Baby Candy Canes

    First Candy Canes
 

This one was made by my son when he was about 2 and a half years old.

           Christmas is a perfect time to get out the finger paints for you child or children.  Tag board or a file file is a perfect weight paper to work on.   The file folder stays in place and does not wrinkle or bend with the movement of little fingers.

        I drew the outline of  three candy canes on a file folder. Then the  red finger paint came out!!! Oh what excitement!! The squishy feeling of paint on your fingers.  The paint is applied to the paper with such zeal! 

         After the paint was dry, I cut the candy cane shapes out.   Of course the names of the artist and the year were written on the back to look into the past many years from now.

       This is my 18 month old granddaughter's candy cane for this year.

      My daughter made this candy cane below, more than 30 years ago.  She was about 8 months old at the time.   It looks as good as new!  These fans canes are always hung on my tree with care just like the fragile glass ornaments.   They are so precious to me!

   
          These precious candy canes will have a special place on my tree every year.

     Christmas tree ornament don't have to be made of finest silver, gold, or crystal to be cherished.  

Hoping everyone has a very Merry Christmas! 

Beti

Coffee Creamer Snowmen

Start saving your empty coffee creamer bottles now!

Let it SNOW!
      

                     Today is Snowman Day!!!
   Are you looking for a fun recycled materials project for your class?  Well here it is!

      The fifth graders have been saving plastic coffee creamers since September. Our goal today was to transform the ordinary plastic bottles into something very special, individual, and  unique. 

     Using a varied collection of ribbon, buttons, google eyes, pom poms, and who knows what else, the children go to work.

     Each and every snowman is  as individual and unique as its maker.

         When the designing is complete the students fill their snowman with candy, pencils, erasers, money, and some get a toothbrush attached to the outside.

This guy looks like he lives on Sesame Street!

         These darling snowmen will be delivered to a local food pantry.  We hope they will bring joy to the children who receive them.

          I love to do this project with my students. The children begin to understand that they can do something for someone else and have a great time. 

Enjoy the Christmas season.

Merry Christmas 
to all and to all
 a good night! 

 
Beti

Felt Santa Ornament

HO, HO, HO! 

           It is never too early to start planning for Christmas.  If you like to make handmade ornaments like I do, you need to start thinking about it now!
   
          I was browsing though Christmas ornaments in a small shop in Minnesota a few years ago and came across stuffed felt Santas.  I knew that I could make them. 


      So off I drove off to JoAnn's to pick up some red, black, and white felt.  I was out of town in Minneapolis at the time, so I didn't have all my felt scraps on hand.

     These are the little guys I came up with for my granddaughters that year. A little embroidery and a little stuffing. At about six inches tall, they are the perfect size for little hands. My Santas came together quite quickly. No sharp edges to poke a finger or loose eyes to come off. These little Santas can easily hang on the tree or can be played with and taken to bed for a nap. 


    Happy Santa Making to all and to all a Good Night! 

Beti

Who is driving?

      

      While shopping the other day, I looked out the side window of the car.    We had just pulled into a parking space.    The car next to me had a well dressed driver ready for the cold Christmas shopping season.

      The driver was was calm, not at all frazzled like so many of the shoppers this time of year.     Warm and cozy in a red jacket, just watching the world and the other shoppers go by.

• 

     More of today's shoppers could take a lesson from this driver. Taking one day at a time.

     Please have a calm, blessed Christmas. Try to remember the real meaning of Christmas.

Felt Christmas Tree

          Christmas Tree 
 
         Manipulative activities for youngsters is so very important.    I saw a stuffed felt Christmas tree on Pinterest and was intrigued.  It looked like something I could make for my grandchildren and nephews. 
             
           Now is a great time to get started on an activity for you little ones for the Christmas season. 

           I made a form from cardboard which is about two feet tall.  The large triangle shapes were glued together using a hot glue gun.   I used tacky glue to fasten the felt to the cardboard tree.    Then the tree form was filled with styro-foam packing peanuts to keep it light yet firm.       Finally, the felt bottom of the tree shape  was stitched in place to keep the tree together. 
           
          An old Advent calendar with little felt ornaments happened to be in my basement. These felt ornaments hung on to the felt of the tree much like a felt board.  The ornaments were the perfect size for little fingers and my tree.

           My granddaughter is 18 months old.   As you can see, she spend a lot of time arranging and rearranging the ornaments on her little tree. 

               We all need those quiet moments to reflect on the real meaning of Christmas, even the very small child.

  So start working on manipulatives for the young ones in your family.   You will not regret it.

           I have linked up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for the Five for Friday Weekly Linky Party.     Lots of great ideas for the new year and winter months.
  www.doodlebugsteaching.blogspot.com 

      Merry Christmas to all 

and to all 

a Good Night!

 

 

Please leave a comment if you have a minute. I'd love to hear from you.

Beti

Felt Snowmen Ornaments

 Snowmen Ornaments

             Every year I make felt Christmas ornaments for my grandchildren.   Each year the ornaments take on a new design.   Last year Christmas trees were sewn.    This year I chose snowmen.   I try to give each their own individual personality.   This way the kiddos will be able to recognize their ornament. 

            On the back,  the year and the child's name is stitched.   I experimented with the decorative stitches in my sewing machine.   As you can see the snowman on the left has the years stitched by machine.    It wasn't exactly what I wanted, so on the other snowmen I did the year by hand.   Granted it took a little longer, but I think it looks much better.

             The faces are slightly different as well as the hats.   Each and every snowman made out of snow looks different.   Some are big and some are small.    Some are wearing hats or a scarf around their neck.   Some snowmen have sticks for arms and a carrot nose.   So these felt snowmen should be individuals, too!

              This smiling fellow has sparkles on his hat and a piece of  red ric-rac  to hang on the tree.

            This jolly  snowman ⛄ has a cute little smile with a green ribbon hanger.

         Give these little felt friends a try for you favorite children this Christmas.   You might even start a tradition, too.    Hopefully, these snowmen will hang on the branches of Christmas trees for many years in the future.

Happy Sewing!

Beti

Fence Post Santa

Santa HO, HO, HO!

      I realize that it is a little early to think about Christmas decorations,  but some people like to get an early start in planning their crafts for each season.  This Santa is on my front porch today.  Believe it or not,  Santas like this one  were  made by my 5th graders.   An easy painting project for a child to do.     This Santa was made from a picket fence post many years ago. 

      The design was drawn with pencil to section off the different colors.   The the painting of the red, white, and black colors was quite easy.   After the white paint dried glitter glue was applied to made the beard sparkle.  The nose was made from a large red wooden bead cut in half and glued.    To top off Santa's hat, red, white, and green pipe cleaners were braided with a bell attached.   This was attached this a large headed nail.

     Santa stands faithfully by my front door each year to welcome everyone at Christmas.

      Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

Beti 

Advent Calendar

       A Family Tradition

       Many years ago my  children received an Advent calendar from my husband's aunt.  She had made felt ornaments to attach to a felt tree.   All of the cousins used these Advent calendars as they waited patiently for Christmas to come each year for about 30 years. Aunt Marian had made four Advent calendars, one for each family.    Each ornament had its own little pocket, 24 in all.

       Two years ago, my two sister-in-laws and I decided that we would make an Advent calendar for our children now that they were grown and living on their own.    Some were married and having children.    We wanted this tradition to carry on for the next generation. 

       We divided up the 24 ornaments.   Each of us would make 8.    We had to make 12 of each ornament for our combined 12 children.  

       From the top we made sleighs, angels, train engines, drums, piggy banks, houses, stockings, candles, holly leaves, wrapped gifts, horses, snowmen, bells, gingerbread men, hearts, ornaments, tin soldiers, fish, birds, wreaths, candy canes, apples, mittens, and puppy dogs.   The stars at the top were made by our Aunt Marian. 

      Here is the tree before trimming at the beginning of Advent.   All the ornaments are tucked into a numbered pocket.

         And the tree on Christmas Eve all decorated.    The little ones love to choose an ornament and snap it on the tree.   This is great for eye hand coordination.     Children can talk about the colors and shapes of each ornament while placing them on the tree. 

         We added a Nativity scene under our Advent trees.    My sister-in-law found the darling set of buttons and had to purchase them.    They add a beautiful reminder of the true meaning of Advent and Christmas.

      
     
Beti
 

The Book Nook is set for Christmas

    Christmas in the Book Nook

      The 5th graders have decorated the Book Nook in our corner of the hallway for Christmas.   Comfy chairs are a perfect place to sit, curl up,  and read a good book.   Last year I was in the local grocery store.    I saw a display of candy canes in cardboard cartons.    I love to find free things that I can use in school.     The cartons were designed to look like a red brick fireplace.    BINGO!    A ready made fireplace for our Book Nook! I added a little glitter to the flames of the fire for a extra sparkle.

          Of course all the 5th graders made their own stocking to "hang by the chimney with care in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there".

   Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Beti

Felt Nativity with Finger Puppets

Nativity Play Scene
and Finger Puppets

     It is never too early to start planning for Christmas!

      I decided to make felt Nativity scenes for my granddaughters to play with.   They needed something unbreakable and quiet to interact with for a quiet play activity.   The Bible story of Mary and Joseph coming to a simple stable for the birth of Jesus was the perfect setting for this felt play set.    Nothing too fancy, just the basics.

      Making the finger puppets a was  the beginning of the project.   Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus were the first to be made.    Two of each were stitched from small scraps of felt and embroidery floss.     Mary is about 3 1/4 inches tall and Joseph is about 3 3/4 inches. Each is about 1 3/4 inches wide.

       A small brown manger with hay has a pocket for the Baby Jesus to sleep peacefully. The manger is attached to a pocket in the stable.   With this pocket,  Mary and Joseph are able stand in front of or behind the manger to watch over their new born child.

     The Three Kings are different heights in the same range as Mary and Joseph.  They are each carrying a different shiny gift.   As I said before,  nothing fancy but durable for many hours of play by little ones.

        This Nativity scene would not be complete without a donkey.    Mary rode on  the donkey's back on the long journey to Bethlehem.   We all remember the "Little Drummer Boy" song during the Christmas holidays.      A little drummer boy finger puppet was added so the girls could sing a song when they play.

          A smiling angel is always around to protect and watch over the Christ Child.   You can see the angel standing behind the manger.    The angel is able to watch over the Holy Family in a small pocket near the star on the top of the stable.    The star will guide the Three Kings or Wise men to see the New Born King.



        The play scene has plastic canvas in between the inside and outside.   This plastic sheet gives the felt strength and helps the Nativity play scene to stand up on its own.   Felt pockets are secured to the insides of each panel.    The pockets are designed to hold the finger puppets in place when the scene is closed after play. 

          As you can see, the " tan colored ground" folds up into the play scene.    The two sides fold in and are secured with velcro.    A handle made of green grow grain ribbon was stitched on so that this play set can be easily carried by a young child.

           I hope this Nativity Play Scene will give you the incentive to make something like this for a young child that you know and love. 

    

Happy Sewing!

Beti

Christmas Wreath

            Since Christmas is right around the corner, a hand print wreath would be a good project on a cold day for an 18 month old.    As you can see, some green hand prints are distinguishable, but  most are more of sliding hands across the paper.      We worked on those little red berries for a finishing touch.

        I did not want it to be perfect because this is the art work of a toddler.
When she gets to preschool, kindergarten, or 1st grade her teacher can tell her
to make beautiful hand prints.    Good luck with that!     I didn't want to upset my granddaughter. 

        To make this look more like a wreath, I did cutting.

       The bow hand prints were left over from the candy canes we worked on the day before.     "Waste not, want not" when working with a toddler or any child on an art project.

       This wreath is being sent overseas to her DADA who has been deployed.  So make sure your package gets sent out early enough to get to its destination in time.
I hope this wreath will  make his time away a little easier.

            Merry Christmas 
 to all our service men and women who are spending the holidays apart from their families.


Beti
 

Popsicle Stick and Felt Ornaments

   Popsicle Stick Ornaments!  An easy creative project for school or home.
            It's never to early to plan projects!

         In the past years I tried popsicle stick ornaments with my 5th graders. I could have used tongue depressors, but all I had on hand were popsicle sticks.  They glued the sticks together on sheets of wax paper. Each child was given five pieces of felt, red black, green, brown and white to start with. Mind you everyone asked for more felt as the creativity went into high gear.  I always cut the felt into pieces about 2 or 3 inches square.  That way they don't waste felt.  The googlily eyes always add that something special.  I showed some inspiration pictures that I found on Pinterest and the kids started designing very quickly. Students gained inspiration from their peers. Each one was unique in their own charming way.

 

   The facial expressions are priceless!

Isn't this the cutest little Santa?

              Instead of painting, the students used their markers.    In the way we didn't have to wait for the paint to dry before they hey started glueing the felt pieces onto  to wooden pieces.      I' m sure the ornaments would have looked better, but we only had a short period of time to complete this project. 

    Some were completely covered in felt, as you can see with this snowman,  while others just had tiny felt pieces for accents.

Little pieces of thread were added so these little darlings could hang on the tree.

         Each one has the date on the back. Hopefully, the kids can look back in years to come and have fond memories of making each one when they were in 5th grade.

   I guess I'm biased, but I think they are very cute!

Today I'm linking up with 

Stephanie at Forever in Fifth for 

Show and Tell Tuesday. 

Merry Christmas everyone!

 www.foreverinfifthgrade.blogspot.com

 Merry Christmas  and enjoy decorating your tree!

Beti