The joy of holiday decorating infected Tot, and he wanted decorations in his room. The window gel clings I had bought him were not cutting it. So, I bought him a cute little tree for eight dollars at Target. We hung some shatter-proof bulbs I had on hand, and it was almost complete. Tot insisted the tree needed “something on the top.” I’m lazy and cheap. There was no way I was driving to town to buy a topper for a five-year-old’s Christmas tree. Plus, why buy when you can fold it into your lesson plans? Inspired by the “star with a tail” from The Advent Storybook by Antonie Schneider and Maja Dusikova, which is our reading for this month, I came up with this simple project. As we were creating the topper, I asked questions relating to the stories we’ve read in the book so far.
Materials:
toilet paper tube, star stencil, yellow construction paper, scissors, glue stick, curling ribbon
Procedure:
- Have your student trace the same large star twice on the construction paper.
2. Once traced, have your student cut out both stars and set aside.
3. Have your student cut at least three lengths of curling ribbon.
4. Glue the ends of the ribbon to one of the stars.
5. Glue the second star over the first, covering the ends of the ribbon.
6. Glue the star to the outside of the toilet paper tube.
7. Have your student top the tree by slipping the tube over the tallest branch.
8. Enjoy little child smiles of delight.
six5mom 
Great idea! Not lazy or cheap but creative and intentional!