How to Make Easy Pinecone Ornaments from Recycled Items - a Children's Craft

Children not only like to help decorate Christmas trees, but they also like to make homemade ornaments to hang on the tree. Whether it is paper chains made out of colored paper or painted pasta, children enjoy creating tree ornaments and spending time with their parents and siblings. Any type of ornament making is even more fun when you can make them from recycled items. Making pinecone ornaments is fun and easy and teaches children how to make a useful item from things that would normally be thrown away.

Items Needed to Make Pinecone Ornaments

-Pinecones (assorted sizes and free of debris)
-Variety of wax crayons
-Several medium sized paper/picnic bowls
-Ribbon
-Large paper cups
-Twine
-Popsicle
-Wax paper
-Eye screws (one for each pinecone)
-Drill
-Medium sized box (a lid from a shoebox works well)
-Glitter

How to Make Pinecone Ornaments

On a clear fall afternoon, take your children for a walk in the woods or a park to gather pinecones. If you are in a park, check with park officials to ensure it is ok to gather and keep the pinecones. When you get home, check pinecones for debris and damage and discard those with imperfections.

Next, have the children gather all their old and broken wax crayons. Have them remove the paper and place like colors in a paper bowl. While the children are preparing the wax crayons, have an adult drill holes in the bottom of each pinecone, insert the eye screws, and tie an eight-inch piece of twine to the eye screw. Heat the crayons in the microwave on medium heat until all have melted, stirring occasionally with a Popsicle stick. Be sure to cover the bowl with wax paper.

When the wax crayons have liquefied, pour into paper cups. Have children dip the pinecones into the wax while holding onto the twine. Warn children to be careful of the hot wax. Wait a few minutes after the first dip and have the children repeat the process until the pinecone has a good covering of wax.

Before the wax has completely hardened, sprinkle with glitter. This is best done while the pinecone is held over a box.

Suggestion: Use the color of glitter that compliments the wax, such as silver or blue for blue wax, red glitter for red wax, and so on.

Once the wax has hardened on the pinecone, you can remove the twine and replace with the ribbon. Your Christmas pinecone ornament is now ready to hang on your tree.

Sources: Personal experience