Winter Centerpiece

What You Need:

• Cotton balls
• Silver glitter
• Three small foam balls
• Black construction paper
• Orange construction paper
• Hole punch
• Glue
• Scissors
• Red ribbon
• Miniature fake pine trees
• Foam square
• Vinyl place mat

What You Do:

1. Put the foam square on the vinyl place mat. Have your child roll up her sleeves and prepare to get messy! She should use her hands to spread glue all over the foam square -- just make sure she doesn't get any glue on the bottom.
2. Take out the cotton and get ready for a fluffy snow storm. Let your child pile the cotton all over the foam square. Don't be afraid if the "snow fall" gets a little uneven. Little bumps and drifts will make your winter mountain look even better.
3. Now to assemble the snowman! Stack three small foam balls on top of each other, securing them with a glob of glue.
4. Help your child cut out a tiny triangular nose from orange construction paper and then glue it onto the top foam ball.
5. Show your child how to use a hole punch before having him punch four circles out of black construction paper. Use glue to attach two of the black circles as eyes on the snowman's face and the other two as the snowman's buttons.
6. Have your child tie a red ribbon "scarf" around the snowman's neck.
7. Stick mini pine trees into the cotton. Pull apart a cotton ball and drape the cotton strands over the trees.
8. For the final touch, let your child add a bit of sparkle by sprinkling fine silver glitter all over the entire project.

Don't let the spirit of the season fade once you and your child complete this winter centerpiece! Take a trip to the snow or borrow a book from the library about the winter season. Does your child know how trees survive the winter covered by all that snow? Find out together!