Three of the classes were focused on decorations they could display during the holidays for many years to come.
On Monday and Tuesday, I decided to bring back the holiday house and the pinecone elf workshop from the year before based on how much fun was had by the students.
I had the houses already cut out on watercolor paper prior to the workshop for the kids to design their homes. Once they were happy with their design, I did cut out their windows and the hole in the back for a battery operated votive candle for them with a x-acto knife for safety reasons.
While I was doing that the kids painted a flat wooden base white to adhere the houses on to later in the project.
After the students glued in some tissue paper on the inside of the house over the windows, they assembled the houses and began to paint.
There were some great imaginations in the room that day!
This young boy had a tree fall into his house a week or so prior to the workshop, at his bedroom window to be exact! Thankfully no one was hurt but he will always remember the dramatic events when he looks at this house with a fallen tree resting on the house!
I had a lot of things available for the kids to use for decoration and I love how this boy took some pipe cleaner and made Santa's sled sitting on the roof.
And how sweet is this car the artist drew onto the wood base? I thought it was a great touch.
And did the kids ever have fun decorating! Thankfully more is better during the holidays.
Well at least for most, but I love the quiet and serene little house created by this young little boy too.
When all was said and done, they painted a watered down glue mixture over the entire structure and glittered until their hearts were content so that it would sparkle at night when lit.
The next day, I ran a workshop to create pinecone elves. This is a project I created almost ten years ago and I still love creating them myself each year.
The students create a sculpted head on a wooden bead out of oven bake clay. Once it had cooled down, we hot glued it onto the pinecone they had chosen and they painted the face.
While the face was baking, they painted the circle wooden base and the pine cone white (so it looked snowy) then glued the pinecone onto the base. The children also had the opportunity to add some glitter to the wooden base and pinecone if they wanted.
Yep, more glitter!
Then using pipe cleaner, they pulled it through the pinecone to create the arms. Usually it fits in the pinecone tight enough that no glue is needed, but for a couple we added a quick dab of glue on the back side prior to pulling it through the pinecone so it would stay in place.
Finally, the artist added a beard they cut from white pipe cleaner, a felt hat from the pile I had quickly stitched up before the workshop (I created 24 of them in less than an hour, it is quick and easy) and any little decorations they wanted the elf to hold.
They were so cute we couldn't resist having them take an "elfie"!
And don't they look great displayed with one of the holiday houses created the day before? I was lucky enough to have one artist take both classes and leave the house overnight to dry so I could take a picture to show you what it all looked like together. Won't it make a great display at her house?
Finally I ran a snow globe ornament workshop. I found these great clear plastic baubles that were in two parts, so one could create something inside and then attach them together to create an ornament bauble.
reindeer
I wish I had bought more because the project was so much fun and I had so many children want to participate but not enough material to accept them all in the class. I'll definitely be keeping my eye out for these next year and will buy double the amount!
snowman
Each child created a sculpture using oven bake clay to put in their ornament. I brought out some wire for the kids to experiment with the clay. I love how the artist used the wire to create antlers for a reindeer above and how the artist below enhanced her Christmas tree using the wire.
I even had an artist use the toothpicks I put out for mark making in the clay for arms on their snowman.
abstract christmas tree
While the clay was baking, the students all took white acrylic paint and began to paint the inside of the ornaments. It was interesting to see how each child decided to tackle this part of the project.
Some painted just the bottom and added some snowflakes falling down. The artist above with the abstracted Christmas tree painted the snow dripping down from above, almost like icicles.
snowman
And this artist painted out the entire bauble except for a window on either side for the viewer to peek through. While the paint was still wet there was, you guessed it, glitter they could add to the inside too.
penguin
As the white paint was drying, they were able to begin painting the clay figures we then glued down on the inside edge of one side of the bauble before putting it together.
christmas tree
Unfortunately my pictures aren't the best because I was taking them in a hurry as the ornaments were walking out the door at the end of class.
presents
I was so impressed with all the holiday decor projects the kids created in these three workshops. As a parent, I would have been thrilled to see any of these walk through the door at my house when the kids were little. But best of all was watching how thrilled these young children were to be taking their works of art home to display.
It was crazy trying to get my own family's Christmas organized and run a week's worth of workshops right before the big day, but so well worth it in the end.
But not going to lie I felt much like this particular snowman that week, as if at any moment I would lose my head! I think most adults feel that way as the big day draws near.
I'm sure all these great works of art were enjoyed during what I hope was a wonderful holiday for everyone.
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