Gifts for Kids to Make

Gifts for Kids to Make

This holiday season why not let nature provide the materials for wonderful homemade gifts, and let kids provide the creative energy to make them! In our Family Room this month, you'll find instructions for making several gifts from the garden that can be made in under two hours with easy-to-find materials. We've also compiled a list of our favorite garden/nature-related fiction books that would make great gifts for budding gardeners.

Pomander Balls

Citrus pomanders make decorative and fragrant tree ornaments or natural air fresheners, and they are very long-lasting. Kids like the spicy scents of cloves and cinnamon, and there's something appealing about pushing tiny cloves into the citrus rind. Wrapped in festive paper, these make unique teacher gifts.

Materials:

• oranges, limes, or lemons
• whole cloves
• ground cinnamon
• ground orris root, optional (found in craft or grocery stores)
• thimble
• ribbon

1. Push the cloves into the fruit, pointed end first, to cover the surface, spacing the cloves about a clove's head distance apart (the fruit will shrink as it cures and pull the cloves closer together). Use a thimble to protect the fingertip that's pushing in the cloves. If you don't have a thimble small enough for your child's finger, wrap a washcloth around the finger to keep it from getting sore.
2. Mix together the cinnamon and orris root in equal proportions, or just use cinnamon. Place the fruit and cinnamon in a small bag and gently shake it to coat the fruit. Set the pomanders aside to cure for about 3 weeks.
3. For a hanging pomander, tie a ribbon around the ball, leaving a loop at the end.

Pounded Flower Prints

The color and shape of flowers and leaves can be transferred to fabric to decorate pillow cases or napkins or make prints for framing. Kids get a kick out of pounding the flowers, and it's often surprising what color pigment a flower will produce.

Materials:

• fresh flowers and leaves
• rubber mallet (a hammer will do in a pinch)
• white or light-colored cotton pillowcases, napkins, or fabric, depending on what the child wants to make. Old sheets work well if you want to make small prints suitable for framing.
• safety goggles
• wax paper
• newspaper

1. If using new napkins or pillowcases, wash them first to remove sizing. If your child is making a print to be framed, cut fabric 1 inch larger than frame size to allow a 1-inch border that can be wrapped around a piece of cardboard in the frame.
2. Cut flowers from stems, leaving a little bit of stem attached.
3. Choose a work space that can take pounding with a hammer, such as the floor or a sturdy work table. Cover surface with thick protective layer of newspaper, and place wax paper on top to keep the newsprint from being transferred to the fabric. Lay fabric on top of the wax paper. Have kids practice on scrap fabric first to see the effects of different flowers.
4. Kids can create a design by placing flowers and leaves one at a time face down on the fabric. Then place sheet of wax paper over entire design.
5. Now the fun begins. With safety goggles on, kids can hammer hard with the mallet through the wax paper to transfer the flower pigment onto the fabric. Move the hammer all over the flowers, including along the margins, to define the shape. Thick flowers require more pounding.
6. Remove wax paper and check the fabric. Kids may want to add more flowers and continue the process until they are pleased with the results. For a print to be framed, leave the small flower pieces that adhere to the fabric. For napkins and pillowcases, remove the residue.
7. Wash napkins and pillowcases in cold water and iron them. (Flower prints may fade when washed in hot water.) For a framed print, iron the fabric, then wrap the border of the fabric around the thin piece of cardboard that comes with the frame (or provide your own). Tape fabric to cardboard and place it in the frame.

Leaf Shade

These easy-to-make shades emit a warm glow and let the silhouettes of leaves show through when they are placed around a small lantern, lamp, or candle. They can also be sized to fit snugly around a lampshade.

Materials:

• leaves of various sizes with interesting margins
• wax paper
• 2-inch-wide ribbon or heavy wrapping paper for top and bottom edges of the shade
• paper towels
• glue stick

1. Spread paper towels on a work table or ironing board. Cut two 24-inch long pieces of wax paper, and lay one of them on top of the paper towels.
2. Arrange leaves on top of the wax paper, leaving a 1 1/2-inch margin around the edges. Leave space between the leaves for the light to shine through.
3. Lay the second sheet of wax paper on top of the first sheet, sandwiching the leaves in between. Cover with a layer of paper towels.
4. Iron the wax paper through the paper towel layer (with iron set on low temperature) to fuse together the wax paper layers. Avoid overheating the paper or you'll melt the wax entirely and the layers won't stick together.
5. Cut edging into two strips 2 inches wide and 24 inches long. Fold the strips in half lengthwise. Slip the top edge of the shade inside one of the folded strips and glue in place. Repeat with the other strip on the bottom edge of the shade.
6. Fold over ends of the shade to make finished edges and overlap the ends, gluing them together to form a cylinder.
7. Test the effect by setting the shade over a lantern or candle. Voila!