Magnolia Leaves Santa Ornaments

This is a really neat idea that lasts and lasts!

Well, I just finished decorating my house for the holidays!  I live in the country on a small farm with 5 horses and a donkey and a variety of other animals. Every year I put up our Christmas tree and decorate it with ornaments we have mostly made through the years.  As I placed a painted Santa my daughter made on the tree I thought……” this is something I think other teachers or moms would love to do!”   Katie painted a live leaf from a Magnolia tree  with me when she was 10 years old…She is now 21.  Yep! That’s right! This live (or used to be live) magnolia leaf ornament has lasted for 11 years so far!  It is simple to paint and takes 4 acrylic paint colors. The hardest thing is waiting 10 minutes for the leaf to dry.  

Emily and her creations! 

Jonah and his ornaments.....he is only 4! 

Caleb and his masterpieces!

3-D Social Studies!

Our class has been studying about the Native Americans in Alabama, or the 4 C’s (Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek). We studied where they lived and their trading routes.  The students chose a tribe and era and made a 3-D picture with a short summary of how they lived.  The students all had to draw their own pictures and cut them out.  They folded about ¼ inch down on the bottom of each picture to glue it to the background. 

To make the background…

1. Fold a sheet of construction paper into a triangle, so that you can cut off the extra so that you turn an 8 x 11 sheet into a square.
2. Fold the square so that your fold creases make an X across the paper.
3. Cut from one corner to the center.
4. Gently overlap the cut pieces so that the paper makes a 3-D triangle.  

fold paper to make a square

Cut off the extra so you have a square

Fold square in half so that you have fold creases to form an X

I drew a line on the creases so you could see them easier

Cut from one corner to the center. 

What it looks like if you cut it correctly.  :)

Overlap the corners and pull

continue to pull until the corner points meet

Staple or tape in place. 

Our Native Alabama Wall

Daisy's 3-D