crafts

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Snowflake Reindeer Craft

December 21, 2023 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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This snowflake reindeer craft is a fun Christmas one to include in your rotation of festive activities. It gives little learners a chance to use scissors and paint and help create an animal craft. Download the free printable to make this craft super easy to put together.

The original plan for this activity was to create a neutral snowflake reindeer paper craft. The neutral paper proved to be a little hard to cut into snowflakes, so my little charges moved on to cutting shapes from coffee filters instead. This led to painting them in pink, purple, and turquoise hues, not anywhere near actual reindeer colors. So we ended up making brown red-nosed reindeer, and others in turquoise, pink, and purple hues.

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Snowflake Reindeer Craft Supplies

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Gather the following supplies to make this cute snowflake reindeer craft:

round coffee filters
brown, pink, purple, and turquoise liquid watercolors or tempera paint blocks
paint pots
paintbrushes
brown, turquoise, purple, white, cream, and grey cardstock paper
red, pink, and teal pompoms
wiggly eyes
glue stick
white glue
scissors

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The Snowflake Reindeer Craft

To make the reindeer craft, start by having participants fold and cut coffee filters into snowflake designs. A lovely blog post by supermakeit.com shows how to create them.

Next, invite participants to paint a snowflake light brown, using liquid watercolor paint or tempera blocks made wet with water.

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While the painted coffee filter snowflakes are drying, cut reindeer heads and legs from brown cardstock, and antlers from cream-colored cardstock. Older children can do this themselves. Feel free to download this pattern to make craft preparation easier.

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Reindeer Craft PatternDownload

This printable is for individual or one classroom use only.

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Afterward, have participants use a glue stick to adhere their decorated snowflake to the center of 8 ½ x 11-inch or 12-inch x 12-inch cardstock paper.

Then guide them in using their glue stick to tack on the reindeer’s head, antlers, and legs.

Finally, have them use white glue to adhere two wiggly eyes and a red pompom nose to their reindeer.

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In addition to having children paint snowflakes in a neutral hue, set out a few other paint colors. Purple, pink, and turquoise are good color choices for painting them. Offer complementary-colored cardstock for the reindeer heads, antlers, noses, and legs.

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More Christmas Crafts

Paper Airplane Christmas Craft

Spin Painting Poinsettia Craft

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Paper Airplane Christmas Craft

December 18, 2023 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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Children tend to get more and more energetic during the countdown to Christmas, and this paper airplane Christmas craft is bound to put some of that boundless energy to productive use. With the holiday airplane, children can transport paper passengers to the North Pole and back…so fun!

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Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning ideas.

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Supplies To Collect

Gather the following supplies for this Christmas air transportation craft:

red and green copy paper
recycled Christmas or gift cards
number stickers
scissors
glue stick or glue gun
black marker

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The Paper Airplane Christmas Craft

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To make the craft, fold 8 ½ x 11- inch pieces of red and green copy paper into airplanes. I picked a basic model for the craft. HGTV has a great blog post titled “How To Make A Paper Airplane” detailing how to design it and craft a few other unique airplane styles.

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Then, select recycled Christmas or gift cards with animal or snowman characters and cut around them. A cardstock Santa would be fun to include too.

Next, use a glue stick or glue gun to affix the cutouts in the middle of Christmas planes. Then add more glue in spots that keep the airplanes folded together. As an alternative, use tape to secure the folded paper into airplane shapes.

Afterward, using a black marker, write the name of a North Pole airline on one side of the airplanes, and add number stickers to the other side. Or use the marker for the numbers too.

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Now the Christmas airplanes are ready to be tested in a flight. Little aviators can see how high, far, and fast their airplane can fly.

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Variations of the Paper Airplane Christmas Craft

Here are two variations of this festive airliner craft:

Use thin Christmas-themed double-sided scrapbook paper for the airplanes. This is an easy way to add color and pattern to the craft.
Use photo cutouts of your child and his friends to insert into the plane instead of animals, snowmen, and Santas.

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December Kindness Activities Printable Set

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More Christmas Crafts:

Spin Painting Poinsettia Craft

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Poinsettia Craft Pattern PrintableDownload

Spin Painting Poinsettia Craft

December 17, 2023 by Annette Kaminsky Leave a Comment

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Gorgeous new poinsettia varieties have been developed in recent years, and this spin painting poinsettia craft is based on a spotted poinsettia newcomer. Native to Mexico, poinsettias are prevalent during the Christmas season, and this craft is a beautiful way to include them. The craft gives children an opportunity to participate in two well-loved process art activities: spin painting and spatter painting.

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Follow me on Pinterest for more early learning ideas.

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Supplies To Collect

Just a few supplies are needed for this simple speckled poinsettia craft:

pale green or creamy white cardstock paper
decorative cardstock paper
red and pink tempera paint
paint pots and spoons
old toothbrushes
salad spinner
scissors and pencil
glue stick or glue gun
adhesive gem stickers
art tablecloth

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Starting The Spin Painting Poinsettia Craft

To make this beautiful spin painting poinsettia craft, start by cutting a circle from pale green or creamy white cardstock. It should fit just inside the bottom of your salad spinner basket.

Next, place the circle at the bottom of the salad spinner. On a table covered with an art tablecloth, use spoons to drop in red and pink tempera paint.

Tip: If you do not have pink tempera paint, mix a little white tempera into a pot of red and you’ll have a nice pink color to use.

Give the salad spinner a good spin and take a peek. You can choose to add more spoonfuls of paint if you wish and give it another spin.

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Afterward, take the paint-filled circle out of the spinner and spatter pink and red paint on it using toothbrushes. Then let the process art project thoroughly dry.

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Carefully cut poinsettia leaves from the decorated circle. Feel free to download this poinsettia pattern to make your crafting easier.

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This printable is for individual or one classroom use only.

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Note: A little paint may chip off during the cutting. But you’ll have plenty left to give your poinsettia leaves a spotted look.

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Assembling The Poinsettia

To assemble the poinsettia, choose a decorative piece of cardstock paper to use as a background.

Then choose four painted and cut leaves and glue them on. Affix them in the shape of an X, leaving a little space in the center.

Afterward, glue the other four leaves in between.

Finally, add three to five medium-sized adhesive gems to the center.

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Variations of the Spin Painting Poinsettia Craft

In addition to making a great wall art project, this poinsettia craft would look superb on a holiday greeting card.

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Novelty poinsettias come in a wide range of colors, and the carstock leaves could be brush-painted in hues such as vibrant red or orange, salmon pink, or peach. The color possibilities for this poinsettia holiday craft project are endless.

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More Christmas Crafts

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