Handprint Christmas Tree

I'll admit, I have no "during the project" pictures for this one, because we did this while T was at work and I'm not Superwoman. Painting my toddler's hand and doing the handprints was job enough for me without trying to take a picture of it, too :)

WHAT YOU NEED:
     - green paint
     - paper bag or large construction paper
     - yellow paper or paint
     - baby hand (baby is optional)

There is a hard way and an easy way to do this. Let's say I learned the hard way. Set the paint and paper up and paint your toddler's dominant hand liberally. You want to make sure you have enough room to do three handprints across the bottom. Reapply paint as needed. Top the bottom row with 2 handprints in the middle row. Follow with one handprint on the top. Let dry and add a star (paint, paper, whatever you choose) and a tree trunk, if desired.

Red Christmas Tree

This craft uses a left over template from some Christmas gifts I made and leftover poms from several other crafts we have done. Roo loved that the tree wasn't green like it usually is. She finds it funny when things are silly colors.

WHAT YOU NEED:
     - 1 cardboard "tree" shape
     - red paint
     - tacky glue
     - a few poms

This craft is really plain and simple. Let your toddler paint the tree to their heart's content. Let dry for a few minutes.

Let your toddler decorate with poms and glue. Roo says "boop" with each pom she adds :)

Handprint Wreath

This is a great little activity to track the size of your child's hand each year, but be ye warned- This is more work for the parent than for your child ;) But well worth it, I think.

WHAT YOU NEED:
     - green paper (2 or 3 sheets)
     - tacky glue
     - small paper plate
     - red puff balls
     - red string (for bow)
   
Cut the middle out of the paper plate to form the base for the wreath. Trace your child's hand on the green paper. You will need about 10-12 hands cut out. Let your child paint glue on the paper plate and stick the hands to the plate to form the wreath. Let dry.

Now let your child decorate the wreath with glue and red poms, then add a bow at the bottom.

Again, let dry. You're done!

Glitter Princess Wands

Ok so this one has nothing to do with Christmas, but Roo is in a big princess phase, and while shopping for Christmas craft supplies, we came across some awesome wands and I just couldn't say no. I'm a weakling- I know.

WHAT YOU NEED:
     - Pre-made foam wands from the $1 store
     - glitter glue
     - finger or acrylic paint
     - assortment of decorating choices (stickers, puffs, etc)

Now, if the store near you doesn't have these wands you can EASILY make them by cutting out a shape from foam and adding ribbons and a plastic dowel. This is a really hands off craft, even for my not-quite-2-year-old. I set her up with a little bit of paint, the wand, and some stickers and let her do her thing.

After she was done, I took the liberty of adding a glitter border to make the wands a little more "magical." Here is how they turned out:

Recycled Reindeer

DAY TEN:

Today is another project using leftovers. I just wrapped all the Christmas presents with paper grocery bags (cute, free, and good for the earth!), and I had all the handles left over. I knew I could use them to make a cute craft, so I created this reindeer.

WHAT YOU NEED:
     - Paper plate
     - 1 red pom (or reuse a lid and paint it red)
     - 2 grocery bag handles
     - brown craft/acrylic paint
     - 2 quarter sized white circles
     - 2 hole punch sized black circles

This is another quick and easy project. Set your toddler up with a small amount of brown paint and a brush. Loosely tape the plate to a paper bag to avoid getting paint on your table. Let your little one paint the plate to their heart's content.

Time to take a break while the paint dries a little. Then, apply the glue in the right place for the nose and eyes to go. Let your little one put the nose and eyes in place. Your reindeer might end up with googley eyes if you don't turn them to face the same direction. Again, let dry.

 Meanwhile, you have to do some antler-makin'. Unfold the bag handles and cut one in half. Use tape or glue to position the 2 halves on the 1 whole, as seen below. Staple the antlers to the back of the plate and paint over the staple marks to hide them. There you have it!

AFTERTHOUGHT: You could totally make this into a mask by attaching a stretchy cord to the sides and cutting out eye holes. How fun! We will do this after the holidays are over.

Felt Stocking

DAY SIX:

I originally wanted to do a Christmas Tree for Roo to decorate, but my store only had red felt sheets, so I had to work with it.

WHAT YOU NEED:
     - 1 Sheet red felt
     - 4-5 Cotton balls (left over from Cotton Ball Snowman)
     - mini pom balls, assorted colors
     - tacky glue

Before you start, cut out a stocking from the felt sheet. Pour some tacky glue on a plate. Instruct your toddler to "dip" the cotton balls and place on the stocking, lining the top. Then let her continue dipping and placing the mini poms on their  stocking as they desire.

Daddy even helped, too!

The final product!

VERDICT: I give this project an A+! It cost less than $1 for the supplies and there are countless ways to change it up- different shapes and different decorations. This makes it easy to adapt this to any holiday/season and you can use anything you have on hand to decorate!