Summer Boost
Activity:
Make Glue Ornaments for Christmas
Gooey glue is the star of this holiday creation that will delight your junior artist and add original flair to your Christmas tree. The method is so simple that it’s practically genius! Give it a try and see for yourself what a perfect indoor activity it is to keep kids occupied when it’s too cold to go outside and play.
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What You Need:
- Glue
- Assorted beads and small trinkets
- Ribbon, string or wire
- Wax paper
What You Do:
- Lay out a piece of wax paper on your work surface.
- Ask your child to squeeze a puddle of glue onto the wax paper. The glue will shift a little bit before it dries so check on it a few minutes after your child squeezes it out to be sure that it doesn’t form open gaps where the wax paper is exposed within the design. It is hard to peel if there are opening pockets.
- Push a curved piece of ribbon, string or wire into the top section of the glue puddle. This will be the hanger.
- Have your child decorate the glue by placing beads and small trinkets of her choosing onto it.
- Keep the wax paper in a cool place for several days until the glue is completely dry. Some colored beads may bleed and stain the glue creating pretty streaks of color and adding even more visual interest to the ornaments.
- Carefully peel the wax paper off of the glue. Your child has created a unique ornament that everyone will enjoy touching – albeit very gently -- and admiring on the Christmas tree.
Why doesn’t the glue stick to the inside of the bottle? Because glue hardens when there is a loss of water from the formula. As long as the glue is inside the bottle and away from air, it will stay fluid. When it is exposed to the atmosphere, causing the water in it to evaporate, it becomes hard. That’s why it is important to keep the cap closed so that the glue doesn’t harden or dry out.
