What ornaments are you making with your kids?

[Biscuits & Gravy]

Looking for some inspiration, especially for non-breakable things to hang on the tree. My toddler has already caused a few casualties. I'm thinking we'll cut out some shapes from felt and embellish them. Maybe the classic clothespin reindeer. What else?

[busymama77]

Button wreath ornaments.  Something easy that my almost 5yo can do.  Found the idea here: http://www.marthastewart.com/article/button-wreath-ornament.  I'll let him choose the buttons he wants to put, the order that he wants to do, the ribbon, etc.,  He'll do the decorating, I'll do the snipping and tieing.

Last year, we did white handprints on clear ornaments and them I turned his fingers in to tiny snowmen.  Turned out really cute.  Made them for family and his teachers at pre-school. 

[KristyDi]

I was browsing the Martha site and found several possibilities.

Here's the link to the whole slide show of ideas, some great stuff but not all kid friendly.

I like the balloon/string/glue things. (slide 26) and the pipe cleaner snowflakes (35) among others.

[busymama77]

Originally Posted by KristyDi 

I was browsing the Martha site and found several possibilities.

Here's the link to the whole slide show of ideas, some great stuff but not all kid friendly.

I like the balloon/string/glue things. (slide 26) and the pipe cleaner snowflakes (35) among others.

Yeah, I saw the snowflake one, too.  I'm considering that one over button wreath ornament since we have a ton of pipe cleaners and no buttons! LOL ;)

[CoopersMommy0308]

We are making all the ornaments for our tree this year.  Mostly because our tree has been up a week and it's already taken a header  We are doing a craft a day as part of our advent calendar. 

I don't know if I can post a link to my blog so I'll just C&P 

- Tree topper (we paper mached an oatmeal container and then made paint and painted it red and green (this was a two day craft and the first one we have done))

- Orange slice ornaments

- Clay snowman ornaments (we will make clay, let them dry, paint and the shellac) 

- Chain garland for the playroom

- Pipe cleaner candycanes

- Popcorn garland for the tree

- Papa’s shirt (we are putting the boys’ hand and footprints on a t-shirt for Papa Andy for Christmas)

- Glue snowflakes (using wax paper, squirt elmer’s in a snowflake shape.  Sprinkle with glitter, let dry.  Peel off and stick to windows.)

- Paper and glue snowman (make paper + glue pulp and shape into snowmen on a lined cookie sheet.  bake slowly until dry.  paint and hang on seasonal tree)

- Make soap crayons

- Make reindeer food (oatmeal and glitter- sprinkle on the lawn on Christmas Eve for the Reindeer to eat, it sparkles in the moonlight)

- Make Christmas cookies (we will probably do this a few times. Some for us and then once for cookies for Santa)

- Decorate jars for gifts (tissue paper and a glue mixture painted on jars)

- Make peppermint bark

- Make Puppy Chow

- Make chocolate covered breadsticks

- Balloon ornaments (blow up small balloons and wrap evenly but not completely with string dipped in glue, add sparkles.  let dry, pop balloon, hand on season tree.  long clown balloons make icicles, round make snowballs.)

- Paper and glue trees (make paper + glue pulp and shape into trees on a lined cookie sheet.  bake slowly until dry.  paint and hang on tree)

- Cotton ball wreath (Cut the center out of a paper plate and glue cotton balls around the “wreath”. Hang on door.)

- Make candycane soaps

- Make peanut butter/bird seed pinecones to hang outside.

- Make Christmas colored playdough

- Paper and glue window collage

- Pine cone bird feeders (pine cones with peanut butter and bird seed on them to hang on the tree out front)

- Garland for out door tree (popcorn and cranberries alternated for the birdies) 

- Applesauce/cinnamon ornaments 

My son is 2.5 so a lot of this will require my help, but it's SO much fun!!!! 

[sailorscout]

this thread is so inspiring i'm so excited!

[elanorh]

I had just gone looking to see if there was a new ornament thread this year - lots of good ideas!

I'll link to a thread I found on Mothering last year and bookmarked - full of additional good ideas for ornaments!  Maybe I'll have time to make some with the girls this year....

http://www.mothering.com/community/forum/thread/1168097/handmade-ornaments/20

[emelsea]

Last year we made ornaments from those green scrubby things you can buy to scrub pans. (These, but I used the dollar store version.)  I cut out christmas tree shapes, and then my son decorated them with string, glitter glue, sequins, buttons, etc.  They were really easy, and aside from me cutting them out, he was able to do the rest of the project all by himself. 

[dbsam]

My children made ornaments for the trees in their rooms.  (We don't have our big trees up yet.  Plus I 'm a bit of a control freak with our trees so it is easier to allow them to decorate their own.)

This is really simple and something they could just do all on their own (they are 6).  They used a self hardening clay-type product (LYRA Keramiplast).  My son cut shapes (stars and penguins) and my daughter formed a bunch of geometric shapes.  After hardening, they painted them and my son made his into ornaments and my daughter strung the shapes into a  garland.  My daughter also made a hedgehog to sit under her tree.

My children hang just about anything on their trees, ornaments, toys, silly bands,  jewelry, feathers and pine cones.  They made bird nests for their trees too using twigs and clay.

They've been asking to make PB, seed, pinecones for the birds and we will probably do it this weekend.  It is snowing today so the birds will love it.  We also need to get the heaters into the bird baths!

[elanorh]

Here's another nice ornament project:

http://artthreads.blogspot.com/2010/11/monday-project-layered-felt-christmas.html