Popcorn Garland: Make & Learn ~ The Bub Cafe

Tis the season to get festive and busy with less than 30 days until Christmas Day---shocking! Have you done all your holiday shopping? Organised your family dinner and planned the meals? Sent your oversea bound cards in the post? Bought stocking stuffers, wrapping paper and fancy ribbons?

My, oh, my, there is a lot to do. I'm exhausted just thinking about it all! But while I was sifting through all the yuletide tasks I need to do before the big day I wanted to find some fun stuff for my young son to do to get in the spirit of things. He is nearly three and a bundle of energy, so he'd need something that appealed him physically, mentally and creatively.

Then I had it---a Christmas garland strung on thread. Sounds simple but the task ticked many boxes for me.

What You'll Need

microwave popcorn (unflavoured)
brightly colour thread or yarn
a large plastic needle
space to get messy
holiday tunes (optional)

Set aside some quality time together to start this craft. You'll need to assist your child (depending on age) with microwaving the popcorn and keeping those impatient hands off until the kernels have cooled enough to handle with bare hands.

Toss the popped corn in a large bowl and crank up your holiday tunes---get in the spirit of it all. Cut large sections of coloured yarn for the garland and help the children thread the yarn through the needle eye. This requires good hand/eye coordination, so let them try to do it themselves even it takes several attempts. Offer praise when they accomplish the task and if it proves too challenging for their little hands, you can share the experience by getting younger children to choose their coloured yarn and watch you thread the needle for them. Maybe by next year, they will be able to thread their own!

Now for the fun part. Older children can get started with little instruction, but for the younger crowd, you'll need to slowly demonstrate how to thread the popcorn on the needle and pull it through. Do it a few times, taking your time and getting them to help by handing you a piece of popcorn to thread. If they are able, let the littlies have a go. Encourage them to keep at it until they are able to push the needle through the kernels by themselves. This is a great exercise in patience for yourself and a learning experience for the young ones. It teaches them that some things require practice, and that if you focus on the task at hand, if you keep trying, you will be able to master it in time.

If your little one is too young or just not ready for the task, don't leave them out. You can do the threading and they can pick out the 'biggest' kernels or maybe hunt for the smallest ones inn the bowl. Make it fun. Make it educational. Its a great opportunity to connect and have fun together.

When the garland is finished, help the children to secure the ends with a good sized knot. Now your garland is ready to hang. Use them to decorate the Christmas tree, draped along shelves, doorways... wherever you like. Children can even drape them over their own hands and nibble on their handy work. Just be sure to watch the under three crowd to ensure they don't become tangled in the garland or yarn. This is definitely a supervised craft project.

Ahhh...Now, For Something Different

Plain popcorn can look a bit drab or can be quite eco-friendly depending on how use it in the home. However, you can easily make the craft far more colourful with ordinary acrylic paint or food dye. In this case, once the kernels have popped and cooled, apply the paint or food colouring before you begin threading.

Alternatively, you could try some of the following items to thread on the yarn to give the craft a fun kick of colour or to make the garland into a truly edible decoration: