I Need a Craft for the Kids to Do Today

Make snowflakes with white paper and safety scissors? It sounds like you can't get out to buy anything, but I've seen those inexpensive cardboard houses at places like Michael's or Bed, Bath and Beyond where the kids color and decorate them and then use it as a fort (until it falls apart). Do you have a box at home they could do that with?

I am not sure of your on hand resources, but it sounds like a great day for a cooking project! Yesterday I had six kids - ages 3 -10. We made chocolate covered marshmallows. It was a mess, but everyone could participate. (Marshmallows onsticks, put in freezer, dip frozen marshmallow in chocolate and decorate, we used sprinkles, and crushed oreos and graham crackers).

You could have them make play dough and then they can play with their creation.

Pizza - either large ones or individual. Stew or veggie soup might be another good idea.

Or going with a Christmas theme, they could string popcorn or make paper rings. Glitter something. Spray glue, pine cones and glitter kept my two happy for a few hours. Salt dough ornaments are easy and fun too.

HTH! Good luck!

Snowglobes :) Just take any kind of jar you have, mason works best but you can use spaghetti sauce jars, any really. Just fill most of the way up with water, put in some glitter, glue whatever scene you want to create onto the bottom of the jar lid, put in any "floaters" you may want put the lid on and voila you have a snowglobe. :)

Also check www.pinterest.com they have all kinds of ideas!

Christmas cookies! Messy but a blast with the kids! Or, if you have bags, felt, construction paper, decorations for the tree! Have fun, mama!

How about making playdoh and then letting them play with it? It is very easy to make salt dough. You need flour, salt, alum and a bit of oil. If you add glitter, it will look like snow salt dough and they can make snowmen with it (you can also microwave the finished product to harden it). It is fun for the kids to knead in the food coloring if you do different colors. I think it is a good activity for learning colors as well. Good luck!

popcorn garland, paper chain, snowflakes

these q-tip snowflakes are fun, easy and cute for the older ones:
http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/snow-swabs-1030054/

also, free christmas printables here they can craft with:
http://howaboutorange.blogspot.com/2011/12/and-still-more...

Make paperplate Santas. Very easy. Paper plates and cotton balls and some construction paper.
http://crafts.kaboose.com/paper-plate-santa.html
That is just one link. There are a ton of websites if you just type in "paperplate santas".
Have fun.
R.

Reindeer foot paintings?
Have the kids do a "stamp" of their feet with brown paint, let dry them turn the feet into reindeer faces, add antlers, googly eyes, etc.

OR pipe cleaner candy canes, twisting two colors together?

OR cinnamon ornaments? http://www.mccormick.com/Recipes/Other/Cinnamon-Ornaments...

OR tons of other stuff listed here:
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/christmas/

I made these with 7 yo kids. We used a red marker for the noses, black marker for the eyes and antlers, and brown washable marker for the fingerprints. They turned out really cute. Once they dried, they wrote a note to someone on the inside. Just be sure to wash off the brown marker as soon as they finish stamping their fingerprints so they don't accidentally get smudges and smears on the card. (I had one who did that.)

http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/lets-make-cards-710546/

If you have the time, you could make sugar cookies and have them decorate them. Then they have a special treat and something to keep them busy.