Warning: Although these projects are intended to be made by children, some may require the use of a stove, microwave, sewing machine or other equipment or materials that might require help. Please check with an adult before starting any project you find on this site.

Beaded Star Ornaments

Materials:
plastic and/or wooden beads of various shapes, sizes and colours
white, silver or iridescent pipecleaners for younger children, or thin craft wire for older kids
wire cutters
dark thread and needle, fishing line or length of ribbon (for hanging)

Cut three equal lengths of pipecleaner or wire (4-6" lengths work well). Thread one bead onto each pipecleaner. Push the tip of the pipecleaner back through a small ways. This forms one end. Push more beads on until you are about 1/2" from the middle, then reverse the pattern until you reach about 1" from the end. Push that end part way back into the last bead. Continue with all three pipecleaners. Once these are finished, twist all three together at the mid point. Thread about 4" of fishing line, thread or ribbon through one of the end loops of pipecleaner and tie off to form your hanger.

Pipecleaner Snowflake Ornaments

Materials:
white, silver or iridescent pipecleaners, 12" or 30 cm long; 3 1/2 per ornament
wire cutters
dark thread and needle or fishing line (for hanging)

Cut two of the pipecleaners into three equal lengths so you have six equal sections.
Form one section into a circle and overlap the ends by 1.5 cm (3/4"). Twist those ends together and pull them out straght from the circle (to make a very fat lollipop shape with a very short stick).

Pull the end of the circle opposite the twist out so that it forms a point and the circle becomes elongated. Measure 1 cm down from the point and twist from the point so that you now have a figure 8 where the circle was, with the top section of the 8 much smaller than the bottom. You may need to use a pencil to open up the smaller hole so it forms a circle. Repeat with the other five sections.

Use the "stick" ends of each section to twist each section to the next, and press any ends that are poking out into the centre.
Clip 6 3 cm (1 1/1/4") sections from the third pipecleaner. Centre and twist each one around a middle section of the figure 8's.
Thread about 4" of fishing line, thread or ribbon through one of the end loops of pipecleaner and tie off to form your hanger.

Pipecleaner Christmas Tree Ornaments

Materials:
one green or white pipecleaner
assorted colours of small pony beads or other beads
sequin or bead star
adult weilding a glue gun
dark thread, ribbon or fishing line (for hanging)

Thread your choice of beads onto the pipecleaner, leaving a small space between beads.
Once the length is beaded, form the pipecleaner into a zigzag that starts out very narrow and gets wider at each turn (see picture). Thread about 4" of fishing line, thread or ribbon through one of the end loops of pipecleaner and tie off to form your hanger. Glue star to the top.

Cinnamon Applesauce Dough

Ingredients:
1 cup applesauce
1 cup powdered cinnamon (or variation)
Variation: Use 1/2-3/4 cup cinnamon and add flour and if you wish, ground nutmeg, cloves or allspice to make up the difference so that your powder portion is equal to your applesauce portion

Mix dry ingredients well; add applesauce and stir well then knead, adding more dry ingredients if necessary. Form into desired shapes and air dry overnight. The dough will shrink a fair bit, so be sure to form your shapes about double the size you would like them to be once dry. Try making a flat sheet out of any leftover dough and break it into pieces for potpourri when it is dry.

Baker's Clay (Simple Salt Dough)

Baker's clay is a great non-toxic alternative to polymer clay for the younger set. It has the added bonus of being cheap and made from ingredients most people have on hand. The one thing to remember is that you will need to keep the pieces thin enough so that they do not crack as they bake. If you wish to work in 3-d, make a cone-shaped hollow in the bottom (or top) of your figure to minimize this risk.

Ingredients:
2 cups flour
3/4 cups salt
~1 cup of water
optional: food colouring or acrylic paints

Combine salt and water (and food colouring if desired) until salt is dissolved, then add to the flour slowly, stirring in and then kneading until well combined and at desired consistency.

Method 1: Bake and Paint

Form into shapes, being careful to seal overlapping pieces well with water. If you want to hang them, use a skewer or plastic straw to make a hole in the top. Bake at 275 F for 45-60 minutes. Cooled pieces can be painted with acrylic paints.

We use this to make Christmas tree ornaments each year. The ones above were formed using cookie cutters, and a toothpick to make a hole for hanging, or insert a bent paperclip into the top to make a hanger. You can also make 3-d shapes, but be sure to add a hollow or they may form a crack as they bake (as the snowmen below did).

To make a photo holder, coil one end of a length of craft wire, and insert the straight end into the top of the shape before baking. A little crazy glue or hot glue can keep the wire from wiggling if it should loosen.

To make a keepsake ornament, roll the dough into a large ball and flatten very slightly. Have the child press a bare hand or foot into the clay. Make a hole in the top for hanging and bake. Paint the print, then with a contrasting colour paint the edges and back of the ornament. Once the paint is dry, use a fine brush to paint on the date and name of the child. Once dry, coat with clear acrylic varnish.

Method 2: Tint and Bake

Blend dough ingredients until smooth (hand kneading works best). Divide the dough into separate bowls for tinting. Use food colouring (either liquid or paste) to tint the dough. You will need quite a bit of colouring. I suggest wearing plastic or latex gloves to hand knead the colour into the dough. Create your pieces, and use a toothpick to make a hole for hanging, or insert a bent paperclip into the top to make a hanger. Bake as above. Coat with acrylic varnish if desired.