Happy Holidays, everyone!

I realize that although winter break may seem like a good opportunity to do some art projects with your kids, it's also a time when you have a myriad of things to get done.  So you might not have the time or patience to get crafty with your kids.  Let me remind you of one of the true benefits of getting your kids interested in arts & crafts:  sometimes, they can occupy themselves.  Let them have some creative time while you clean, bake, wrap, or whatever it is that you need to do in these last couple of days before the holiday.  Here are a few ideas.  (You decide what it really age-appropriate for your kids, but the idea is to give them some simple materials and open-ended possibilites.)

--Just drawing:  My very favorite activity.  Give them some crayons and a big stack of paper.  Tell them to think about the holiday, draw winter, draw snow, or something like that.  See what they come up with.  I bet you'll love it.

--Easy gifts:  I had a stack of paper strips about 2" x 11" left over from the holiday cards we made.  I gave a bunch to my daughter and suggested that they might make nice bookmarks.  She loved the idea and made a few for herself as well as one for every family member we will see during the holidays.  She wrote their names on the front ad drew a picture of them on the back.  She asked a lot of questions like, "What color eyes does she have?" and "What color shirt do you think she'd like to wear?"  It was a nice activity for her, and I can't wait to see her present them to everyone on Christmas.

--Ornaments:  Same stack of paper stips, different purpose.  My daughter thought of this on her own.  She cut the paper into shorter rectangles, made holes all around the edges with a hole punch (which are really relatively safe even for pre-schoolers), drew a design and looped a scrap piece of ribbon through one of the holes.  I love having this ornament that is completely her own, not made from some craft kit or recipe (not that craft recipes are all bad!)

--Placecards:   If you are having a "kids table" at your holiday gathering, perhaps your kids would like to make the placecards.  Let them trace a cookie cutter shape onto paper (star, gingerbread man, or some other festive shape), then cut it out and decorate it.  If they're not so scissors-savvy, you can cut it out for them after they've decorated it.  Let them make many and use the extras for gift tags, decorations, or ornaments.

I hope this helps.  Have a crafty holiday!

Grown-ups can think creatively about recycled materials too.  Here are some ideas (with easy craft potential) for re-using tissue boxes.

1. If it's pretty, use it for a gift box.  Put a gift inside and stick tissue paper (the gift wrap kind, not the blow-your-nose kind) out of the top. Instant gift box. (If it's not pretty, you can decorate it.  See our "New Gift Wrap" under Holiday projects.)

2. Plastic bag dispenser.  Of course, you're cutting down on plastic bags by taking your re-usabel bags to the grocery, right?  But if you still have some plastic bags around, roll them up, stuff them into an empty tissue box, and you have a plastic bag dispenser.  Decorate it for baby's room and now you have a great changing table accessory.

3. Kids' toy storage.  Cover them with brightly colored paper and label them.  Better yet, let your kids decorate and label them.  Put little toys in them, barrettes, matchbox cars, princess jewelry...whatever little things are all over your house.  Put them on a shelf.  Clutter-free and cost-free fun.

4. Mini trash can.  Maybe it's because we do a lot of crafty stuff, but it seems like we always need a trash can nearby.  Keep an empty tissue box near your kids' craft supplies for depositing scrap papers (then use those scraps for another project later).  Or put it in the car for those snack wrappers that seem to get left in the back seat.  Or put it on the nightstand on those sniffly nights for used tissues that might otherwise find their way to the floor.  For any of these uses, you can make a fun project by letting your kids decorate it--how about covering it in green paper and makeing a face with the opening as the mouth?  Oscar the Grouch trash can.

5. Craft materials receptacle.  Keep one handy so you can keep potential craft materials that would otherwise be trash.  Consider keeping it near your other recycling container, so you can deposit bottle caps, misplaced buttons, paper clips, or other small stuff that you want to keep for later.

Recycling...nothing to sneeze at.

The sales are in full swing, Santa is as ubiquitous as Starbucks, and houses are lit up like carnivals.  There's no denying that the holiday season is here.  Now is they time that people start getting a little crazy about gifts--selecting gifts, wrapping gifts, what they want, what they need, and how they can save money and still have it all.  Since I've been circling the mommy blogs and craft sites, I've seen numerous requests for DIY ideas and thoughts about how to make the holidays special without spending a fortune.  So, I'm here to do my part.  Here are some gift ideas that let you show off your thoughtfulness and creativity (and that of your children):

1.  A holiday book.  Work with your child to make a book for grandparents or other special people.  Come up with a theme that your child can write/draw about--something like "What does Peace mean" or "What do the holidays mean" or "Things l like about winter" or "A story about my family".  The theme should be open ended enough that your child can get creative and write/draw several pages about it.  Set your child up with crayons and computer paper and let them create.  Think about doing one or two pages a day until you have enough for a book (let's say 8-10 pages). To make the cover, get two pieces of poster board or card stock the same size as the pages or slightly larger.  Let your child write the title or draw on a 5 x 7 piece of paper, and affix this to the cardstock.  Hole-punch two holes along the edge of the cover and pages, and string a ribbon through, tying the bow in front.  That's a simple and priceless gift.

2.  A family scrapbook.  Another great way to present memories to a relative, collect some of your child's artwork (I'm sure you've saved some this year).  Scan, photocopy, or photograph them so that you have pages all the same size.  These will be the pages of your scrapbook.  Now, gather together family photos from throughout the year and glue them to the art pages.  Talk with your child to come up with captions for the photos and write them, or type them and cut out labels.  Bind the book as mentioned above (under Holiday Book) and use another photo for the cover.

3.  Paint-your-own pottery.  Terracotta pots are very inexpensive, and offer a great opportunity for a low-cost hand-painted gift.  See our "Paint your own pottery" project under Recycled Art for the detailed instructions.  And give some thought to the saucers (the little trays that go under the pot).  You can have your child paint these (or paint them yourself) and give them as jewelry holders, catch-alls, coasters, or pillar candle holders.  Or even as a painted plaque that can be hung on the wall.  Try using letter stamps and paint to spell "JOY" or some other festive sentiment.

4.  Jewels for kids.  For kids gifts, glue-on rhinestones from the craft store can make just about anything look as good as real jewels.  I saw my daughter's friend squeal in happiness at the sight of a bejeweled necklace my daughter made for her.  So if your child is giving gifts to a friend or cousin (and if that friend or cousin is into sparkly stuff), you might want to buy a pack of gems for a few dollars.  Try making the simple necklace (see instructions under Recycled Art).  Or try adorning an inexpensive headband with some of these gems.  Glue them on the top of a baby food jar or a small plain box to make a keepsake box that shines.  Glue them onto a longer box to make a pencil case, and add the child's name with permanent marker or sticker letters.  Remember, the sparklier the better.

5.  Just plain art.  For a special relative or friend, a child's painting or drawing can be the most special keepsake.  Get an inexpensive frame and mat for your child's drawing and give a masterpiece.  (Also see a canvas painting option under Paint & More.)

Since I've upped the level of crafting from recycled materials, my kids have really been enthusiastic about two things.  1)  We can recycle everyting! 2) Everything can be a project!  It's just what I was hoping for.  During Halloween, we had the Friendly Bats hanging from the lights in our kitchen from threads, and knowing that Halloween decorations had to go away, my daughter started thinking about her next project.  "If we hang something else from there, we'd be recycling the string!" she said.  Eyeing up a yogurt container like the one she used for the bats, she commented, "We could make reindeer--this will be the body, and we need a different container for the head, and we can attach strips of paper for the legs!"

Now, every scrap of paper, nearly every piece of trash is something that can be used for a project, according to my 5-year old.  And we've always done crafts, and we've been talking about recycling (and doing it) for quite a while.  But I think it was really the yogurt container bat project that sparked her appreciation for trash.

That's an example of the importance of introducing your kids to different materials.  You never know what project, however silly it might seem, will open their eyes.  You never know what will really get their creative juices flowing.

So go forth and make projects from trash.  Even if you don't end up with the next Robert Rauschenberg, maybe you'll end up with the greenest kid on the block.