Wednesday, December 3, 2014

Happy Holidays!



There is nothing more magical than this time of year. Celebrate the season with your family with these fun crafts that will be sure to please!




You will need:

Cupcake cases
Glue or adhesive tape
String or ribbon for hanging
Scissors
Glitter, sequins or other embellishments (optional)

How to Make a Cupcake Liner Christmas Tree:
OK, are you ready for the super simple tutorial? This has to be the simplest craft we’ve ever done. To make each segment of the tree, simply fold a cupcake liner in half and then fold it in half again so you have a folded segment as shown in the photo below. This activity is great for developing fine motor skills and all that folding led to some playful maths discussions about fractions, halves and quarters.



Once you have folded the cupcake cases, it’s a simple matter of sticking them together. You can either glue them together or use adhesive tape. Top each one with a little star shaped sequin and add any additional embellishments you want!




You will need:

Peppermint candies
Metal cookie cutters
Non-stick cooking spray
Parchment paper
Toothpick or skewer
Twine or ribbon

Preheat oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spray the inside of each cookie cutter with cooking spray. Lay cookie cutters on baking sheet and fill with a layer of peppermints. Bake for 5-10 minutes. Keep an eye on candy as it melts, remove from oven when candies have melted together. Lightly coat a toothpick with cooking spray and use it to make a hole in each group of candies. Let candy sit inside cookie cutter until it re-hardens. Once hard, carefully stretch out the cookie cutter, pulling it away from the candy, to pop out your ornament.

• These ornaments are really so easy, but it may be helpful to make a trial run: Place one peppermint-filled cookie cutter into the oven to get an idea of how fast the candy will melt and how quickly it will cool and re-harden after you remove it from the oven.
• Squeeze as many peppermints, side-by-side, into your cookie cutter as possible. If peppermints melt into too thin of a layer, try layering peppermints in the cookie cutter to make a thicker, more sturdy, ornament.
• Don’t forget to be careful around the hot metal and melted candy! This is a fun craft to make with children, just be sure to provide plenty of supervision.
• Candy does get sticky if it’s handled too much. It should be fine after it’s hanging on the tree, but you can add a coat of clear sealer if you’d like.