Issue 9Festive Fun in the Garden for Children

COLUMNIST: JOANNE EVANS
Festive Fun in the Garden for Children
Profile ImageJoanne Evans has run her garden design business and Gardening4Kids (Gardening School) from Aberdeenshire since 2012. Passionate about teaching children about the joys of gardening, where their food comes from and the natural environment, she is a qualified Forest School leader. In her regular column, Joanne gives simple, seasonal activities which you can do outdoors with your children.
As the nights draw in and the weather gets colder, it is time to wrap up warm and enjoy some winter activities in the garden. There are festive craft activities you can be doing with your children or grandchildren as Christmas approaches using natural resources which are easy to find.
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Christmas Tree Nature ArtNature Art is a great way for children to be creative outdoors during the winter months and costs nothing!
What you will need:

Evergreen leaves – holly or conifer work best

Red berries

Pine cones

Sticks

Camera

What to do:
Gather your natural resources and create your own Christmas tree on the ground. Don’t forget to take a photo of it when you have finished!
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Make a Wood Cookie Christmas Tree Decoration
What you will need:

Small wood cookie slices (cut your own or buy at a craft store)

Hammer

Small nails

Thread

Small eye hooks

Ribbon or string

What to do:

Lightly sketch the outline of the shape you want to make on a wood slice – a 5-point star or a triangular tree work well.

Lightly mark dots where you want the nails to be. For the star, it is good to mark every angle/point. For the tree, just space the points evenly around a triangle.

Using the hammer, tap small nails into the wood slice at each marked point. You do not need to go all the way through the slice.

Knot a piece of thread around one of the nails (an adult may need to help with this part for younger children).

Wind the thread around the nails.

When finished, tie another knot around a nail. Leaving a little extra thread, trim the thread and tuck the excess under the string art.

Screw a small eye hook into the top of the wood slice string art ornament. Tap it lightly with the hammer to get the hole started and then screw it in by hand.

Thread ribbon or string through the eye hook and hang the ornament on your Christmas tree or you could use it as a gift tag for someone special.

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