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Christmas Craft Kid
by Emily Burson
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There's nothing
more precious in the world than a homemade gift for
the holiday season. Get your child excited about a homemade
project by dubbing them the Christmas Craft Kid. |
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Their job, as the Christmas Craft Kid, is to help Santa make
special presents for members of the family. After naming your
child the Christmas Craft Kid, here is a great project to get
them (and you) going.
Christmas Craft Kid Countdown Calendar
Getting excited about Christmas is easier when you have your
own
countdown calendar. These can cost anywhere from $10-$50 in department
or craft stores, but you can make your own with just a few supplies.
You'll need one piece of 11 X 17 cardstock (any color), various
pieces of construction paper, glue, and your imagination. Ask
your Christmas Countdown Kid to help you pick out the cardstock
and construction paper. You will need to make 25 'pockets' for
your countdown calendar.
To make a pocket, cut the construction paper into squares and
create a ¼ inch fold on three sides. On the front (not
the side with the fold against it), either you or your Christmas
Craft Kid should write the numbers 0-24. On the top of the 1/3
cardstock, ask your helper to draw their favorite Christmas or
winter scene. After the top is completed and the pockets are numbered,
you are ready to put the pieces together. Glue the pockets to
the cardstock, beginning with the pocket numbered 24. Allow to
dry overnight.
While the pockets are drawing, discuss what you would like to
use as your countdown marker, which should be light and festive.
A snowflake or construction paper snowman, perhaps? Have your
Christmas Craft Kid create the countdown marker.
Once your pockets are dry, your calendar is ready to be used.
Put the new marker in the pocket numbered 24 and make it part
of your holiday ritual to move the marker once each day. As you
do, your Christmas Craft Kid will get more and more excited about
the holiday season! Make one for the grandparents and babysitter,
as well!
The Heart of the Christmas Craft Kid
We try to teach children that it is not about the getting, but
the
giving that matters during the holiday season. Having your kids
involved in the creation of homemade gifts and decorations allows
them to not only give something tangible, but give a piece of
their life to someone else. Encourage your children to give and
create from the heart.
Make your Christmas tree extra special this year by adding your
own homemade Christmas ornaments to the branches. Here
is a great recipe for ornaments. Once you have the dough made,
use holiday cookie cutters or your Christmas Craft Kid's imagination
to create the ornaments. Bake as directed, and remember to put
a hole in the top about half way through the baking (usually with
a toothpick) so you can hang the ornament later! Paint, let dry,
and add to the tree. Don't forget to put the year on the back
so you will always remember when you made the ornaments!
Other Christmas Craft Kid Ideas:
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Emily Burson is a 2001 graduate of Indiana
University in Bloomington, Indiana. She worked for a year
as a full time copywriter before getting a job at her church,
Sherwood Oaks Christian Church. She works at the church
full time and loves it. She loves to read and write, and
believes that children's books and young adult literature
contain some of the most powerful lessons and messages that
the written word has to offer. She is an avid scrapbooker
and loves to travel, having been to Costa Rica, Venezuela,
and Honduras, as well as many states.
If you would like to contact her about her
writing, craft ideas, or book reviews, email her at erburson@gmail.com.
Also, read her personal
thoughts on God,
faith, life, culture, and more.
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