We’re all crazed this time of year and it
can be a real challenge to find a fun, easy hands-on activity for children. My
criteria for a craft project: 1) Minimal items required. I travel to three
schools, so portability is very important. 2) No water involved. I’m located in
the “back 40” at one of my sites with no easy access to water. 3) Versatile. It has to be open-ended so the child can make choices and have a chance to be creative. AND it has to be something that would appeal to many ages.
can be a real challenge to find a fun, easy hands-on activity for children. My
criteria for a craft project: 1) Minimal items required. I travel to three
schools, so portability is very important. 2) No water involved. I’m located in
the “back 40” at one of my sites with no easy access to water. 3) Versatile. It has to be open-ended so the child can make choices and have a chance to be creative. AND it has to be something that would appeal to many ages.
What to do? Craft stick Christmas trees!
Perfect!
Perfect!
You will need: 1) Craft sticks. You can
use plain or pre-dyed craft sticks. Head to Wal-Mart. 2) Glue-I like Aileen’s
Tacky Glue, but you can use Elmer’s or even glue these ahead of time using a
hot glue gun. 3) Decorative items to glue onto the trees. Sequins are a
favorite! 4) Ribbon to make a loop at the top. 5) Brown construction paper OR
cardboard from a cereal box for the tree trunk.
use plain or pre-dyed craft sticks. Head to Wal-Mart. 2) Glue-I like Aileen’s
Tacky Glue, but you can use Elmer’s or even glue these ahead of time using a
hot glue gun. 3) Decorative items to glue onto the trees. Sequins are a
favorite! 4) Ribbon to make a loop at the top. 5) Brown construction paper OR
cardboard from a cereal box for the tree trunk.
Begin by gluing together the craft sticks
to form a triangle (ooh-there’s a basic concept word to teach, and a
R-blend, too–now you see how I operate as a therapist). You will have to adjust the angle of the triangle before the
glue sets.
to form a triangle (ooh-there’s a basic concept word to teach, and a
R-blend, too–now you see how I operate as a therapist). You will have to adjust the angle of the triangle before the
glue sets.
Cut out the loop for the top. Glue the
ends together to form a loop and glue it behind the top of the tree.
ends together to form a loop and glue it behind the top of the tree.
Have the child cut out a square for the
tree trunk. Glue it behind the bottom “rung” of the tree. For young kids, help
them find the center (there’s another basic concept word!) of the stick. Apply glue. Let
these set while choosing the decorations.
tree trunk. Glue it behind the bottom “rung” of the tree. For young kids, help
them find the center (there’s another basic concept word!) of the stick. Apply glue. Let
these set while choosing the decorations.
Next, select the decorations. You can use
sequins, buttons, foamie
shapes, natural items like miniature pine cones, feathers, ribbons, fabric
scraps-I could go on and on. Apply glue and place the decorations. You can
ask the the
child to describe the items, tell you where they are putting the item (more
basic concept words-below, above, next to, to the right of, to the left of, etc).
sequins, buttons, foamie
shapes, natural items like miniature pine cones, feathers, ribbons, fabric
scraps-I could go on and on. Apply glue and place the decorations. You can
ask the the
child to describe the items, tell you where they are putting the item (more
basic concept words-below, above, next to, to the right of, to the left of, etc).
Voila! The beautiful tree is
complete! Wait, I had another
brainstorm…this would make a GREAT picture frame. See below. Trim the photo to fit the frame and glue behind the craft sticks. And who is that
adorable little one? My oldest at the age of five. I was told more than once he
could be a model. Um, NO way….(and sorry for the bragging). He’s
now 24 and an electrical engineer.
complete! Wait, I had another
brainstorm…this would make a GREAT picture frame. See below. Trim the photo to fit the frame and glue behind the craft sticks. And who is that
adorable little one? My oldest at the age of five. I was told more than once he
could be a model. Um, NO way….(and sorry for the bragging). He’s
now 24 and an electrical engineer.
A word about integrating your student’s goals…I like to allow the kids to make choices about their activities. I then “follow the child’s lead” and weave in opportunities to address their individual speech/language goals as described above. You would be amazed at how many opportunities there are to target their goals! What other speech and language goals/objectives can you find that could be targeted with this activity?
Happy Holidays!
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