Tis’ the season to bust out the glue gun! Trust me, you won’t get “burned” with these Christmas ornaments. You might get a little glitter in your hair though! TeeHee.

This. This Christmas ornament has been in my life since I was in first grade! Mrs. Bearfield was my first grade teacher EONS ago and we made these together! My mother still hangs this ornament on her tree to this day. Ah-hem, I’m in my early 40’s. Shhhhh…don’t tell anyone.

I am a sucker for tradition, so guess what I make with my firsties EVERY year? You guessed it… a sweet treat! Because who doesn’t love ice cream?

Steps:

Hot glue the ornament upside down into the cone.
Drizzle Elmer’s glue from the top of the ornament to make the ice cream appear as though it is melting. (Avoid the top center so you can hot glue the “cherry on top”) I like to let it drip down the sides of the cone. You will have to turn the cone a bit for this “look”.
Sprinkle with glitter.
Using your glue gun, attach a red pom pom and ribbon for the “cherry on top”.
Hang from a clothesline as they dry for a festive look in your classroom until you are ready to wrap and send home as gifts for the families.

I already know what you are thinking… how does Lori’s mom STILL have this after 36 years? It’s super simple really. It’s all about HOW you WRAP these treats before they go home. SOLO cups!

A Sweet Treat

If you’re not a fan of ice cream, these Christmas cupcake ornaments are for you!

Just follow the same steps above except hot glue the ornament into the cupcake liner, have your students “frost ” the cupcake with white tempera paint and add sprinkles before it dries!

Santa’s Belly Ornament: Believe in Me

And here is one last simple ornament craft for kids. Santa’s belly ornament. I purchased these clear plastic ornaments (not glass) at Michaels.com. All you have to do is stuff with red crinkly cut paper or red yarn works great too! It’s a great fine motor activity for your kids and it takes them about 15 minutes to stuff Santa’s belly.

I cut thin black strips of black felt for the belt, a yellow square for the belt buckle and another tiny square to create dimension for the center of the belt. Yes, I prepared them all ahead of time. With more Elmer’s glue, it at comes together! No hot glue needed! No glitter either! #teacherwin

I created simple gift tags for these Christmas ornaments. You can download them HERE for FREE as my Christmas treat for YOU and your students.

HoHoHo! Wrap it all up!

This! Need an idea to help all your holiday treasures make it home safely to share with their families? A Santa’s belly laugh and bowl full of jolly? I help my students wrap all. the. things. (treasures) they created for their families in these Santa’s bellies.

Take the standard sized 9×12 sheet of construction paper, cut in into a square. A strip of black for the belt, add a Santa buckle. Glue it all down. My local grocery store (Wegmans) donates these brown grocery bags every year and we simply cut and glue… Done! Add ALL your student’s holiday treasures a few days before holiday break (to ensure they go home in time for the holidays) and all will be well.

These are just a FEW of my most favorite Christmas Ornament traditions in the classroom. I truly hope you love them as much as we do! I would love to hear of your holiday traditions in your classroom. Leave a comment below!