Christmas Crafts

Dave Jenkinson is a professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba and the author of the “Portraits” section of Emergency Librarian.

Adults working with children’s groups whose members are in the 5- to
10-year-old range will definitely want to add Christmas Crafts to their
resource shelf. The 13 craft ideas, which are all linked to Christmas
celebrations in various countries, use readily available materials and,
with one exception, no tool more sophisticated than scissors. Each
project description, which normally occupies a double-page spread,
begins with a “Things You Need” list. Clear, step-by-step
instructions, coupled with Marilyn Mets’s full-color illustrations,
will allow most young readers to use the book independently.

Despite the book’s Christmas focus, with a little imagination, most
of the crafts Sadler outlines can readily be used at other times of the
year. For example, the German Advent calendar could easily be expanded
beyond a month, and its daily pockets could then be stuffed with
reminders of tasks to be done on particular days; the heart-shaped
Danish baskets can obviously be a Valentine’s Day project; and Irish
wax candles, Mexican piсatas, and Chinese lanterns are also
no-special-time-of-the-year activities. Recommended.