Christmas Craft is Saving My Sanity

I don’t really mind the house being covered in glitter, I don’t mind the glue, I don’t mind the stickers and I usually don’t mind the paint.

I do need the encouragement to bring out all the boxes and I do mind me having to pull it all out and put it all back properly (ok I may be a little OCD when it comes to glitter and paints)  when nothing was creatively achieved. 

Wave a magic wand and ta-dah there is someone to solve my Christmas craft "issues"!

Janice from  "Learning 4 Kids" www.learning4kids.net

Janice has created an awesome little Christmas craft ebook that has been fully tested and reviewed by my kids, me and I even had a playdate and tested it with some other kids.  Always nice to mess up one house rather than every one's house.

I loved the fact that it is full of really simple, minimal fuss, minimal tools ideas.   Crafts the kids could do fairly easily, some needed my help some they could just do on their own.  Janice has gone to the effort even of templates and thorough instructions that Master B (8 3/4) could follow and do without assistance. Even some Tips that MasterB thought was a "very good idea for the mums" 

Master R (3) loves his tree (page 22)  I drew the tree and he covered it and although over the last couple of weeks of it being on the wall in his room he has pulled all the bits off his tree and there is now a continuous stream of glitter from his room. He does love it and I would prefer he dismantled this tree rather than the family one with actual decorations.  

 

I like the little Popsicle stars (page 18) I glued them up in advance so the kids could go ahead and decorate. They enjoyed doing these and I will put them outside by the door come closer to Christmas . I'm also thinking for them to whip up a couple more for Great Grandma and Great Nan who don’t put their trees up anymore it'll brighten up their rooms and beats crayon on paper.

We also made some wrapping paper (page 10)  that was a messy affair but entertained them for ages.  Will be nice for them to hand out some pressies in their special paper.  I have some not so perfect looking ones I'll turn into paper chains(page 12).

 Candy cane pipe cleaners (page 23 ) we made some of these, I don’t know where they have gone actually I think they may be in the cars box.  These I thought were simple and a bit easy for Master B.   HOWEVER!  we are on to packet four or five of real candy canes (yes I keep buying them I cant help it)  so I  will be finding the pipe cleaner ones and using those on the tree and not real ones because the two legged "mice" are so bad in this house.  Mice do NOT need candy canes for breakfast before school.

I still have a couple of crafts planned to do I'm thinking some special Christmas play dough page 5)might be something calm and easy to play with on Christmas Eve when I have a million things to do and just need them to sit and play quietly for a while without adding to the excitement. 

The snowflakes and trees with the Cellophane (pages 19 & 20) I love these and we have glass double doors right next to where our tree goes so I'm hoping to cover that in these crafts. Master B has grand plans for his on his bedroom window.

Gingerbread Men (page 7) are going to be done in a couple of weeks. I'm hoping to get them done so those pesky mice will nibble on these instead of my gingerbread house. 

So many simple ideas that the kids have just loved and I haven't had to put any thought into.  Master B thinks everyone his age should get one because there is so many things they can just do by themselves.  

Thanks Janice -  saved me some sanity :)

Pop over to Janices' Blog and get your FREE copy  www.learning4kids.net