German Crafts
GERMANY: Edelweiss Hat
Epcot Fun Stop crafts from FamilyFun
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Rated by 15 members
In the region of southern Germany known as Bavaria, you'll often see men and boys
in traditional folk hats graced with a feather or an edelweiss, a delicate Alpine
flower. Our paper version of these hats offers both.
To make one, fold the green construction paper in half to make it 9 by 12 inches.
Fold the two creased corners toward the center to make two 6-inch right triangles,
leaving 3 inches at the bottom. Fold each 3-inch flap in half, then fold up again to
form the brim. Cut a flower shape out of the white paper, glue on the yellow circle,
and glue it to the hat's brim. To make the chin strap, punch holes on each side of
the hat's brim, string the elastic through, and knot at each end. For a final touch,
stick the feather in the fold of the hat.
MATERIALS
12 x 18-inch sheet of green construction paper
Scissors
3 x 3-inch square of white paper
Glue stick
Yellow paper circle, 1 inch in diameter
Hole punch
2 feet of elastic
Feather
Wurfkastanien (Throwing Chestnuts)
Children can play a traditional German game, called Wurfkastanien,
after they make this craft. For this craft, you will need one chestnut per
child, pieces of different colored crepe paper cut about 20 inches long,
a small piece of string and a small screwdriver. The large end of a
carrot can be used in lieu of chestnuts. Prior to making the craft,
puncture a hole in the chestnuts or carrots. Have children feed the
piece of string through the hole. Next, the select two pieces of crepe
paper. Have them lay the pieces of crepe paper on top of each other
and fold in half. The crepe paper is then tied to the chestnut or carrot
with the piece of string that was fed through. Once the craft is
complete, have children play with their Wurfkastanien by attempting to
throw it in a bucket that is placed about 10 feet away from them.
Read more: German Crafts for Kids | eHow.co.uk http://www.ehow.co.uk/list_6189418_german-craftskids.html#ixzz1LQDT8fZW
Recycled crayon ornaments
Dec 9, 2008 11:38 AM
By SUSAN HYDE, Raising Maine Contributor
Long before the advent of European blown-glass ornaments, German bakers would make decorative beeswax
ornaments in cookie molds. These ornaments are still a popular adornment on traditional German and
Pennsylvania Dutch Christmas trees.
This year, with the economy taking a nosedive, it makes sense to stick with homemade holiday traditions.
Follow in the German tradition with wax ornaments made from recycled broken crayons. If you’re a mom,
you know broken crayons are littered throughout your house.
Materials
* Aluminum foil
* Broken crayons in a variety of colors
* Razor blade
* Decorative pipe cleaners
* Christmas muffin molds, cookie molds or aluminum Christmas-shaped foil muffin tins (available in
some grocery stores during the holiday season)
* Small nail or screw
Instructions
* Line the bottom of the oven with aluminum foil.
* Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
* Peel the protective paper off of the crayons. “Freebie” crayons and cheaper brand names are typically
easier to peel because they usually only have one layer of paper. Crayola and Rose Art brand crayons are
more difficult to peel. An adult may want to use the razor blade to peel off stubborn paper.
* Place pieces of broken crayon in the muffin molds.
* If you are using aluminum tins, place the tins on top of a cookie sheet.
* Melt crayons in the oven. This typically takes 10-15 minutes.
* Remove the molds from the oven. Take care not to tip the molds since melted wax is quite hot and can
easily spill.
* Twist loops into decorative glittery chenille pipe cleaners and place, stem end, into the top of the shape.
The pipe cleaners will act as hangers for the ornaments.
* Allow the ornaments to cool and harden inside of the molds.
* Once the wax has hardened, remove the ornaments from the mold.
* Use a nail or a screw to carve a name, Christmas message or year into each ornament.
* Hang on the tree!
After the holidays, store your ornaments in a sealed container in a cool place. They’ll be a treasured addition
to your holidays for years to come!