Homeschool Co-Op: Homemade Christmas Gifts

Our weekly co-op has done a great this semester in focusing on giving. The kids have done a great job giving this year with cards sent to the Red Cross Holiday Mail for Heroes and over 10 boxes full gifts for Operation Christmas Child.  In that spirit of giving this week we focused on homemade gifts for relatives and friends. 


Station 1- Clay decorations:

http://niccolaontuesday.blogspot.com.au/2012/11/3-tuesdays-till-christmas.html
http://www.meetthedubiens.com/2010/12/snowflake-christmas-tree-ornaments.html

• Rolling Pins
• Christmas Cookie Cutters
• Buttons
• Quick Drying Crayola clay
• Paint Brushes
• Paint
• 
  

Station 2- Ribbon Tree Christmas Card for Kids
http://blog.memetales.com/2012/12/ribbon-tree-christmas-card/

• Sheet of thick paper/card
• Curling Ribbon
• Star
• Tape
• Glue
• Scissors

Station 3- Christmas Shrinky Dinks (kids 7 and older)

 
Station 4-Thumbprint Reindeer Card
http://www.meetthedubiens.com/2010/12/dubien-family-la-thumbprint-reindeer.html

• paper
• brown paint
• brown marker
• googly eyes
• black and red construction paper
• glue
• scissors

The plan was to do each of the activities in stations with 3-6 kids at each station. Well that was the plan but the kids (as kids will do) split into their regular groups of close buddies. We had a mom at every table to hang out with the kids as well as help out. It went smoothly and everyone seemed to have fun. The boys did all the crafts and for those with boys you know getting them to do crafts is like pulling teeth. But boys being boys we got some interesting takes on traditional Christmas themes.

 Like these snowboarding robotic Cyclops reindeer.

Or these beautiful multicolored clay ornaments.

 My personal favorite was the Ninja Elf. As stated by my son " Because you need stealth to be an Elf."

It was a great day with great families whom we love.