Christmas Crafting-A Winter Sled for the Christmas Tree

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With all the shopping and the parties and the programs, December is just one of those months that gets away from you before you know it! Unbelievably, Christmas is one week from today! And no, I’m not ready for it, but I’m really not stressed about it either! I refuse to stress this year. Somehow it’ll all get done…

I was pretty anxious to begin Christmas break and almost made last Friday our final day for the year. But on second thought I decided to go ahead with school, but with a much more relaxed schedule and some special activities planned. Aside from some struggles with December illness among us, it’s been a good week thus far. We’ve continued with our Bible studies and got the kids to a good stopping place in their math. On Monday the kids decorated handmade Christmas cards to send to some elderly shut-ins from our church and later in the week we’ll do Christmas candies and cookies and do a little shopping together as well.

Yesterday we set aside some time for a craft–new ornaments to add to our Christmas tree. Sleds!

They were incredibly simple. I used both jumbo craft sticks and regular ones, just because I had some of both on hand, but you can use one or the other. Just line 5 of them up like so….

Then hot glue a stick perpendicular to the others so it extends beyond both sides of your sled, like the ends of the crosspiece for steering. Then glue another stick toward the bottom, but cut or break this one so it’s no wider than your sled, just to help hold it all together. This is actually the underside of your sled.

Add some color! We used washable paints. (The Crayola kind, which are actually WASHABLE. Over the years I’ve learned that a lot of stuff that says it’s washable is NOT!) Spray paint would be quicker and easier, but probably less kid-friendly. And you could also use markers. With the exception of Peanut, who loves orange, my kids chose to be very colorful. Mine is the practical, boring red one.

Two more sticks hot glued to the bottom act as runners. (I should have put these on before I painted.) Then we added dots of glue and sprinkled on some white glitter for snow. A strip of ribbon is the pull rope and acts as a hanger.

Pretty cutesy, if I do say so myself! And the kids had a good time making them, which is what matters most of all. Another Christmas project is in the works for today. I want my kids’ last week of school for 2012 to be fun, filled with all the chaos and mess that goes along with creativity!

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