• Tissue-Paper Wreaths
• Perky Poinsettia Card
• Christmas Tree Clips
• Holiday Picture
• Hanukkah Mobile
• Quick and Easy Recipes
• Gift Bread
• Holiday Cookies
• Macaroons
• Walnut Crescents
• Dove of Peace
• Kwanzaa Cards
• Holiday House Ornaments

Tissue-Paper Wreaths

To make each wreath, you'll need a package of green tissue paper, a few sheets of red tissue paper, a strip of red crepe paper, a wire hanger, scissors, and glue.

First, bend the hanger into a circle. Then cut the green and red tissue paper into 4-by-10-inch pieces. Fold a green piece of tissue in half over the bottom of the wire, twisting it two or three times. (Be careful not to tear tissue.) Slide the paper up to the top. Repeat this step with the rest of the green tissue paper, packing the pieces tightly together, until the hanger is completely covered. Occasionally weave in a piece of red tissue paper to form holly berries. Finally, fold a piece of green tissue paper into a narrow strip and wrap it around the bent hook at the top of the wreath. Secure ends with glue. Add a narrow strip of red tissue for a candy-cane effect. Finish with a big, red crepe-paper bow.

–Norma Jean Byrkett

Perky Poinsettia Card

For each card, you'll need red and green construction paper, an index card, glitter, and glue.

First, fold a sheet of green construction paper in half. Cut a circle from the index card and staple it to the front of the construction-paper card. Next, cut 10 to 12 petals from red construction paper and glue them, overlapping slightly, around the circle. Attach several petals to the under-side of the circle to create depth. Apply glitter to the center. Write a holiday message inside the card and give it to someone special.

–Beatrice Bachrach Perri

Christmas Tree Clips

Glue green felt to a small piece of heavy paper. Cut from the felt-paper a tree the length of a snap clothespin. Glue the tree to the clothespin, add a red-felt base, and decorate.

–Jay Scott

Holiday Picture
 

Paste tooth-picks around it to make a frame. (An easy shape to use is a square with two more toothpicks pasted on top to form a peak.) Let the paste dry thoroughly. Carefully trim the picture away from the out-side of the frame. Add two or four more rows on the peak to make it look like a roof overhang. Tape a yarn loop to the back and hang.

–Jane K. Priewea

Hanukkah Mobile

Glue together toothpicks to make two equilateral triangles. Invert one triangle and glue it over the other to make a Star of David. Construct two or more additional stars. Suspend them with fine thread. Many mobiles hung in a line make a see-through curtain.

–Marion Goldman

Quick-and-Easy Recipes

These delicious recipes are fun and easy enough to make with your child. Enjoy them at home -- or give them as holiday gifts! 

Gift Bread

Ingredients

6 cups of white flour
2 cups of whole wheat flour
1 ounce yeast or 2 packages of dry yeast
1/4 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of honey
1 1/4 tablespoon of salt
1/3 cup of oil
loaf pan(s)

What to do

• Pour all the flour in a large bowl and make a well in the center.
• Dissolve yeast in water.
• Combine yeast-and-water mixture, sugar, honey, salt, and oil.
• Knead dough.
• Let rise in warm place until dough doubles in size.
• Punch down
• Put in pans and shape.
• Let loaf rise again.
• Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.

Yields two large loaves or four smaller ones.

Variations:

• Add cinnamon, raisins, nuts, or chopped fruit to the dough batter.
• Instead of using bread pans, mold dough into holoday shapes or bread ropes for a more festive look.

What your child can do:

• Measure ingredients
• Pour ingredients into bowl
• Knead, punch, and shape dough

Holiday Cookies

Ingredients

1/2 cup plus two tablespoons of of unsalted butter, softened
1/2 cup of sugar
1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon of salt
2 cups of all-purpous flour
cookie cutters
1 egg white
colored nonpareils
candied cherries, cut in half
colored sugar
assorted nuts

What to do

• In large bowl, with electric mixer on high, beat butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
• Beat in egg yolk, vanilla, and salt on low. Gradually beat in flour until well-blended.
• Divide dough in half. Form into two flattened rounds, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate until firm (can be made up to two days in advance )
• Heat oven to 350 degrees.
• Roll out dough to 1/4" thickness between two sheets of waxed paper. Chill in freezer 5 minutes, until firm.
• Use cookie cutters to make shapes and place on greased baking sheets about 1 inch apart.
• Decorate cookies using colored sugars, nuts or candies. Bake 12 minutes until set. let cool

What your child can do:

• Measure ingredients
• Pour ingredients into bowl
• Roll out dough
• Decorate cookies

Macaroons

Ingredients

1 7-ounce bag of shredded coconut
1 cup of slided almonds
1/2 cup of sugar
1/4 teaspoon of salt
4 large egg whites
1 teaspoon of almond extract

What to do

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease two large cookie sheets.
• With a wood spoon, mix coconut almonds, sugar, and salt in large bowl. Stir in egg whites and almond extract until well blended.
• Drop mixture by heaping tablespoons on cookie sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake cookies 20-25 minutes until golden.
• With spatula, remove cookies to wire racks to let cool.

Yields about 18 cookies.

What your child can do:

• Measure ingredients
• Pour ingredients into bowl
• Drop mixture onto cookie sheet

Walnut Crescents

Ingredients

1 cup of walnuts
1/2 cup of sugar
1 cup of butter, softened
2 cups of all purpose flour
1/2 cup of sour cream
2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup of confectioner's sugar

What to do

• In 10" skillet over medium heat, lightly toast walnuts, shaking skillet frequently. Set skillet aside until walnuts are cool.
• Blend walnuts and 1/4 cup of sugar in food processor until walnuts are very finely chopped.
• Mix butter and 1/4 cup of sugar in large bowl with electric mixer. Beat until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes.
• Reduce spead to low and gradually stir in flour, sour cream, vanilla, salt, and walnut mixture until blended.
• Divide dough in half, wrap each half in plastic wrap and refrigerate 1 hour or until dough is firm.
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Lightly four hands and shape dough with teaspoon into 1 inch by 1/2 inch crescents. Place on ungreased cookie sheets and bake for 20 minutes or until lightly browned around the edges.
• Cool cookie sheets on wire racks. When warm, gently roll cookies in confectioner's sugar and place back on wire racks to cool completely.

What your child can do:

• Measure ingredients
• Shape cookie dough into crescents
• Roll cookies in confectioner's sugar

Dove of Peace

To make this graceful, white dove, you'll need a 9-inch paper plate, green construction paper, felt-tip markers, a green pipe cleaner, small white feathers, and glue. First, trace a dove profile and two wings on the paper plate and cut the shapes out. Glue the wings to each side of the dove and attach the feathers to the wings. Color in the eyes and beak. As a finishing touch, slide a pipe-cleaner olive branch through a hole in the beak, then glue on green construction paper leaves. Attach yarn or string to the doves and hang in a pleasing display.

–Sharon Zarka

Kwanzaa Cards

Design a card for Kwanzaa, an African-American harvest holiday celebrating seven principles: unity, self-determination, responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith. Each night, families light a candle, exchange gifts, and then discuss a principle.

–Marilyn R. Reid

Holiday-House Ornaments

Punch holes in narrow top flaps of milk container, re-glue flaps, tie string through holes to hang. Cover with foil; decorate.

–Eleanor Hartmann

Article Source: Month-by-Month Arts & Crafts