Winter & Christmas Crafts 2021
November 17, 2021
During my years teaching at a day care/preschool and teaching elementary Sunday school classes, I found that boys liked to create craft projects just as much as the girls. In the winter, many parts of the country have evenings that are too cold to venture outside. Other parts of the country have milder winters. Below are several craft ideas for your Ranger Kids and Discovery Rangers groups for those who aren’t able to be outside during winter months, giving boys a creative outlet. I even found a great craft that I think the Adventure and Expedition Rangers would enjoy.
RANGER KIDS
I tried to select craft projects that K–2nd graders could complete with little individual supervision. If you are the only leader with several boys, you will need crafts that boys can work on with some independence, allowing you to focus on the younger boys in the class.
Cotton Ball Penguin or Snowman
The is a great craft that is very simple. The basic supplies of cotton balls, various colors of cardstock, and white glue will let your Ranger Kids make either of these winter friends. Be sure to check the materials lists on the website below for the specific craft. You may want to precut the pieces for the younger kids in the group, or you could have templates printed that the boys could cut out.
Penguin: https://www.easypeasyandfun.com/cotton-balls-penguin-craft/
Snowman: https://www.easypeasyandfun.com/cotton-ball-snowman/
DISCOVERY RANGERS
I tried to select craft projects that 3rd–5th graders could complete with little supervision. If you are the only leader with several boys, you will need crafts that boys can work on with some independence, allowing you to focus on the boys who may need extra help.
No-Sew Penguin or Snowman
The basic supplies of socks, rice, rubber bands, markers, glue gun, scissors, and other embellishments will allow your Discovery Rangers to create either of these fun friends. Be sure to check the materials lists on the website below for the specific craft. I do recommend gluing on the hats because you wouldn’t want the rice to pour out later when the boys start tossing their new rice friend across the room.
Penguin: https://www.easypeasyandfun.com/no-sew-sock-penguin-craft/
Snowman: https://www.easypeasyandfun.com/no-sew-sock-snowman-craft/
RANGER KIDS & DISCOVERY RANGERS
Snowflake Marshmallow
If you are having a Christmas party in class one night, these snowflakes will be the perfect complement to some hot chocolate. You need toothpicks and large and small marshmallows. The boys can make them while one leader is heating the hot chocolate.
https://www.messylittlemonster.com/2019/01/snowflake-marshmallows.html
Snow Paint
You might consider doing this activity as a combined class or on the same night. The materials are few: shaving cream, white glue, peppermint extract (optional), glitter or buffalo snow, brushes, and cardstock. You need to remember two important things. First, chill the glue overnight then let it warm up for about ten minutes before mixing it with the shaving cream. Second, let the painting dry for the week before sending them home. The paint will dry puffy. You don’t have to feel limited to the snowman that the website shows. The boys can paint any winter scene or animal (think polar bear or artic fox).
https://www.growingajeweledrose.com/2013/11/shivery-snow-paint-recipe.html?m=1
Borax Snowflakes
This is a great experiment for Ranger Kids or Discovery Rangers. The resulting snowflake will make a great ornament to gift. Use pipe cleaners and wire cutters to make the basic snowflake shape. Then, add borax laundry soap to water in glass bowls or individual wide-mouth mason jars. Attach the snowflake to a wooden dowel with fishing line or ribbon. Don’t limit the boys to just snowflakes, you could just as easily create stars or trees with this method.
https://growingupgabel.com/borax-snowflake-crafts-for-kids/
RANGER KIDS & DISCOVERY RANGERS & ADVENTURE RANGERS & EXPEDITION RANGERS
Sugar Cube Igloo
With simple supplies of sugar cubes and white glue, this craft project will keep any boy entertained. This could be worked on over the course of one to three weeks. This is a great craft for boys in each age group to compete for the best design. You don’t have to limit them to igloos. What if the older boys created winter castles? If you don’t want to have the boys paint a cardboard base, you could cover it in cotton balls or batting, which will resemble snow.
Christmas
RANGER KIDS
Paper Plate Ornament
With basic supplies of paper plates, tissue paper, scissors, ribbon, and black construction paper, Ranger Kids will be able to make ornaments that are completely unique. These instructions say to lets the kids paint the glue on the paper plate at one time, I would recommend having the boys paint sections of the plate with glue.
https://www.craftymorning.com/paper-plate-christmas-ornament-craft-kids/
Laced Paper Plate Christmas Tree
This is not only a fun craft, but it helps to develop the fine motor skill of lacing. (You may need to put tape on the end of the ribbon to help the youngest boys with the lacing.) This is probably a craft project to complete over a couple of weeks. I recommend painting the plates the first week. You could also save time and mess by purchasing green plates. During the holiday season, you shouldn’t have trouble finding dark green plates. You may want to precut the plates to get the correct dimensions for the trees, or you can draw lines for the boys to cut along. Depending on which route you take with the plates, the only other supplies are a stapler, hole punch, brown cardstock, white glue, star foam stickers, and embellishments to be used as ornaments.
https://iheartcraftythings.com/paper-plate-laced-christmas-tree-craft.html
DISCOVERY RANGERS
3D Christmas Tree Card
This is a great craft to do with Discovery Rangers. With only a few supplies, the boys can make these cards to give to a parent or other relative. You’ll need dark cardstock, colored paper, star stickers, rhinestones, scissors, metallic pen, and tacky glue. If you start this early enough and have the boys create a few cards each week, you could have enough to give a card to every family in the church or in the neighborhood from Royal Rangers. You could create a mailing label with the church name and meeting time for your outpost.
Craft: https://onelittleproject.com/christmas-tree-card/
5-Piece tree template: https://onelittleproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Christmas-Tree-Card-5-Piece-Template.pdf
6-Piece tree template: https://onelittleproject.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Christmas-Tree-Card-6-Piece-Template.pdf
3D Paper Christmas Tree
These are just fun to make. There aren’t many supplies, and it’s not very messy. You’ll need green copy paper, scissors, and glue. If you use the template with the ornaments, then you would also need thin marker or colored pencils. You will want to have a completed sample for the boys to see, and you’ll want to make a sample in class so the boys see how the pieces fit together. It’s great to use before or after class or as a filler while signing off on boys’ advancement paperwork.
Craft: https://www.easypeasyandfun.com/3d-paper-christmas-tree-template/
Template: https://www.easypeasyandfun.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Paper-Tree-Template-two-versions.pdf
RANGER KIDS & DISCOVERY RANGERS
Christmas Craft Stick Characters
I had to include these because they were so cute. This is a project that could take a couple of weeks, depending on how much time you have. The biggest question to answer is will you have the boys paint the crafts sticks or will you do that. If the boys paint them, I recommend building several of each base that you plan to let the boys choose from by gluing the large craft stick together. If you are painting them, then you can paint them before or after assembling into the base forms. For Ranger Kids, you’ll need to precut the items, such as reindeer antlers. Once the building and painting portion is complete, the supplies needs are relatively few: wiggle eyes, paint markers, tan and orange felt, small and large pompoms, pipe cleaners, ribbon, buttons, and star stickers. The supplies needed will be based on which character(s) you use for the project.
https://www.thekeeperofthecheerios.com/2018/11/christmas-craft-sticks.html
Coffee Filter Snowflakes
This is another two-week project because the coffee filters will have to dry completely. The only supplies needed are coffee filters, washable markers, water, eye droppers or small measuring spoons, and a several sheets pans. Using washable markers is very important because the colors will bleed into each other to make a tie-dyed look when the water is added to the filter. The second week you will only need the dried filters and scissors. Be sure to watch that the boys don’t use too much water on the coffee filter. Be sure to scroll down through the entire page to see how to fold the dried filters before cutting them into snowflakes. There are also several patterns that you can print and show the boys or turn into template for them to use.
https://onelittleproject.com/coffee-filter-snowflakes/
Sandra Blanchard
Administrative Assistant to the National Director
Royal Rangers USA
Royal Rangers USA