It can be difficult to keep children from spending their holiday break from school in front of a TV or video game. At Free Arts for Abused Children in Arizona, a United Way partner organization where I serve as Development Director, our program staff is constantly creating fun and innovative projects for children of all ages to experience. At home and throughout our community, there are a host of fun and innovative projects to delight and inspire kids. Check out these activities with your family:

• Phoenix Zoo’s “Camp Zoo”: Students in grades K-8 join in fun outdoor and classroom activities such as up-close animal encounters, hikes, games, in-depth investigations and crafts.
• Phoenix Children’s Museum: Young kids and parents can enjoy 300 play experiences as well as special daily classes and activities at this hot spot. Decorate your own giant gingerbread person, make a candy cane reindeer, or be king or queen for a day by painting a castle and making your own crown and scepter.
• Crafts at Home: It’s important for children to understand there are no mistakes in art. Requiring minimal supplies and lots of family time, here are a few of my favorites to keep the holiday spirit going in your homes:

Button & Bead Ornaments

Supplies Needed:

• Pipe Cleaners
• Beads
• Buttons
• Clasps
• Ribbon
• Scissors
• Tablecloths
• Wire Hangers

Instructions:
1. Grab a pipe cleaner to create your ornament.
2. Decorate with beads, buttons, and ribbon.
3. Add a wire clasp at the top, or create a loop at the end of the pipe cleaner so you can
hang it.
4. Gift your ornament to someone special, or use it to spruce up a room for the holidays.

Waterless Winter Snow Globes

Supplies Needed:

• Paper Plates
• Paper Plate Toppers (the type with a clear plastic center)
• Markers
• Stickers
• Tissue Paper
• Small White Pom Poms

Instructions:
1. Grab a paper plate and a paper plate “top” (paper plate with a clear plastic center).
2. Use markers and stickers to decorate your paper plate with a “winter” themed background.
3. Place white pom poms/ white tissue paper pieces on top of your decorated plate.
4. Staple the paper plate “top” to your decorated paper plate.
5. Decorate the outside of your “snow globe” with markers and stickers.
6. Make it snow.

Holiday Paper Ornaments

Supplies Needed:

• Pre-cut Paper Strips
• String
• Hole-Puncher
• Staplers & Staples
• Tags for Messages
• Markers
• Table Cloths

Instructions:
1. To make your ornament, gather 2 long strips, 2 medium strips, 2 small strips and 1 very small strip of colorful paper. You can mix and match colored paper for fun effects. (See example.)
2. Hole-punch a hole at the top of each strip (equal distance from the top).
3. Pair up the strips with the other one of the same size. The smallest strip will not have a match.
4. Line the strips up by the smallest strip to longest strip, starting with the smallest single strip.
5. Line strips with smallest in the middle. (See example.)
6. Stack them starting from the left, and placing the next strip on the right on top.
7. When they are stacked, line up the tops and staple.
8. Then line the strips up from the bottom and staple.
9. Loop some string through the hole and tie it to finish your ornament!
10. Optional: Add a holiday message using markers and a tag. Loop it onto your string and share with a loved one.

Katia Brown is a mentor with New Pathways for Youth and their Quest Scholars Program, in addition to her work at Free Arts. Free Arts’ mission is to heal abused and homeless children through artistic expression. Katia is also a member of the Women’s Leadership Council and co-chair of the Events Steering Committee. For more information on Free Arts, visit www.freeartsaz.org or find Free Arts on Facebook!