Paper bell Christmas tree ornament

Inspiration for this bell came from the snowflake snowman ornament. After cutting out the snowflake design, one happened to look like a bell. If you look at the last picture of the snowman, he is holding this bell.

It's a simple little craft that can be colored any color, but looks nice on the tree.

Draw a bell, and color any color you'd like. Cut it out and put a hole in the top for a loop of yarn to hang it from the tree.

Cornucopia paper craft

This cornucopia is made from circles cut from two different colored paper. I was still recycling paper fans, and that's why there's creases in my circles, but the creases are not needed.

I drew circles small to large by hand on orange and yellow paper. Orange and brown paper would be nice colors too.

I made my circles by hand, but using a compass would make it easier to draw circles the next one bigger than the last. An adult may have to use the compass since it has a sharp end to hold it in place while the circle is made.

That's why I tried drawing the circles by hand. Children could easily draw them. 

Put the compass first on the orange paper and next on the brown paper opening the compass just a bit over and over until you've got about  8 to 12 circles. Since I guesstimated with mine, my colors are not perfectly alternating. A compass would help to alternate colors and give your cornucopia a nice contrast.

Cut out the circles, and spread them in a line smallest to the largest.

Place the circles on a paper in a cornucopia shape. When you are happy about how your cornucopia looks, glue each circle on.

Draw a pumpkin on orange paper, a few gourds on yellow paper, and some large grapes on some green paper. Color the stems brown, and cut out. Arrange the pumpkin, gourds, and grapes on the largest circle of the cornucopia, and glue them on when you are happy with the arrangement.

Paper Jack-O-Lantern

Start with an 8 x 11 orange piece of paper. With the paper lengthwise, mark off one inch increments.

Cut 4 one inch wide orange strips.                                   


Tape the ends of the first strip together to form a circle. Tape the end of the second strip to the to the ends of the first to form a circle across the first. Do the same with the last two strips until it forms a pumpkin shape. Tape the top of the strips together to help the pumpkin keep it's shape.

Cut out a stem from green or brown paper. Fold the bottom of the stem, and tape it to the top of the pumpkin.

Cut out eyes and mouth from yellow paper. Attach to the front of the pumpkin to make a face of the Jack O'Lantern.

Ghosts from paper fans

Fan ghosty friends

Draw face

Fold like a paper fan

Tape top of fan well

Fold top of fan under for the top of the ghost's head

Tape together in back of ghost

A bat pop up

What is Halloween without bats and pumpkins?  This simple craft gives the bat a little bounce with paper springs.

Draw a pumpkin.

On a separate piece of paper, draw a bat, and cut out. As you can see my bat is simple. If you have an example, children may be able to draw their own pumpkin and bat. It might help to tell them the bat is drawn with parts of circles and parts of triangles.

Cut out the bat.

Strips of paper for springs

Cut three strips of paper about 2 inches long, and 1 inch wide. Fold the strips like a fan for little springs, and tape them to the back of the bat and then to the pumpkin. Now there's a bat popping out of the pumpkin.

Cutting a pumpkin out from orange paper and making the bat from black paper can make this craft even more impressive. Happy flying, bouncing or popping!

Sparkler on a Straw

Here's another way to use those food colors made yesterday for the marshmallows.

Cut a drip coffee filter into strips. Have children dip one end of each strip in a blue or red food color. Tape the dry end of the strips to a straw. Let dry by hanging upside-down from a clothesline.

Then the kids can run around the yard with fire free sparklers.

Paper Fairy Slippers

Here's a simple pair of slippers that are actually usable. Just cut a rectangle of paper a few inches bigger than foot all the way around the foot. Tape the paper into a slipper shape around foot snugly but not too snug. Trim to desired shape. Put duct tape on the bottom for less slipping. If you have clear duct tape, it can be wrapped around the whole slipper to make it stronger.

Decorate as desired.

A paper fish with multicolored pretty fishy scales

Just draw and cut out a fish on any paper. This fish was made on the back of another craft project.

Cut a bunch of squares about 1" by 1" big out of different colored scrape paper and some aluminum foil, and then round off two corners to make scales.

Put a little glue on a plastic lid and children can dip the flat end of the scales into the glue to paste onto the fish. Have the little craftsters start gluing the scales on the tail end of the fish and work forward with flat edge always forward.

It might be a good time to read "The Rainbow Fish" by Marcus Pfister too. I didn't even think of it when creating this craft, but the fish is reminiscent of Marcus Pfister's sweet little Rainbow Fish now that I see my finished product. If you have the right color paper, the fish could be made to look even more like the Rainbow Fish in the book.
 

Recycled Paper Easter Egg Basket

Here's a tedious but rewarding little craft. This Easter egg basket was made from leftover wrapping paper and scotch tape, so it is not sturdy enough to hold real eggs. It's great for paper eggs in a bed of shredded paper though.

Older tweens who like crafting, and are patient may find this basket both challenging and rewarding to get to the finished product. Especially if made for an eagerly waiting younger brother, sister, or cousin.

The basket here was made by first cutting 8 strips of paper about 1/2 inch wide, and a foot long. Weave these together at the middle to form the bottom of the basket. Put little pieces of tape as needed to hold it together. Long ends of the strips should be ready for weaving the sides up.

Use another strip of paper of similar size to start the sides of the basket. Weave the strip one full circle around the bottom. Then tape the meeting ends together to secure, and clip off the remainder. Continue on in this manner until the sides are as high as you'd like.

At this point remaining strips from the original 8 strips will be hanging over the edges. Fold each over to end each weave, cut off extra, and tape.

Use two strips of the same size as the rest twisted together to form the handle. Attach with tape.

Happy Easter!