Reduce! Reuse! Recycle!

Even at Christmas time

Try having your class make these re-used and natural source ornaments.
The tree will look beautiful without creating a large environmental footprint.
 The following pages contain simple instructions for creating your own
ornaments. The ornaments are made from re-used materials or from
natural fibres.

Contents:

1. Pine Cone Ornaments

2. Metal Medallions

3. Pop Bottle Butterflies

4. Chip Bag Santa Sack

5. Cinnamon Stars

6. Twig Stars

7. Pop Can Angel

8. Pretzel Garland

9. Ornaments from Nature

 Pine Cone Ornaments

What better source of ornaments than our own backyards. Have your class go into the
school yard and collect cones, or have them bring some in from home.

Materials:

Cones
Paint
Paint brush
Thread
Old newspaper
Glue glitter

Instructions:

1. Collect cones
2. Paint edges of cone with brush
3. Set on scrap paper (newspaper) to dry
4. Tie thread in loop at top
5. Hang
6. Also consider dipping the edges of the cone in glue to apply sparkle glitter.

Note: the cones also make beautiful decorations if left natural. Consider tying a ribbon
in a bow on top to add some festive colour.
 Metal Medallions

Can you believe it’s made from a metal lid?!

Materials:

lids from frozen concentrate juice container

glitter glue
yarn or ribbon

Instructions:

1. Apply hot glue to edge of lid.

2. Immediately cover with ribbon or yarn.
3. Leave a loop of extra yarn on one side for hanging.
4. Apply glitter glue in a snowflake pattern (or any pattern) to front face of lid.
5. Lay flat to dry.
6. Hang.
 Pop Bottle Butterflies

Materials:

Plastic soda bottle

Pipe cleaner
Glitter glue
Fabric paint tubes

Instructions:

1. Create butterfly shape template.

2. Prepare soda bottles for students by cutting off top and bottom of bottle.
3. Cut remaining piece (centre) of bottle in two (each soda bottle will make two
butterflies).
4. Have students trace butterfly template onto their piece of plastic.
5. Carefully cut out butterfly shape.
6. Fold in centre.
7. Wrap pipe cleaner around centre for butterfly body.
8. Decorate with fabric paint and glitter glue.
 Chip Bag Santa Sack

Materials:

Chip bag
Ribbon or yarn
Stuffing (eg. Crumpled newspaper)

Instructions:

1. Thoroughly rinse out empty chip bags.

2. Turn inside out.
3. Stuff with stuffing, such as crumpled newspaper.
4. Tie with decorative ribbon or yarn.
 Cinnamon Stars

This cookie is made with a very high concentration of cinnamon with applesauce.

Materials:

Cinnamon
Applesauce
Toothpicks or straws (to make hole in dough)
Ribbon

Instructions:

1. Mix together apple sauce and cinnamon (a lot of cinnamon) until a dough
consistency.
2. Roll out onto flat surface (can pre-sprinkle with cinnamon) to about ¼ inch thick.
3. Cut with Christmas cookie cutters.
4. Use toothpick (or other narrow object) to make hole in top of shape (leave in until
dry).
5. Place on waxed paper on flat surface.
6. Leave to dry out for 3 – 4 days. (or bake at 200o F until dry)
7. Thread ribbon through hole and tie in loop.

Note: you can make your own patterns out of cardboard and trace onto rolled out
dough – cut out with butter knife.
 Twig Stars

Materials:

Sticks
Ribbon, string, yarn, raffia

Instructions:

1. Collect sticks from school grounds (do not pick from live trees).
2. Cut to be roughly 10 cm long.
3. Arrange sticks in shape of star.
4. Tie together by wrapping string around each section of stick in centre of star.
5. Tie loop with ribbon or string as well, to hang.
 Pop Can Angel

This angel is actually made out of a pop can!

Materials:

Pop can
Paint
Yarn or string (for hair)
Wire (for halo)
Tin foil ribbon or any other firm ribbon
Glue

Instructions:

1. Remove tab from pop can.

2. Rinse can thoroughly.
3. Paint angel face on top of can.
4. Bend can to shape (making sure to bend so face is facing right direction).
5. Glue ribbon onto can for hair.
6. Shape wire into halo shape and glue onto can.
7. Wrap ribbon around angel to cover body.
8. Tie bow at back for wings.
9. Leave tail of ribbon bow hanging to cover rest of can.

10. Twist section of ribbon around can to create arms.

11. Can place item such as mini wreath in angel’s arms.
 Pretzel Garland

A garland that is made out of pretzels is easy to create, preserves well from year to
year, and eliminates the need to buy other plastic based decoration strands.

Materials:

Pretzels (consider bulk store or bulk family bags)

Narrow ribbon

Instructions:

1. Provide each student with a bowl full of pretzels.

2. Have students select their ribbon choice and cut to desired length (suggest 1-2
meters).
3. Weave the ribbon through the holes of the pretzels, creating a chain.
4. Tie ribbon in a loop around the pretzels at each end to prevent from unravelling.
5. String on tree for garland type decoration
 Ornaments from Nature

Let your students’ imaginations take control!

Materials:

sticks, cones, wood shavings, cinnamon sticks, spices, leaves,

grasses/wheats, flowers, bark, anything you find!
ribbon, raffia, sting, yarn etc.

Instructions:

1. Collect natural items from the school yard (only from the ground – do not remove
bark, branches etc. from living trees). You may also find some natural items at
the bulk store to accent the decorations.
2. Using hot glue or white glue, create an abstract ornament.
 The ornaments in this document were hand-crafted by EcoSuperior
staff. They can be viewed in the front office. If you have other great
re-used or natural ornament ideas, feel free to pass them along to us
to share with others.