Inexpensive Christmas Decorations for Children: It's All About the Reindeer

The Holiday season brings joy, families and BUSY little helpers. Here are some tried and true crafts for children of any age. I have done these at our annual Christmas Children's workshop, with up to 50 children at a time. Remember, it is their creation, so let the crooked eyes be.

1. Herds of Reindeer. You can never have too many of Reindeer. For this each child will need 3 clothespins. The type that are flat on two sides, have two legs and no springs. Glue two of the pins together with the pegs facing down. The third one is glued to the front with the pegs facing up. This forms the head and antlers. When dry paint your reindeer brown. Glue two googly eyes to the face. You can glue on a bell or piece of ribbon for extra flash.

2. Reindeer Candy Canes. These reindeer always elicit ooh and ahhs. For each reindeer cut a tinsel pipe cleaner in half, and then one half into half again. Take a wrapped candy cane. Wrap the half pipecleaner around the top bend of the cane. Twist it twice to secure it. Now take the quarter pieces of pipecleaner and twist on the first pipecleaner about 1/2 inch down. This will make a cross shape to form one antler. Repeat on the other side. Glue two small googly eyes to the front of the cane, where it curves down. Add a red or black mini pom pom for a nose. A ribbon bow or bell can also be added around the long back of the candy cane. Hang a few before they are all eaten.

3. Flying Reindeer Treats. Hey, Santa isn't the only one, who needs a little energy boost for the long flight. Pasta, is a nutritious food for people and animals alike. In fact, some dogs in Italy get big bags of dry pasta instead of kibbles. Parrots love the snap of dry pasta too. For your four legged flying visitors, it's easy to fix them a special meal. Any form of pasta can be glued to a decorative paper plate. For maximum flying power, before gluing down, put pastas in a large ziplock bag, put in a tablespoon of rubbing alcohol (decreases drying time and makes color more permanent) and a good squirt of food coloring. Zip the bag shut and shake until all pasta is covered. Lay the colored pasta out on paper towels until dry. Then glue to the plate. Top off with a few shakes of glitter. Remember two things. There can never be too much glitter and please completely dispose of the paperplates, once the "Reindeer" have finished.

4. Reindeer Hats. Make all your party revelers wear these quick hats. Inside only please, we wouldn't want anyone shanghaied to work for Santa. For a longer lasting hat use the thin sheets of brown Fun Foam. Trace each person hands, with fingers spread out, on one sheet of foam. Cut long strips from a second brown sheet of foam. Glue the long strips together so they will fit around the crown of the person. Glue the cut out hands to the sides for the antlers. This project can be made more inexpensively using brown paper bags, or constrution paper.

5. Reindeer Place mats and Table runners. We all know what time it is when an Elephant is in our house, but what time is it when Reindeer leave tracks in your house? It's Christmas time of course! Brown paper bags come to rescue again. Open a brown paper grocery bag, by cutting off the bottom and down one side. Turn over to show the plain side. Press flat by hand. Cut to size of a placemat. Glue several together to make a table runner. Cut a potato in half shortwise, not down the length. You should have two oval shaped potato surfaces. Cut a narrow wedge shape down the middle of each potato. This should give you two half circles with a space between. Spread a thin layer of black acrylic or tempura paint, on a paper plate. Dip the cut end of the potato in the paint and then stamp the hoofprint design on your paper. Keep them in a line or just stamp them all over. When finished, have the children dip a fingertip in the paint and add one dot behind each print. Reindeer have this extra point on their feet. Otherwise, it will look like you have cow tracks all over!

I hope you enjoy these fun and crafts that can be made by the dozens without breaking your budget.