Another Quick, and Easy Keepsake!  This Is A Fun Center Too.

I do all sorts of fingerprint activities with my Y5’s. Among other things, it’s a great marker for 10-frames and a fun way for students to show an ABAB pattern.

Stamp pad ink is easily cleaned off an index finger with a sanitary wipe and I can set up a center on a TV tray.

Fingerprints pressed on art projects become keepsakes. Keeping that in mind, I try to design a few quick and easy ornaments that also involve some sort of standard.

The fingerprint tree involves a triangle + the concept of +1 more in each of the 4 rows, so my Y5’s come out with 10 green prints.  We work with base 10 though December so this is perfect.  To finish it off, they add a brown print for the trunk.

If you want your tree to be fuller, you can simply let your students do as many prints as they can fit as seen in the other sample.

Here's How:

Run off copies of the patterns.  The large trees are run off on emerald green construction paper, the smaller one on white construction paper.  This makes things nice and stiff.

You might not be able to tell on the photo, but I found some pale green marbled copy paper, which added a bit more pizzazz to my tree, so I used that.

I find that children are more coordinated using “Mr. Pointer”, but that their “thumb” often leaves a better -fatter” print, especially if you’re doing this one-on-one with a young child.

Make sure you remind them to press their finger on to the stamp pad every time, so they have enough ink to make a nice print.

Run off copies of the poem and trim them.  Students glue them on the bottom of the back of their trees.  A red heart sticker above the poem adds pizzazz.

Using a green crayon, have students sign their name and the year.   Teacher punches a hole at the top, adds a reinforcement circle and yarn tie.  A sparkly star at the top on both sides is also a nice accent.

Click on the link to view/print the Fingerprint Christmas tree patterns. If you'd like photo's + the article that has directions click on this link. Fingerprint Christmas tree "Stuff"

Let's Decorate:

Little ones will often want to “decorate” their trees.  They usually get carried away and you can’t see their prints any more, but they do look cute decorated.

What you can do, if you have the time, is let them make two.  Put a dollop of a variety of colors of paint on small paper plates.

Rest a Q-tip for each color on the plate. Instruct students to dab a tiny dot on their trees.  Demonstrating this, and having a completed sample is the only way to go.

They can also dab on tiny dots of Elmer’s glue and then put on a sequin, or sprinkle with one color of glitter.

It’s a good idea to have an adult supervising these stations, as most little ones have so much fun decorating, they don’t know when to stop.

I hope you have a “tree-mendous” time with your little one(s) making memories

Do you have a fun ornament that you make?  I'd enjoy hearing from you! diane@teachwithme.com  Be sure to pop in tomorrow and make a Keepsake Santa Handprint Windsock!