Edible Toddler Craft - Sugar Cone Christmas Tree

* Sugar Cones

* Green icing (could substitute coolwhip & vanilla pudding combo tinted green for a slightly less sugary icing)

* Various little candies, coconut, raisens, etc. (could substitute with fruit loop cereal)

* Sprinkles

Working over a paper plate: Spread the icing on the sugar cone.
Decorate your little Christmas Tree using the candies!

Cotton Ball SANTA Craft - easy for small kids

Materials:
Paper Plate
Cotton Balls
Red Paper
Googly Eyes
small piece of yarn or pipe cleaner or red paper (for mouth)
white paint (with a small toothpick dipped in red paint & mixed in)

Instructions:
Paint plate a skin colour (optional)

Cut triangle of red paper. Glue to top of plate.

Glue cotton balls around perimeter of plate (this will be beard & hat fur) including over the bottom edge of hat. Glue another layer of cotton to 'thicken' the beard.

Glue one stretched cotton ball on as a mustache

Glue yarn or pipe cleaner or piece of red paper for mouth.

Glue on googly eyes

Glue half a cotton ball for each eyebrow.

Puzzle Pieces Wreath

A use for those puzzle pieces that can no longer complete a puzzle (due to missing pieces!)

Materials:
Paper Plate (not styrafoam) or piece of cardboard cut into circle.
Random Puzzle Pieces
Green Paint
Glue
Glitter or Glitter Glue
Ribbon
Buttons

Instructions:
Cut a large circle in center of the paper plate (a wreath shape)

Let child glue the puzzle pieces on overlapping them completely around the circle. Let dry.

Paint green. Let dry.

Paint another coat of green. (if using glitter, apply now) Let dry.

Dazzle it up with glitter glue. Attach random buttoms.

Make a bow from the ribbon and glue on bottom of wreath.

Put a larger ribbon around top of wreath to hang.

Reindeer Crafts

Do these crafts as a random fun Holiday Craft or perhaps part of a Book theme Craft from one of many Christmas books about Reindeer.

Or switch out the red nose for a black one and use these crafts when learning about deer or elk.

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REINDEER ORNAMENT:

Materials:
3 Craft Sticks
2 Brown Pipecleaners
2 Googly Eyes
1 Red Pompom
Brown Construction Paper
Piece of Yarn or magnet

Instructions:
Help child glue 3 craft sticks (or popsicle sticks) into a triangle. Let dry. (Perhaps having you the parent do this with a hot glue gun may be quicker & sturdier).

With flat part of triangle up and point downwards, this will be your reindeer face.

On the top two corners, wrap a brown pipe cleaner on each to serve as antlers.

Glue brown construction paper to back of triangle.

On front, glue on googly eyes and a red pompom nose.

*I didnt have any pipecleaners that werent in neon colours so used two popsicle sticks with puzzle pieces (sticks & pieces coloured black with marker) glued together*

To display, you could glue a magnet to the back or attach a string to hang on your Christmas Tree.
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REINDEER (made with HANDPRINTS & FOOTPRINT)
(turn this guy into a Moose by putting the footprint in the opposite direction and using a black or brown pompom)

Materials:
Brown Construction Paper
Black (or different shade of Brown) Construction Paper
2 Googly Eyes
1 Red Pompom
pencil

Instructions:
Trace your child's foot and their Left and Right Hands.
Cut out the shapes.
Glue the hands to the back of the top of the foot. Glue on eyes and nose. (this one has a magnet on back to display on the fridge)

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REINDEER CUPCAKES:

Materials: Prepare your favourite cupcakes. Bake as per recipe. Tint icing brown and decorate the cupcakes. Insert two pretzels for antlers, half a marachino cherry for the nose, and two small candies (m&ms, hershey kisses, smarties, etc) for the eyes.

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REINDEER (Gift Tag / Plant Poke / Ornament / Magnet)

So EASY & QUICK! (I did this craft at a playdate and it took the kids maybe 5mins. All ages were able to make it)

Materials: Craft Stick, Brown Paint (optional), Brown corrugated Cardboard, Black Marker, Red Marker (or paint or pompom), Ribbon/Yarn

Instructions:

Paint craft stick brown (optional)

Cut antler shape and small circle from corrugated cardboard. Glue antlers at top of craft stick. Glue circle for the mouth area.

Use marker to make eyes just above the brown circle and a little mouth at base of circle.

Use red marker or paint to make rudoph nose.

Tie a ribbon around his 'neck'.

Either leave as is for a plant poke or attach magnet or string on the back for Fridge Magnet or Ornament/Gift Tag.

Toddler Fruit Loop Picture Craft

*Great use for stale Fruit Loop Cereal!*

Place cereal into ziploc bag. Remove air. Seal.

(Depending on age of child, have them sort the colours into different bags)

Crush with rolling pin.


Give child large piece of paper and white glue. Let them draw a design with the glue on the paper. Show them how to sprinkle the cereal glitter onto the glue (could use extra spice shaker, medicine cup, small spoon, etc)

Shake extra cereal off of paper into baking pan (to be reused on next picture) or into garbage.

In a Pinch - Wrapping Paper alternatives

Tablecloth (great for a really LARGE present!)

Beach Towel

Kitchen Towel

Kids Artwork

Fabric

Bath Towel


These could be for any type of present or fun with a theme!
(ie. kitchen towel for baking themed gift)

Advent Calendar Fillers - for a Toddler

I decided to make a mini stocking Advent Calendar - seemed like a project that I could do in short increments of time and wouldnt need any things that I would have to purchase (anything other than groceries are at least an hour away).

Here are some ideas for filling the calendar
(some items may be too large depending on the size of calendar)

* Hershey Kisses
* Box of Raisens
* Small toys (car, mini doll or animals, etc)
* Pencils
* Erasers (so many unique ones)
* Candy Cane
* "Turn the table into a Fort today!"
* "Let's go Skating!"
* jar of Sprinkles and recipe for Cookies
* Christmas Rhyme or Poems
* Snowflake Crafts
* Snowman Crafts http://123mytoddlerandme.blogspot.com/2010/01/snowman-crafts.html
* Ornament Crafts
* Making Wrapping Paper Craft (large pieces of paper & paints or crayons)
* Christmas Socks
* Beads & String to make a bracelet or necklace
* Small book
* Making Bird Treats Craft http://123mytoddlerandme.blogspot.com/2009/04/make-some-bird-treats.html
* Festive Stickers
* "Christmas Lights tour around town!"
* Rubber Stamp

* "Santa Claus Parade!"
* Finger Puppet(s)
* "Stay up 20mins later!"
* Puzzle (a few pieces over a few different days)
* Funky Shoelaces
* Snowman Snack today! http://123mytoddlerandme.blogspot.com/2010/01/edible-snowman-craft-snack.html
* Gingerbread House Craft
* Bag of Snowman Poop (Mini Marshmallows)

* Reindeer Poop (Chocolate Chips or Chocolate rainsens/peanuts)

* "Let's learn a new Christmas Song (or Poem or Joke)!"

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Jokes:
* Where does Santa stay on vacation? A Ho-ho-tel!
* Who delivers Christmas gifts to the pets? Santa Paws!
* What goes "Oh, oh, oh"? Santa walking backwards!
* What do Snowmen eat for breakfast? Snowflakes!
*

Poems
A chubby little snowman had a carrot nose.
Along came a bunny and what do you suppose?
That hungry little bunny, looking for his lunch
Ate that little snowman's nose - Nibble, Nibble, Crunch!
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The best gift at Xmas is easy to see
Its not wrapped in paper or under the tree
Cos' the best gift at Xmas and all the year through
Is having a child as special as you!

Many of these items are activities or things that I would have been giving the kids anyhow - such as festive stickers & socks, doing crafts, and making cookies.

By putting them into the little stockings it should be a fun surprise every morning for the kids.