One of my favorite ornaments for the Christmas tree is a somewhat ugly god's eye that my brother made when he was 5. I fondly remember it decorating every tree of my childhood. This ornament became part of our family story.
It struck me the other day that making a god's eye would a sweet holiday craft that my girls could do and give as gifts. Not many materials needed, no plastic, not much crafting skill, and not too hard.
Perfect! Especially for a not so crafty, not so patient person like myself.
I found this video above of a boy making god's eyes with instruction and commentary from his mom. It turns out I really did need to review how to do it-- I didn't remember the under-over over-under pattern. Not that it matters, because sloppy, colorful god's eyes made by little hands are a treasure, no matter what they look like.
You'll see my girls are very proud of their first god's eyes. We might even try making them with toothpicks, and larger sticks like shown in the video. I did have to help (and mostly do it for) my three year old, but my five year old was really getting the hang of it.
I want to impress upon my girls that handmade presents mean the most, and that the holiday season doesn't have to mean harried shopping and mass consumption at mega-box stores.
This post is part of the Green Moms Carnival on homemade holiday ideas and family traditions. Check out it at the The Green Parent next week. I'm sure the carnival mamas will have lots of great ideas for holidays without all the spending, consuming, and stress.
What are your favorite ideas for homemade gifts for kids to create?
3 comments:
This is a great idea! I'll try with my kids. :)
Very cute! My girls will love this. Thanks for the idea!!
We have been making God's eyes for years. I learned how to make them at camp and now my kids love it! I have three boys.....and we make them all summer long. Thanks for sharing!
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