This craft is very simple to do and you can really go to town with decorating it! Prop the little Christmas tree decoration up on your mantelpiece, use it to make a Christmas card, or hang it from your real Christmas tree. You could even plant it in a tiny pot and use it to decorate your Christmas table.
Watch Tilly make the tree in our video, or scroll down for written instructions...
You will need:
Lollipop sticks (popsicle sticks), green (or plain, painted green)
Green pipe cleaners (chenille stems)
Beads (optional)
Glitter glue (optional)
PVA (white) glue - for making a card or hanging decoration
Ribbon - for hanging the decoration
Instructions:
1. For a simple Christmas tree:
Place the pipe cleaner on top of the lollipop stick, at right angles to it, and about 1 inch down from the top with about 1 inch protruding to one side. Holding it in place with your thumb, wrap the pipe cleaner tightly round the lollipop stick and then trim.
Do the same 2 or 3 more times down the lollipop stick, each time making the "branches" slightly longer.
2. Make a Christmas card:
Run a thick line of PVA glue along the lollipop stick and place the tree onto a folded card. Weight it down while the glue sets. We added a gel star sticker above our tree.
3. Beading your tree:
Even the youngest kids will find it easy to push little beads onto the branches of the tree. We used pearly beads on our glittery pipe cleaner tree, and bright plastic beads on our plain pipe cleaner tree.
4. Make a hanging Christmas tree decoration
To make a hanging decoration, you will need two lollipop sticks. Make a loop of ribbon and sandwich it between two lollipop sticks, gluing it in place. Younger children should wait for it to dry and the continue as before. Older kids should be able to continue straight away if they hold the sticks firmly in place while they wind the first loop of pipe cleaner around the lollipop sticks!
