Christmas wreath

Objectives:

Creating a fun and easy holiday craft while building hand/eye coordination.

What You Need:

• wire clothes hanger (one per wreath)
• a pair of scissors
• some scraps of fabric
• a few pieces of colourful ribbon

What You Do:

1. Stretch the clothes hanger out into the shape of a rounded diamond.
2. Next, cut your fabric scraps and cut them into strips that are about 6 inches long by 1 inch wide.
3. Once you have a nice pile of fabric strips, you can begin making your wreath.
4. Tie strips of material onto the hanger until it is completely and totally full. You can make this easier for younger children by folding the fabric and looping it through itself on the wire.
5. You can complete your wreath with some lovely ribbon tied into a bow.
6. Hang your wreath by using the ready made "hook" of the clothes hanger.

Did You Know:

Historically, wreaths were used a sign of importance and victory. In ancient Rome for example, wreaths were placed on the heads of leaders like Julius Caesar, while the Greeks were in the habit of placing wreaths on the heads of athletes who were winners in the original Olympic Games. The tradition of hanging wreaths on walls most likely happened when someone decided to keep his/her head wreath as a decoration, instead of throwing it away. Today, wreaths of all sorts are used to decorate homes throughout the year, however, they are most often seen at Christmas time, hanging on holiday doors.

source: http://www.kinderart.com/seasons/xmaswreath.shtml