The kids are home for Christmas break and are bored already.<\/p>\n
The weather is cold, wet and nasty.<\/p>\n
What do you do?\u00a0 Keep them busy making something with their hands, instead of you tearing your hair out.<\/p>\n
1. Christmas cards are always a great craft.\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0Provide the kids supplies like construction paper, card stock, scissors, glue, glitter (the bottles of glitter\/glue in one package are a very nice low-mess way to dress up a project), pencils, crayons or markers and old Christmas cards.<\/p>\n Let the kids use their creative energy to make wonderful handmade cards that can be shared with family and friends.\u00a0 By cutting pictures out of old cards, even the younger children can make something really nice (and recycle at the same time).<\/p>\n 2. Snow globes are a favorite.\u00a0<\/strong>\u00a0If you want to make your own, gather glass or clear plastic containers, like baby food jars or\u00a0mustard<\/a>\u00a0or mayonnaise jars.\u00a0 Wash and dry them completely.<\/p>\n Gather small plastic Christmas or winter decorations. Try to find some that float. Winter themed stickers or small foam cutouts are also nice. Decorate the outside of the jar with stickers or glue a few of the foam pieces on it.<\/p>\n Attach a couple of the floating pieces (things like snowflakes or stars work well) to string and glue a figure to the inside with the string underneath the figure to anchor it (which will become the base).<\/p>\n Fill the jar with water and some glitter. Carefully glue the lid in place using waterproof glue and let dry.\u00a0 Once dry, shake it, set it lid down and watch the glitter swirl around.<\/p>\n 3. Candy crafts can be fun,<\/strong>\u00a0as well as a tasty gift. A train can be a quick craft that can be used as a decoration or gift.\u00a0 Use a roll of hard candy (like Lifesavers) for the main part of the train.\u00a0 Use individually wrapped round candy, like peppermints for the wheels.<\/p>\n For the front, glue a square candy, such as a caramel or a Starburst with a Hershey kiss on top.\u00a0 If you add a string, they can be used as a tree decoration.\u00a0 Experiment with other kinds of candy to create other things, like robots, animals or even angels.<\/p>\n 4. Garland trees can be a great project for the kids<\/strong>, especially if there is limited room for a Christmas tree.\u00a0 Take a large piece of green poster board and cut a circle, with a slit out to make a cone.\u00a0 Tape it with clear packing tape.<\/p>\n