Nutcracker Soldier

What You Need:

• Recycled cardboard tube
• Red construction paper
• Black construction paper
• Blue construction paper
• Tan construction paper
• Yellow construction paper
• Pom pom
• Wiggle eyes
• Cotton ball
• Glitter glue
• Double stick tape
• Scissors
• Pencil
• Red marker
• Tissue paper

What You Do:

1. Have your child cover the entire paper roll with a sheet of black construction paper.
2. Let her use scissors to trim the excess paper and tape to hold the sheet in place.
3. Help her measure and cut a strip of blue paper for the Nutcracker's fancy uniform. The paper strip should be about 1.5 inches wide and 6 inches long.
4. Have her use tape to wrap and attach the blue strip onto the paper tube. Make sure there is a a bit of room between the bottom of the blue paper and the bottom of the tube. The bit of black paper showing is the Nutcracker's feet. 
5. Repeat this process with the red and tan paper. The red paper will be the Nutcracker's jacket, and the tan paper will be his face. Use this opportunity to teach your child a short lesson about proportions. Should the height of the blue jacket be the same as the height of the Nutcracker's face? Give her time to experiment with different proportions.
6. The last paper strip will be the hat's decoration. Have your child cut a thin strip of yellow construction paper and tape it right above the tan paper.
7. To make the Nutcracker's face, help her glue on wiggle eyes and a pom pom for a nose.
8. Let her use markers draw in a happy face.
9. The Nutcracker is missing his beard! Help your child tear a small piece of cotton and glue it beneath the Nutcracker's smile.
10. Let her add glitter glue dots onto the blue paper to create bright jacket buttons.
11. Have her draw a line of glitter glue on top of the yellow band of the Nutcracker's hat.
12. For the final touch, help her gently stuff a sheet or two of tissue paper into the top opening of the cardboard tube. Her Nutcracker is ready to hold candy, chocolates and other festive goodies!