- Thursday 06 December 2018
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It’s hard to believe that it is that time of year again! Your students are probably hanging out until the holidays and that all important evening when the jolly old man comes down the chimney. To help keep your students learning in the midst of all the excitement, try out these art and craft activities which will also teach them about recycling and creative ways of reusing materials.
Jigsaw puzzle decorations
This is a great way to make use of all those jigsaw pieces tucked away in the cupboard.
You will need:
jigsaw puzzle pieces (size doesn’t matter), cardboard, craft glue, paint, pipe-cleaners, fabric scraps, pompoms, ribbon and other recycled scraps
What to do:
• Make a cardboard template in the shape of your decoration.
• Randomly glue jigsaw pieces onto the template, covering as much of the template as possible.
• Allow glue to dry, then paint. (For stripes like the candy cane, place strips of cardboard over the base colour and paint between strips.
• Decorate your ornament.
• Glue a loop of ribbon to the back and hang on the Christmas tree.
Christmas gift from recycled craft
A handmade gift that’s quick, easy, and will use up those pesky scraps that are always lying around—make these unique small cards for a memorable Christmas gift.
You will need:
small pieces of cardboard scraps; scissors; old flat (fridge) magnets or a roll of self-adhesive magnet; wool and string; old scrapbooking paper; sequins, glitter and other ‘fancy’ items; fabrics scraps; small pegs; a hot glue gun; strong craft glue; brushes
What to do:
• Cut a square or rectangle of strong (but not too heavy) card for each student and hot-glue a magnet to the top of one side of each piece.
• Give each student a square or rectangle of card and a peg. The students choose a piece of fabric. They cover the cardboard with glue and then stick the fabric onto the card. Make sure the card is covered. Glue the peg with hot glue near the bottom of the card (make sure the magnet on the back is at the top). When dry, trim
the edges neatly.
• The children can then glue items onto the fabric-covered card. Encourage them to try arranging it the way they like best before they glue it down.
Old Christmas card paper baubles
Here’s a great way to reuse all those Christmas cards and wrapping paper that get thrown in the bin after Christmas, while delighting students with their own original Christmas tree decoration.
You will need:
old Christmas cards or paper, scissors, ribbon, hole punch, beads (optional)
What to do:
• Cut twelve 2 cm x 15 cm strips from card or paper.
• Stack your strips on top of each other and punch holes in each end.
• Thread ribbon through until the desired shape is achieved, then tie a knot in the ribbon to hold the paper in place.
• Pull ribbon through until the desired shape is achieved, then tie a knot in the ribbon to hold the paper in place.
• Fan out one strip of paper at a time to create this quick and beautiful ornament.
Christmas suncatcher ornaments
These easy-to-make ornaments will brighten up the room when the sun hits them.
You will need:
craft glue (watered down slightly), glue brushes, tissue paper, clear plastic lid, scissors, hole punch, ribbon or pipe-cleaners
What to do:
• Trim the lid so it can lie flat (remove the lip from the edge).
• Provide the students with simple Christmas-themed templates to trace, such as Christmas trees or bells. They put the template under the plastic, then trace the shape onto the plastic with a fine marker pen.
• Children select the colours of tissue paper they want. They tear the paper into small pieces.
• Spread a layer of glue over the picture traced on the plastic. Lay pieces of tissue paper on top, overlapping the pieces. Spread layer of glue on top.
• Ensure the children cover to the edge of the shape; going over is fine as it will be trimmed. Set aside to dry.
• When dry, cut out the shape. Punch a hole in the top of the shape.
• Thread ribbon or gold pipe-cleaner through the hole and the suncatcher ornaments are ready to hang on the tree.
Download this full article as a PDF here.
