Pine Cone Wreath

Pine cones are excellent material for making art and crafts. They come in lots of shapes and sizes. When collecting, it's important to leave behind the cones that haven't opened. The seeds from these cones should be left so that the animals such as squirrels and chipmunks have something to eat. Find the cones that have the tips spread open. After you bring home the cones and allow them to dry, you need a wreath base to attach the cones to. A pizza box or other sturdy cardboard could be used to make a doughnut shape or any other shape you might like. You can attach the cones with a hot glue gun or tub and tile caulk that comes in tubes. You can add other natural materials such as dried flowers, leaves, moss, or stones if you like. Attach a wire loop to the back of the wreath and hang.

Bread People and other Bread Shapes

You need:

1 cup water
1 cup salt
3 cups flour
mixing bowl

What to do: Mix all the ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Knead the dough until it's smooth. The dough should feel smooth and rubbery when it's ready to form. To make a bread person make a small ball for the head and a larger ball for the body. Connect the two using a drop of water. Roll the dough to make arms and legs. You can press a small amount of the dough through a garlic press to make the hair, or just form it around the head. Attach the arms, legs, and hair to the body using a little water. Add cloths using more dough and draw a face with a toothpick. You could also make ornaments for your Yule tree - try using cookie cutters! Ask a grown-up to bake your bread in an oven for 2-3 hours at 275 degrees. Let cool and decorate with tempra paints if you wish.

Pomander Balls

You need:

oranges, lemons or apples
push pins or small nails
whole cloves
spice mixture:ground, allspice, cardamom, cloves — mix you own combination
shallow pan to hold the spice mixture
yarn or ribbon for hanging

What to do: If necessary (when using a thick-skinned fruit), use the nail or push pin to puncture holes in the skin of the fruit about 1/4 inch apart. Press the whole cloves directly into the fruit, working to cover most of the skin of the fruit. This can be done over several days. When the fruit is studded with cloves, roll the fruit in the spice mixture. Knot two pieces of yarn or ribbon together at the middle and place the pomander over the knot. Take up the four ends, tie them together in a firm knot and then tie a bow.