Craft Project: Macaroni Christmas Tree

Friday was a half-day of school for my two girls with the beginning of their Christmas break, and I was also keeping Neighbor Girl that day. As things started to get a little crazy, I decided we needed an activity. The day before, my youngest brought home an ornament she made at school. So I thought we'd try to make something similar.

You'll need a sturdy card stock/cardboard cutout of a tree or star
(or both together), paint, dry pasta, glitter, glue.

I made my cutout on my computer, printed it on card stock, and cut it out. Just make sure your paper is really sturdy. Of course, you can make your cutout be whatever shape you'd like it to be. It doesn't have to be a tree. If you are making an ornament, go ahead and punch a hole in the top.

I used Elmers glue and we just made a lot of glue trails
all over the tree, and then the girls started to add their pasta.
Make sure each piece of pasta is laying flat and not piled on
top of each other.

Take a little break and allow the glue to dry. I used a hair dryer to speed this process up a bit. I didn't want the natives to get too restless.

When the glue is dry, it's time to paint. We just used regular craft paint. The trick is to get the kids to dab the paint brush, with lots of paint (instead of strokes), to cover the whole thing and get paint into all the crevices. It was a little more difficult to get the 3-year-old Neighbor Girl to understand this. My 5 and 7 years old understood a little better.

After painting each color, while the paint was still wet,
we added glitter.

We used lots of different colored glitter
to give the appearance of colorful
lights and ornaments on our tree, but
only yellow and gold glitter for the star.

So I really just made this up from looking at the ornament my daughter brought home. Later, I looked online to see if I could find actual instructions. One I found suggested spray painting the whole thing after the glue was dry. Spray paint would be a job for the parent, so in my case that would have been contrary to my intentions. Another suggested painting the card stock/cardboard first, then painting each individual piece of pasta different colors for ornaments and glue them on. Sounds cool, but I could see that getting really messy with little ones.

I don't think there's really a right way or wrong way. It kept the kids entertained and out of trouble. They enjoyed it, and that's what counts. Neighbor Girl's PawPaw thought it was pretty cool, too.

For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this. Isaiah 9:6-7