Published on December 16th, 2013 Updated on January 10th, 2023 By Linda McGurk
Arts and crafts seem to come naturally to some people. In McGyver-like fashion they’ll make a crib mobile out of two empty toilet paper rolls and an old dish cloth and make it look like a million bucks. Unfortunately, I’ve never been one of those people. My ‘A’ in ninth-grade Art class hasn’t done me any favors for years and my home decor is more likely to come off the shelves of IKEA than from a craft room in my basement.
But for the sake of my kids and to get into the holiday spirit I’ve tried to get over this ineptitude and have some fun creating a nature-inspired Santa craft over the weekend. What’s so liberating about doing these things with children is that they usually let their creative juices flow without getting competitive or judgmental (though this is not quite true for my oldest daughter, who was quite adamant in pointing out that her Santa was far superior to her little sister’s). And they’re not afraid to break from convention. If they want Santa to have a yellow face and a sparkly hat, then that’s how it’s going to be.
My version is a little more traditional-looking but however you want it to look is fine. Some of my Swedish readers may recognize it as something they did in preschool – at least I know I did. It’s a great craft for those days when it’s too cold to stay out very long!
Materials:
- 1 round piece of wood, approx. 2-3 inches in diameter
- Paint (we used acrylic – as long as it sticks on wood you’re fine)
- Cotton balls
- Other accessories of your choice, for example acorns, sequins and seeds from trees
Step 1: Cut the pieces of wood at an appropriate angle. These are approximately 60 degrees. If you want the Santa to have a bigger body, make the pieces longer and leave more of the wood under the cut.
For more fun ideas on what to do with your kids this holiday season, check out the ideas of some of these outdoor bloggers:
Go Explore Nature: 25 Christmas Nature Activities for Families
The Magic Onions: How to Make a Pine Cone Garland
Active Kids Club: How to Celebrate an Outdoor Christmas
Travelling Mel: 25 days of fun (or our Advent Activities) 2013
Cragmama: 5 Homemade Ornament Ideas for Outdoor Trees
Cragmama: Birdseed Wreath: Wintry Decor for your Feathered Friends!
Adventure Tykes: How to Make an Ice Decoration
Love it! This cannot be just for Xmas! We have used pieces of wood shaped like different things. My parents painted some wood to look like a watermelon and it made a cute yard ornament. We have a piece of wood that resembles an owl. The wood was just found in nature or piece from already cut fire wood.
That’s true, it can be done any time of the year:o) There are a lot of interesting shapes in nature and I’ve noticed that the kids enjoy trying different textures, versus always painting on paper.
These are so cute!! I can totally see this idea being used year round depending on the holiday at hand!!
Thanks, Sharon!
My daughter will love this… she’s been on a real kick lately with making crafts out of bits of trash (jars and cans and things like that) or things from outside like sticks and rocks and leaves. This is right up her alley 🙂
Sounds like a perfect activity for her then!