Our Smart Baby

As I was walking through the park last week I began noticing a ton of pinecones covering the ground. My toddler loves how they feel, smell, and apparently taste as he has put one or two in his mouth! He talked about the pinecones every time we passed the playground and his fascination would not cease. So one day we collected a handful, brought them home, and came up with a fun art project- making ornaments out of the pinecones!

How to make pinecone ornaments and decorations:

Step 1: Collect the pinecones. If your hands are sticky afterwards simply use cooking oil on your hands while washing them.

Step 2: Bake the pinecones at 200 degrees for 45 minutes to kill all little critters.

Step 3: Paint the pinecones any festive, holiday colors. Use a variety of mediums and let your kids use their fingers to paint the pinecones. Feeling the texture is part of the fun! Lay the pinecones on tin foil or any other solid surface to dry.

Step 4: After the pine cones dry, use a festive, holiday ribbon to tie around the top of the pinecone! You may also put the painted pinecones in a decorative bowl and use them as decorations.

The art project is not only fun but can be used as inexpensive holiday presents and decorations!

Karen Preston
http://www.notsoordinarymom.blogspot.com/