Need help with Christmas craft for 1st graders!?!

[koolcatshelby]

Please help with suggestions for a holiday craft for 1st graders that is simple and not too expensive Parent in charge of craft has bailed on me last minute and I need some cute ideas like an ornament or similar. I checked out the creative community forums, and I'm not that good Thanks so much in advance

 

[Blueeyes101817]

I know Oriental trading has some cute christmas ornament projects. I have a couple to do with my Kindergarten class...they arent too expensive and parents seem to love them and the kids like making them!

 

[lovetoscrap]

Buy big bags of pony beads or tribeads in green, white, red, and pipe cleaners. Cut the pipe cleaners in half (they are usually at least 12 in long) if you need to conserve beads and have them thread the beads on-- red and white pattern for a Candy Cane, green with a few red spaced in for a wreath. For the candy cane you need to wrap the pipe cleaner around the first and last bead to secure and then make the crook. For the wreath twist the two ends of the pipe cleaner together and use the ends to make a bow or add another pipe cleaner bow to it.

Here is what they end up looking like:

Pony beads are the ones that are all round. These are made with tribeads-- some are translucent and some are opaque. As you can see all will work just fine. Most craft stores sell them in big bags

When I do these I make baggies up ahead of time with the number of beads they will need, the pipe cleaner and instructions. It is also educational at that age because they are making a pattern.

 

[weewuvvdisney]

I don't have any pictures to show you but these are easy.

I went to a dollar store and bought some very small grapevine wreaths. I think they were $1.00 or even 2 for $1.00. I bought a bag of foam Christmas cutouts (mittens, trees, snowmen etc.). I had, at home, some red, white and green wool which we used to make loops to hang the wreath on a tree or a hook on a door. Some of the kids also used the wool to wrap around the wreaths. Then they glued on the foam cutouts. You can also use Christmas confetti or sequins to glitz it up. Kids just loved gluing on the different things to decorate their wreaths.

Hope this helps.

 

[wdwiala]

Marble magnets? http://www.notmartha.org/tomake/marblemagnets/


My kids loved making these for teacher gifts a few years back. If you have the paper cut to size beforehand (a circle sized paper cutter would make this go real quick), you could let them color and create a few of these for gifts or decoration. Not real expensive either.

 

[NAB]

My kids have done the candy cane pipe cleaner things before.

And the paper cone angel or Santa with there kids picture in the face made with white paper dollies for decoration.

Paper in the shape of a reindeer head, antlers with paper acordian legs and arms with a red puff nose and googly eyes.

Ordnament made out of old Christmas cards.

Reindeer candy canes with googly eyes and pipe cleaners.

Huge paper stocking with there name at the top with cotton around that and let them paint anything they want on the bottom part of the stocking.

 

[clarabelle]

this is super simple -but not nearly as attractive as lovestoscraps option.
Take a cheap paper plate and cut a whole out in the middle
attach a hook on the back made from ribbon or pipe cleaners.
Then let the kids make a Christmas wreath.
They could color it , paint it, glue pieces of christmas tissue paper to it.
Whatever works for you

http://www.easy-christmas-crafts.com/kids/paper-plate-wreaths.shtml

 

[gina2000]

Go buy undecorated gingerbread cookies. Buy frosting and put into small plastic bags with corner cut. Pipe frosting on cookies and kids can decorate with various small candies such as gumdrops, mini m&ms, small candy canes, etc.

Place on paper plates. Place in large plastic bags for them to bring home.

 

[lovetoscrap]

this is super simple -but not nearly as attractive as lovestoscraps option.
Take a cheap paper plate and cut a whole out in the middle
attach a hook on the back made from ribbon or pipe cleaners.
Then let the kids make a Christmas wreath.
They could color it , paint it, glue pieces of christmas tissue paper to it.
Whatever works for you

http://www.easy-christmas-crafts.com/kids/paper-plate-wreaths.shtml

Oooo, forgot about that one! I have one my dd did umpteen years ago that I still hang up every year. I have seen it done with precut holly pieces out of construction paper (too much work!) and done it by just having the kids tear pieces of green construction paper. Glue the torn paper to cover the plate completely, and then tear or have already cut red circles for the berries. You could also have a bow template for them to trace onto red paper and cut out.

 

[koolcatshelby]

Thank you so very much for all the great ideas! I knew my fellow Disers would come thru in a pinch. All great ideas and heading to the craft/dollar store to see what is left over from the Christmas crafts. Thanks to all again!

 

[Mama Mouse]

Bake salt dough ornaments for them to paint.

2 cups flour
1 cup salt
1 cup water

Mix thoroughly. If it's sticky, add a little flour until you can mold it without it being sticking.


Lightly flour surface and roll out dough to about 1/4 inch thick. Too thin is hard to work with. Cut shapes with cutters and poke a decent sized hole all the way through. I use the end of a large straw. A too small hole will bake together.

The recipe says to bake at 325 for 1.5 hours but watch them. Mine were perfect after about an hour. They should be pretty hard.

Let them cool and pack in a ziploc to take with you.


I always buy a box of crayola craft paints in the art section at Walmart for $5. They work really well.

ALso, you can spray the ornaments after they're painted with a clear coat of some type but I haven't tried that yet.

I have an ornament party every year where two of my friends and their kids come over. I prebake a bunch of these and they have a ball painting them.

 

[RitaZ.]

My favorite craft that my son made for me was a snowman pin. I did a search and found one like the one DS made. http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/snowman-pin-663948/

I love that little pin. I keep it in my jewelry box. I have to re-glue it because it came apart last year. BTW, DS is almost 19 and he made that little pin when he was in 1st or 2nd grade.

 

[java]

My son did the snowman ornament that I LOVE last year.

It's a handprint on the bottom - and then decorated with paint pens to do the snowmen.
here's one youtube explaining it

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weHExt5Aw-k

 

[RAV]

I did this with my son's first grade class several years ago. We built snowmen. The base is a powdered doughnut, next a donette, the head is a munchkin. We used fruit roll ups to make scarves mini m&m's for eyes and buttons. We gave each student a little bit of white frosting to use as paste. We made top hats out of rolo's and peppermint patties. I covered small squares with foil that were used as the base. The supplies also served as snacks at the party.

 

[shortbun]

I just put a good one on my tree. Popsicle stick, 4/5 painted white and the other tip painted black. Glue a piece of a black pipecleaner across the black hat to simulate a top hat. Black sharpied for coal eyes and mouth. little piece of red ribbon glued on for the scarf and black dots for buttons. Voila, Frosty the Snowman. My son made it in first grade, nothing is lined up but it's cute and not so messy I would think. You could paint the sticks ahead of time, cut the pipecleaners the right length and get out the glue, scissors and red ribbon. Oh, and someone used an orange sharpie to put a carrot looking thing on for the nose. The ribbon has the hook attached in the back.

 

[IDoDis]

I've made bean candle holders with kids of all ages. You would need bags of red kidney beans and bags of green split peas. I usually buy a giant bag of kidney beans from Sam's club, but sometimes I can't find them and have to buy the beans at the store. Dried beans are not that expensive though.

You'd also need one small votive candle per child, one stryofoam small bowl per child, some bottles of Elmer's glue, and a plastic spoon for each child. The clear glue works best, but the white glue is fine, too. I buy a large bag of 100 votive candles at Hobby Lobby or Michael's for $3.99. The bag lasts me for 4 years!!

Here's what you do:

Put enough mixed beans (kidney beans and green split peas which make nice holiday colors) to fill a small styrofoam bowl. Don't fill completely to the rim of the bowl.

Add enough glue so that the child can stir up the beans and get them coated in glue. You don't want so much glue that the beans have a white coating though -- otherwise you'll get a white dried coating on the beans. Just enough glue so they stick together when they dry.

Once the beans are coated in glue, stick a votive candle in the middle. Press it down so it it fits in firmly, but not so hard that it's digging into all of the beans.

Let them dry for about 3 hours. Then, take off the styrofoam bowl. It's okay to break up the bowl because you are just going to throw those away.

Now leave the bean candle holders out over night if possible so that they can dry completely. I like to spray them the next day with a pump bottle of hairspray to make them look glossy, but you don't have to do that.

Wrap in tissue paper and send them home. They make really nice table centers and look really nice when they are finished. I wish I had a picture of one to show you, but I don't. Other teachers come by my room and see them and always comment on how nice they look. Parents love them, too!

 

[luvmy3]

Take clear plastic ball ornaments (can find them at a craft store) and make snowman ornaments.
Paint the students hand (palm and underside of the fingers) white and place the ornament in the palm and have them grab it with their fingers. When the paint dries, paint each finger to look like a snowman.

The last few years my kids have made ornaments in art class using model magic. They roll it flat and stamp it with whatever imprint they want, and then paint it. poke a hole through the top and put in some string or ribbon. I have 6 of them on my tree.

 

[luvmyfam444]

You can do a paint stick snowman - get the sticks free from WM & then spray paint them @ home before taking them into class. There are directions on craftsbyamanda.com

 

[torinsmom]

You can buy clear ornaments and decorate the inside using acrylic paint. You take the top off and squirt some of several colors inside, then swirl it so the colors cover the whole inside of the ornament. The colors don't mix and they turn out really pretty.

I always buy ornaments and craft kits after Christmas for the next year. This year we are doing thr handprint snowment ornaments someone already suggested.

 

[scottishduffy]

With the girls I used to Nanny for we made Pine Cone Christmas trees. Got some pine cones and painted them green. Then used little pom-pom balls and glue them on for ornaments. Sprinkle some glitter on there for extra pizzaz. Cut a star tree topper from construction paper.

Another year we used styrofoam balls to make snowmen. We put a bamboo skewer between the 3 balls to hold them together, and then let the girls decorate their snowmen however they wanted. Construction paper to make an orange nose, and the coal dots, and hats. Used some felt for a red scarf if they wanted it. Kept some paint around, and markers to color them as the 4 yr old did her snowman up with polka dots.

Another year we had upside down flower pots (small ones) that we painted like igloos. Then we used white cotton balls to make little seals on top of the igloos, with foam pieces for the seal tail and fins.