles are made from very thick plastic, 
perfect for recycling into a kid craft after they're contents are gone and the bottle is washed
 thoroughly, of course...

  

       Children love to anticipate what Santa will fill this container with! Alternatively, an older sibling may wish to make this craft, fill it with candy, wrap it up and gift it to a younger member of their family as a gift.

Step-by-Step Instructions: 

1. Wash out the interior of the bottle and cap thoroughly before using it to craft with.
2. Apply masking tap to the entire surface of the bottle, excluding the cap only.
3. Draw a toy soldier design on the bottle, use my own if you wish. Draw with a permanent marker once you have the end design determined.
4. Paint with bright, cheerful colored acrylic paints.
5. Hot glue one details like buttons, foam sheet ruffles, pom-poms and a matching red braid to hold on the toy soldiers tall, dramatic hat...
6. Mod Podge the painted surfaces.
7. Unscrew cap to insert your choice of candy, I prefer M&Ms. Replace cap which may be opened at the top to pour out small candies as desired.

More Toy Soldier Crafts:

• Marching orders for Christmas toy soldiers...

A "Hands On" Christmas Wreath Craft

Finished "hands-on" classic Christmas wreath craft.

      This is a three part craft project that is completed at the end of a week. The wreath is something students in first through third grade may accomplish and take home for Christmas break to hang in their own rooms.

       Teachers may cut the centers from paper plates, punch holes for ribbon loops and tie a hanger on prior to giving each younger student to craft. 

       As usual, little ones should get into the habit of signing their names to the backside of crafted items prior to making them, so that teachers won't forget the project belonging to each student.

Supply List:

• one paper plate per student
• green construction paper 
• painted green paper
• paste paints or finger paints (shades of green)
• white butcher paper for paste painting 
• plastic combs (Hair combs in pack from Dollar General will do.)
• red pom-poms
• yarn for hanging the wreath
• stapler for attaching the hanger
• white school glue
• scissors
• green glitter (optional)

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Day One: Students paint green paste papers using plastic combs and finger paint. Use generous amounts of pale and dark green paints to comb across white butcher paper and sprinkle in some green glitter too! Let the paper dry over night or for two days if needed.
2. Day Two: Students will trace around their hands on top of the paste paper and green construction paper using a pencil, green marker, or white crayon. Then they will cut out their hand tracings to use to cover the paper wreath. (above) 
3. Day Three: Students assemble their wreaths on the paper plates. Older students may cut out their own paper wreaths from the paper plates. Remove the center of the paper plate using the tip of their scissors and cutting along the scored center circle. Discard the circle into a paper craft bin for other use.
4. Punch a hole into the top of the wreath.
5. String a red ribbon through and knot it for the hanger.
6. Use white school glue to attach hand traced 'evergreens' to the paper wreath.
7. Glue on red pom-poms for berries.

More Fun Christmas Crafts for Students:

• Craft a Snowman from A Paint Stirring Stick
• Quick and Easy Christmas Bauble Craft!
• Little ones can print snowmen with their hands for Christmas

Patterns for Penguins

The versatile, playful penguin pattern!

       This cheerful construction paper penguin pattern comes in handy for educators who need to decorate a winter or Christmas themed bulletin board. Each penguin may be labeled with student names and stapled to a scenic view on a bulletin board.

       Penguins can also include numbers or letters and hung on a "wash line'' across the top of a boarder on the wall. 

       Or perhaps teachers would like to include simple math problems or fractions on the belly of each penguin, then laminate the critters for a thematic set to introduce young students to a game.

        Or, simply glue together the parts of the penguins in a step-by-step assignment to help teach little ones 'how' to follow instructions as these are read aloud. There are so many uses for paper patterns like this one within the context of a classroom.

       Penguins are a playful winter theme that may be used beyond December to decorate with. Keep them up through January and February to introduce new units of study in the natural sciences!

       If you want them to look more festive for the holidays, students could cut triangle shaped stocking hats and rectangle shaped scarves from printed papers and tape these on top of their paper pets!

More Winter Weather Fun:

• Coloring collection at Crayon Palace Blog here
• Assemble a mini book, read a story, make a paper chain all about penguins...

Template/Patterns for construction paper penguins by kathy grimm.

Cut Simple 3-D Christmas Trees

Left, 3-D paper Christmas trees are cut in stacks of three sheets of paper, thus six sides are 
made when the trees are folded in half down the center. Right, see the tree craft with 
pom poms included.

      
       To make these easy little three-dimensional paper trees you will need to download and print on either your home computer or school computer the template provided here.
       The following supplies are needed: a stapler, hot glue and glue gun, colorful papers, scissors, and pom poms.

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Download and print the template for our paper Christmas tree. Link above.
2. Cut-out the tree shape and trace around it on top of 3 to 4 stacked papers. I chose green and red, but any color would be attractive. Cut the stack all at once.
3. Fold each duplicate paper cut tree separately, in half exactly.
4. Staple down the center of the stack on the fold line. You will need to do this four times down the center.
5. Now fan out the paper tree so that it stands on it's own.
6. Hot glue pom poms in between the tree halves to decorate.

More Christmas Tree Crafts:

• Kids can cut and paste a heart-shaped Christmas tree
• Glue together a modern looking tree ornament...

Craft a Paper Snowman Wreath

        This easy paper snowman wreath is made with: a white paper plate, a stapler, construction paper (black and white), pom poms, decorative scrapbook papers, white school glue, a cord for the hanger and student scissors.

Left the basic snowman shaped wreath. Center, glue the colorful Christmas tie between the 
wreath and the snowman head. Right, the finished wreath with all the cheerful trims.

       

Step-by-Step Instructions:

1. Download and print out the template pieces from our blog for this snowman craft here. This particular craft may be used at Christmas using themed papers or it could also be made just during the winter months using different themed papers too.
2. Poke a small hole into the paper plate using the tip of your scissors. Then cut out the circle in the center of the paper plate marked by a seam. This cut-away section will become the head of your snowman.
3. Staple the head to the top of the paper plate rib to create a basic snowman wreath. (see photos above)
4. Now cut out the bow pattern and trace around it on top of decorative paper. Cut out the bow, paste this between the head and body of the snowman wreath using white glue. Let dry.
5. Using a black magic marker, draw the different sections of the bow shown on the printed template copy of it.
6. Cut out the pattern for the snowman's top hat and trace around this on top of a piece of black construction paper.
7. Glue a decorative paper ribbon on top of the top hat and add trims. I've included a tiny holly leaf template for this.
8. Glue or staple the top hat onto the snowman's head.
9. Glue on the pompoms for his eyes, nose, mouth and holly berries.
10. Cut long strips of white construction paper approximately 3 inches wide. 
11. Cut fringe into these strips and curl them with your scissors.
12. Glue the fringes onto the snowman wreath to add texture and 3D surface area.
13. Glue on a red tie ribbon to hang the wreath from his top hat.

More Snowman Crafts:

• Crafty Kid's Christmas Corner at my Belznickle Blog here

An easy paper Christmas light garland craft...

Left, rainbow colored lights. Right, yarn 'electric cord' connecting the lights in one long garland.

       These easy little vintage Christmas lights look so cute on a teacher's bulletin board or on a child's Christmas tree in their bedroom. Use the template/pattern below to cut them out of layers of festive colored construction papers all at once. Then paste on black switches or color these with a black crayon. Paste a black yarn electrical cord on the backsides of the bulb switches connecting the light bulbs to one long garland.

Templates for three different crafts at Thrifty Scissors: electric light bulb garland,
a snowman wreath and 3-D paper Christmas trees.

• Holiday Lighting Magic
• A glowing electric light bulb garlands for web pages
• Color these antlers full of ornaments