Free Christmas Crafts

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Recycled Christmas Card Puppets

Copyright 2004-2008 Jane Lake All Rights Reserved

This is a simple little recycling craft for children old enough for cut and paste crafts. It shows how to make miniature stick puppets from old Christmas cards.

You Will Need

~ old Christmas cards
~ popsicle sticks, craft sticks or even plastic straws
~ white glue
~ kid-safe scissors
~ bowl or vase
~ filler weight for the vase (rice, beans, sand etc.) to support the puppets
~ Optional: white silk poinsettia flower

Craft Instructions:

Give the kids a supply of old Christmas cards and let them cut out the shapes of different Christmas characters.

Take the opportunity to discuss with the children the symbols of Christmas and their meanings.

Supply the kids with popsicle sticks or craft sticks; one stick for each puppet. Craft sticks sometimes come in prepainted colors such as green or red; if yours are plain, you could leave them as is, or paint them with craft paint.

Simply glue a cut-out character at the top of each stick. Display them together in a vase filled with rice, beans, sand, seaglass or marbles and topped with a single silk poinsettia bloom. The children can play with the puppets, then replace them in the vase when they are finished.