Simple Christmas Tree Decorations

Simple Christmas Tree Decorations

Leading up to Christmas I am going to offer plenty of ideas for festive activities suited to kids of all ages. These might be good for those last weeks in the classroom, or to fill the many school holiday hours. 

This week I will show you how to craft some super simple but durable Christmas tree decorations. We are using the classic popsicle sticks, $3 for 180 of them at Officeworks! Cheap! Only other things you will need are some PVA, paints, and brushes.

Constructing some shapes is fun and involves some problem solving, great to do together with kids age 7 and up. Younger kids will need the shapes made for them but they can do all the decorating. I recommend building them on a surface which you can just pick-up and move to a drying spot, such as a tray, piece of cardboard, or covered book. Here are some shape ideas:

Star: Lay out a triangle, and another triangle on top like in the picture, then tap a bit of PVA where they join. 

Tree: Lay one popsicle down, then lay about six in the opposite direction leaving a decent trunk for the tree. I like leaving a gap between each ‘branch’. About 4-5 hours later with some strong scissors trim those branches into a triangle.

Angel: Make a tall skinny triangle, the bottom popsicle should hang over the edges. Then also glue a popsicle across the middle for the angel’s arms. About 4-5 hours later with some strong scissors trim the overhanging popsicle on the bottom of the triangle.

All the shapes would be best left to dry overnight so they are not damaged while being decorated. 

For painting I tailored this to a couple of toddlers, so I simply created limited pallets of warm or cool colours, so each decoration had a bit of a colour theme. 

Once they are dry you can finish them off in any way you like. The angel needs a face and some wings, but otherwise just some hanging twine would be all you need to turn them into a treasured Christmas decoration or gift perhaps?

I love the simplicity and elegance of these shapes. What a great way to start getting into the swing of Christmas!

Watch this space – a few more ideas coming your way…………….

Tracy x

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