Gift
Box Ornaments
Ages 3 to 10
Skill level: Easy to medium
Materials needed: Small boxes such as those from bandages,
baking soda, or jewelry; wrapping paper, scissors, tape,
colorful ribbon, silver elastic cord.
Take each box and wrap it up with wrapping paper. Tie
the “package” with colorful ribbon. Cut
a short length of the silver cord and loop it through
the ribbon; tie it in a small knot. Hang the packages
from the tree by the silver cord. Optional: Add gift
tags with a family member’s name on each one.
“Green” Recycled Card Ornaments
Ages 3 to 10
Skill level: Easy to medium
Materials needed: Empty cereal boxes, old holiday cards,
pencil, scissors, glue, hole punch, brightly colored
ribbon.
Cut the cereal boxes and lie them flat, cardboard side
up. Draw a variety of shapes on the cardboard (star,
bell, stocking, candy cane, Christmas tree, etc.). Cut
out the shapes. Using each shape as a pattern, trace
it over the colorful portion of a used Christmas card.
Repeat by tracing the reverse image of the shape on
another Christmas card. Glue the Christmas card shapes
onto the cardboard, one on front and one on back. Wait
for the glue to dry, then trim the edges so that the
sides line up cleanly. Punch a hole in the top part
of the ornament, lace the ribbon through, and tie a
knot for it to hang from the tree.
Beaded Wreath Ornaments
Ages 3 to 10
Skill level: Easy
Materials needed: Silver or green pipe cleaners, clear
and/or brightly colored beads; festive ribbon.
Bend the pipe cleaner into a circle. Thread the beads
onto the pipe cleaner so they fit entirely around the
circle. Take the two ends of the pipe cleaner and twist
them together into a neatly knotted shape at the top
of the circle. Cut a short length of ribbon, slide it
under the knot, and tie it into a bow on top so that
the wreath can hang from the tree by the ribbon.
Sparkling Photo Frame Ornaments
Ages 4 to 10
Skill level: Easy to medium
Materials needed: Posterboard, scissors, glue, glitter,
hole puncher, festive ribbon, glitter pen (optional)
Trace a 4-inch-tall oval onto the posterboard, cut
out the oval, and then cut out an oval shape from the
inside, to create a 3/4-inch-wide oval-shaped “frame.”
Cover the frame completely with glue, then sprinkle
glitter over the glue. Allow plenty of time for the
glue to dry, then gently tap off the excess glitter.
Glue a photo to the back of the frame so that the picture
shows through the glitter oval. After the glue has dried,
glue another 4-inch oval behind the picture and trim
the edges if needed. Punch a hole through the top of
the frame and string the ribbon through the hole, then
tie a bow so it can be hung from the tree. Optional:
Write the year on the back of the photo frame with the
glitter pen.
Popcorn Garland
Ages 3 to 10
Skill level: Easy
Materials needed: Dental floss, air-popped popcorn,
dried cranberries, thin sewing needle
Cut a four-foot length of floss and tie a knot at one
end. Thread the needle with the floss, then put the
needle through a piece of popcorn and slide the popcorn
all the way down to the end of the floss at the knot
(making sure the knot is big enough to hold the popcorn
in place). Repeat with a pattern of cranberries and
popcorn (three pieces of popcorn, one cranberry; or
any similar variation) until the floss is nearly full.
Tie a knot at the other end and cut off any extra floss.
Make more garlands as needed to wrap around your tree.
Once Christmas is over, you can hang the garland outside
to feed the birds.
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