How to Make Popsicle Stick Christmas Trees

Step-by-Step Guide

1. 1

   Step 1: Assemble your materials.

   You may have many of these materials in your craft cupboard or closet at home, but any supplies you don't have can be bought at most stores.
   
   The goal of this project is to make a simple tree and then glue it onto a construction paper background to form the basis for a holiday scene.
   
   You'll need:
   A gold pom-pom (small to medium size) Construction paper (any color; 1 medium to large sized sheet) Construction paper (brown; 1 small to medium sized sheet apiece) Crayons (or markers, colored pencils, etc.; optional) Decorations (like gems, beads, and so on) Drop cloth (or some other surface covering, like newspaper; recommended) General purpose glue Green paint (like acrylic) and paintbrush (optional) Paper plate (for painting; optional) Pencil Plastic cup (for painting; optional) Popsicle sticks (at least 3; pre-colored green sticks preferred) Ruler Scissors
2. 2

   Step 2: Prepare your work area.

   If you have colored popsicle sticks, you won't have to worry about painting, but you still might want to lay down newspaper or a drop cloth to prevent glue from getting on your work surface.
   
   If your sticks aren't yet green, you'll definitely want to cover your work surface to prevent paint from getting on it.
   
   If painting, take this time to also fill your plastic cup a third of the way with water.
   
   Then squeeze some of your green paint onto a paper plate.
   
   Small children have a tendency to get paint on their clothing.
   
   To prevent this from happening, you might want to have children wear a smock when painting. , Lay out your three popsicle sticks on your work surface.
   
   Moisten your paintbrush by dipping it in the water, then release excess water in the brush by pressing it against the inside lip of the cup.
   
   Mixing too much water in with your paint can cause it to become runny.
   
   Then:
   Dip your brush into the paint on your paper plate.
   
   Paint each of your three popsicle sticks until they are completely covered in green, front and back.
   
   Wait for the paint to completely dry before moving on in this project.
   
   For many kinds of paint, this should only take about one hour. , While waiting for your paint on your sticks to dry, you can cut out your trunk.
   
   Use your ruler and a pencil to measure and mark out a 1" by 1" (2.5 cm by
   2.5 cm) square from your brown construction paper.
   
   Then use your scissors to cut this square out to create your tree's trunk.
   
   Depending on the size of the popsicle sticks you are using, you may want to adjust the size of your trunk so that the two are proportionate. , Use a dab of glue to connect both ends of each stick to the other two sticks' ends.
   
   This will form a triangle shape.
   
   Afterwards, you may want to hold the glued ends down firmly for one to three minutes to encourage a strong bond.Generally, you should allow some time for the glue to set before moving on.
   
   For many fast drying glues, 15 to 30 minutes should be sufficient. , Take your brown construction paper trunk and glue it along one edge.
   
   Attach this edge to the middle of the base of your popsicle stick triangle.
   
   After that, put a dab of glue on your gold pom-pom and put it at the top of your triangle to form the star of your tree. , Take your medium to large sized piece of construction paper and glue your popsicle stick tree to it.
   
   Now that the background is in place, you or your children can add to it to create a neat holiday scene. , You can glue gems and beads on your tree to make it appear as though it were draped in lights.
   
   You or your kids could also use the popsicle Christmas tree as the basis for a holiday scene.
   
   You might:
   Add details by drawing on the construction paper background with crayons, colored pencils, markers, and so on.
   
   Cut holiday pictures from magazines and newspapers, then glue these to your background to make a collage.
3. 3

   Step 3: Paint your popsicle sticks

4. 4

   Step 4: if necessary.

5. 5

   Step 5: Cut out your trunk.

6. 6

   Step 6: Glue together your popsicle sticks.

7. 7

   Step 7: Add the star and trunk.

8. 8

   Step 8: Glue your tree to the construction paper background.

9. 9

   Step 9: Decorate your popsicle stick tree and its background.

Detailed Guide

About the Author