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.

The Very Busy Spider Craft Activities

Next week we are reading "The Very Busy Spider" by Eric Carle at Toy Library as it is my daughters turn to bring in a favourite book. One of his many fabulous books. We will be doing a craft afterwards and here are some of the fabulous ideas I have found or thought of.


SPIDERS:

Egg Carton Spider: a cube cut from a cardboard egg carton. Painted black or coloured with markers or covered in tissue paper that is glued on. Poke in pipe cleaners for legs and glue on googly eyes. Easy peasy!

Bottle Cap or Lid Spider: Using a jar lid or bottle cap, glue on legs & googly eyes. Can't get much simpler!

Styrafoam Ball Spider: Styrafoam balls painted black. Pipe cleaners poked in for legs and googly eyes glued on.

Handprint Spider: Have child dip hand in black paint. Place on paper to make two handprints together so they meet at the wrist. Put on eyes.

Thumbprint Spiders: Place child's thumb in ink and press onto paper in several spots. Let child draw legs & eyes on spider. Could also do this onto a web.

PomPom Spider: Two different sized pom poms glued together with pipecleaner legs & eyes.

Sure couldnt live without those googly eyes! they are a staple in our craft supplies and get reused when a craft gets tossed.


WEBS:

Glittery Web: Draw a web on a piece of paper. Let child trace with glue. Sprinkle with glitter and shake off excess. Glue on a spider - either made by child or cut out by adult for them to glue on.

Laced Web: Styrafoam plate with holes punched along edge. Let child "sew" the web by placing yarn through one hole and then pulling through a hole on opposite side of plate and then back to the other side etc. Or they can put through random holes for an abstract web.

Marble Web: Place black or dark paper in bottom of cardboard box. Place a few small dobs of white glue sporadically on paper. Place a marble on the paper and gently roll to create a beautiful white web.

Painted Web (with string): Put a long length of string into a puddle of paint. Coat string thoroughly. Pull string out and lay in random pattern on paper. Move string to create the web look you want. Remove string. Your fabulous web now needs some spiders - thumbprint spiders look great!

this pic done with the string painting & thumbprint spiders

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One of the above spider crafts would look great on these webs!

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Birthday Party

For my daughter's 3rd Birthday, we are using the theme from the book "THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR"

These are some of the ideas I have found and will pick and choose from them for what will work for me. Once we have the party, I will post pics too!


INVITATIONS:

* Green Construction Paper folded into card shape and then cut into shape of leaf. Perhaps a "Bite" cut from it. Details inside.

* Using daughter's thumbprints and red & green ink, create caterpillar on front of card.


FOOD:

*Fruit skewers of 4 green grapes and 1 red strawberry (resembles caterpillar)

*Foods from the book and a hole in each (strawberries, cheese, salami, etc.)

* Red Juice with green ice cubes

* Pasta Salad or Mac n' Chz made with the twirly noodles that look like worms.


CRAFT:

* Pompoms & Googly eyes glued onto green construction paper leaf to resemble caterpillar

* Coffee Filter coloured with markers and then clipped in center with clothespin to resemble butterfly

* Pompoms & Googly eyes glued onto clothespin or popsicle stick w/magnet (plus fruit stickers!)


ACTIVITIES:

Caterpillar Obstacle Course (crawling throughout various obstacles like under chairs, through tunnels, over stuff)

Colouring (The author Eric Carle has colouring papes on his website - google it)

Read the Story

Bean Bag Toss (picture of caterpillar and the fruits & vegtables - bags tossed into the holes in the foods)


CAKE:

Butterfly

Caterpillar created from cupcakes

Caterpillar created with Bundt pan

http://www.coolest-birthday-cakes.com/amazing_cake.html

Our Poster (made from her three finger paintings - one dark green, one light green/yellow, one red - then ovals cut and pasted onto bristol board)

and our caterpillar cake!

DECORATIONS:

Red and Green everything (check your Christmas supplies!)

Tablecloth in theme colours (I have a green tablecloth with red apples that will be perfect)

Huge wall caterpillar created with a red balloon and several green ones. Tape or hang these in the birthday area.

Butterfly decorations (will be using some artwork of my daughter and then cutting into butterfly shapes to hang)

LOOT BAGS:

Gummy Worms

Bug Box or Net

Magnifying Glass

Butterfly Stickers or Tattoos

The craft they completed

One of her favourite gifts was a Hungry Caterpillar Jack-in-the-box. She played with it endlessly until it needed to be hidden lol.