Reindeer Heads

Fast and easy!  It just required brown, dark brown or black, and white construction paper, glue and a marker.  We cut out the shapes of the heads, the kids drew the antlers and pasted everything on.  Using a glue stick, minimal mess!

Valentine's Wreath

A quick and easy Valentine's craft with minimal materials and preparation.  They can be hung around door knobs for a decoration.


Materials:

cardboard or a paper plate, construction paper, scissors, glue or glue stick, heart pattern (for younger students)
Optional: stickers, glitter, doilies

The easiest way to do this is with paper plates, but in a pinch a piece of cardboard works well.




Process:

1.)  Create a circle for the wreath base.  If students are doing it, have them trace a circular based object and fold the circle in half to cut out the interior circle.

2.)  Cut out hearts.

3.)  Glue a ring of glue around the circle.

4.)  Paste the hearts on, overlapping to hide the base.

Halloween Spiders

A quick Halloween activity for kids. 

Materials:  circular objects or circles traced on oak tag, scissors, white colored pencils or crayons or googly eyes, pipe cleaners, thread or string, hole puncher

Steps:

1.  Have the kids trace a circular object on black construction paper for a head shape and a second, slightly larger circle for a body.

2.  Staple or glue the circles together.

3.  Draw eyes with a white crayon or stick googly eyes on. 
 
4.  Punch eight holes around the body circle.

5.  Cut pipe cleaners in half and feed them through the holes, twisting them near the body so that they stay in place. 

6.  Bend the legs.

7.  Punch a hole in the head and put thread through the top to hang it.

Biodegradable Pots

In honor of Earth Day and spring, we recently planted seeds with the children.  We made biodegradable pots using newspaper.  Here are directions to print and a link to a Youtube video showing the process.  Fifth graders were able to do the folding to create the pots, though they planted with their first grade buddies.

We then used popsicle sticks and paper from the recycling bucket to create flags for the plants.


Folding pots link video.

Another, easier variation on newspaper pots:  Rolling newspaper pots step-by-step directions.

Some books (there are SO many) to connect to this activity are:  

From Seed to Plant- by Gail Gibbons

Titch- by Pat Hutchins

Plant Package- by Susan Blackaby

The Carrot Seed- by Ruth Krauss

Sunflower House- by Eve Bunting

Easter Egg Bunnies

I found this activity in Family Circle magazine.  It's quick and easy and inexpensive.

Completed bunny.

Materials needed: 

• plastic Easter eggs (the larger ones are easier to use & make sure they have holes on top and bottom)
• pipe cleaners
• a Sharpie or permanent marker
• pom poms or cotton balls for a tail
• a hot glue gun and glue stick
• (goodies for inside if you are so inclined)

Steps for making the bunny:
         
Open the egg and feed the pipe cleaner through and back through the same hole to create an ear.
Pull it back through and do the same with the other half of the pipe cleaner.
Do the same for the feet.  (You can also cut the pipe cleaner in half for the feet).
Draw a face on the front with the Sharpie.
 Glue the pom-pom on the back, with the hot glue gun, for the tail.

Some books related to this activity: 

The Bunny Who Found Easter- Charlotte Zolotow
The Easter Egg- Jan Brett
The Story of the Easter Bunny- Katerine Tegen