HANDCRAFTING A BEAUTIFUL PINECONE HOLIDAY CENTERPIECE

 

 

 

 

As a Kindergarten enrichment teacher, in a private school with no real budget, I am always thinking of how I can have the kids make a gift for parents that is both inexpensive and beautiful.  Years ago I thought of a “green” and easy way for the kids to make a holiday table centerpiece. I have the kids make theirs as a gift for Thanksgiving but it will do for any fall or winter holiday, even as a Christmas centerpiece of you just add some holly or Christmas ornaments.

Materials needed—1.pinecones, 2.cardboard, 3.aluminum foil, 4.glue, 5.voitave candle in a glass

A .Cut cardboard any shape. I use a large paper plate to size mine.

B. Paint or leave natural color but put a circle in center for the glass

C. Glue a circle of aluminum foil in circle(to prevent fires from candle or heat from glass

D. Let kids pick their pinecones out and start to glue, telling them not to glue pinecones in the center of the circle      

E. Glue pinecones

After the glue dries you will have a beautiful masterpiece that is amazing, cheap to make, and organic. The kids will be thrilled about how beautiful the centerpiece came out and the parents will be amazed that their child crafted it. The center piece can last forever as a memento from your class.

                                Another inexpensive, child friendly craft from Miss Gail

 

PROVING PLANTS DRINK WATER

When teachers do a unit on plants they are always TELLING kids that all plants need water to survive instead of actually showing them.  An easy experiment to prove that plants drink water is to take white flowers such as daisy’s, mums, or carnations and put them into water with a few drops of food coloring.  I use small paper or plastic drink cups, one for each color, and put one or two flowers into each. 

 I let the kids add one color to each cup. Make sure you use enough food coloring to make a fairly dark color.  I also will put a cup with plain water, no coloring and add a flower.  Within two hours the flowers start to show some color.  By day two they should have the same color as if you bought them in the florist.

Now you have proven what you have taught the children in a way that will amaze them enough to forever remember how plants drink water