Natural Holiday Crafts To Do With Your Grandchildren

December is the perfect time of year to create holiday crafts with your grandchild. These (mostly) natural crafts will add a warm holiday scent to your home along with a rustic feel. The warm aromas bring back happy memories of traditional Christmas decorating. Share these happy memories with your grandchild. Have a day of holiday fun with your grandchild creating these unique, eco-friendly decorations.

Pinecones can be used for so many different craft activities! Go outside or take a trip to your local craft store to pick some up. Create these natural crafts with your grandchild for a wonderful experience. 

• Snowy pinecones. This pinecone craft will bring a smile to your grandchild’s face as they create a winter wonderland. All you need for this activity is pinecones, white acrylic paint, glitter, and ribbon.

1. Gather some pinecones on a nature walk or buy some in your local craft store.
2. If you and your grandchild collected the pinecones outside, bake them at 250° for an hour to kill the insects and open the pinecones up.
3. After they cool, apply the white acrylic paint to the tips of the pinecones. Or if your grandchild prefers, paint the whole pinecone.
4. Roll the pinecone in the glitter while the paint is still wet.
5. Allow the paint to dry.
6. Hang the pinecone with twine or ribbon to create ornaments, or display in a large bowl or vase.  

• Birdfeeder pinecones. Your grandchild will love making this craft. It will bring excitement and joy for days to come as you enjoy watching the birds that come to visit. For this activity you will need pinecones, peanut butter, birdseed, and ribbon.

1. Cover the entire pinecone in peanut butter.
2. Roll the peanut butter-covered pinecone in birdseed.
3. Attach a ribbon or twine to the top of the pinecone.
4. Hang outside and see how many birds come for a snack!

This craft is not only fun to make with your grandchild, but will make your home smell amazing. And it doubles as a lovely ornament. All you need to create this natural craft with your grandchild is some oranges, whole cloves and ribbon.

1. Stick the whole cloves in the skin of the orange.
2. Arrange in a pattern or stud the whole orange for a stronger smelling pomander.
3. Tie a ribbon around the orange and hang anywhere in your home for a fragrant festive ornament! 

Cinnamon sticks are another natural item that you and your grandchild can use to create beautiful decorations. These ornaments smell great too! All you need for this holiday craft is cinnamon sticks and some narrow pieces of fabric.

1. Use the cinnamon stick as a base and tie the fabric around to create a bow.
2. Repeat and create as many bows as you like.
3. Place in your tree for a lovely smelling ornament or fill a bowl full of the bow-tie cinnamon sticks. 

These cute little decorations are perfect for hanging on the Christmas tree.  Cranberry hearts are simple decorations kids love to make. All you need to do this craft with your grandchild is dried cranberries and thin wire.

1. String the dried cranberries on a wire that is at least 7 inches long.
2. Mold the wire into a heart shape and secure the wire by twisting both sides together.
3. Attach another wire at the top in a loop so you can hang the ornament. 

Salt dough crafts are easy to prepare and leave a lot of room for your grandchild’s imagination. You and your grandchild can prepare some dough, make holiday shapes and then bake for a lasting natural decoration. For this recipe all you need is 1 cup of salt, 4 cups of flour, 1.5 cups warm water to prepare the dough. Use varnish, paint, and glitter if your grandchild wants to decorate more and preserve the ornaments after you bake them. 

• Salt dough initials and shapes. Your grandchild can create whatever decoration they please with the salt dough! They can sculpt their initials, use cookie cutters to make shapes or hand make shapes.

1. Mix the salt and flour well in a large bowl.
2. Gradually add the water while stirring with a spoon.
3. Finish mixing with hands and knead until soft and flexible.
4. Roll out with a rolling pin until flat so it is easy to cut out shapes.
5. If you want to hang as an ornament, make a hole in the top with a straw or toothpick for the string to go through.
6. Bake at 325° until hard (about 1 hour).
7. Decorate with paint and varnish to preserve the decorations. 

• Salt dough handprint ornaments. For this craft all you need to do is follow the steps above with a slight modification. Create these treasured keepsakes of your grandchild’s tiny handprints to save for years to come!

1. Follow the above steps to prepare the dough.
2. Roll out the mixture and form a circle large enough to fit your grandchild’s hands.
3. Put a hole in the top with a straw so you can hang your keepsake.
4. Have your grandchild press their hands in the mold to leave their handprints.
5. Bake at 150° for an hour or until hardened. You can also have the mold dry overnight if you prefer.
6. Decorate with paint and varnish to preserve your keepsake decoration. 

Capture the warm feel of the holidays with your grandchild by creating these unique decorations. Using natural ingredients will bring your home a rustic look and a fantastic smell. Your grandchild will love the experience of making homemade decorations with Grandma and Grandpa. Alert1 wishes you a happy holiday season filled with joy! 

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