Ornament Ideas......

You can make ornaments with pipe cleaners and beads. Or the classic pipe cleaner reindeer with googly eyes and puff ball nose. Or make photo frame ornaments with popsicle sticks.

Cheap and quick: from a craft store, purchase some chenille stems (pipe cleaners!) and red and white tri-beads. Cut the stems in half; slide the tri-beads on in alternating colors. Fold over both ends of stem when finished to keep beads from sliding off. Bend top of beaded stem into a hook: Wa-La- you have candy canes.

We make and bake ornaments made with flour, salt, water, and glue. Then paint after baking. I am sure there are some recipes for this or something similar on-line. It's fun.

You could make paper mache paste (flour and water) and put glitter and food color in it... coat yarn (or thick string) in it and make ornaments on balloons. (wrap one color around until it's got a ball-ish shape, doesn't have to be solid... then use other colors to make designs over that) Let it dry, then pop the balloon and pull it out. :)

I'm clueless but googled "easy homemade ornaments" and there were tons of options. Family fun (in particular) had tons listed with pictures and instructions. That will at least get you started. Good luck!

We used pine cones from my yard, spray paint, glitter, etc....

I copied Cirque du Soleil's ornements one year.

- Clear plastic ball (the kind that opens, found at most craft stores)
- "treasures"

"treasures" = colorful bits of fabric, ribbon, glitter, action figures, a shiny marble, international coin, confetti.... whatever you want / whatever the boys bring in.

Then I printed out a strip of paper with the year written on it (a strip of pretty paper that was about 1/2 inch x 2 inches) that slid between the treasures and the plastic.

My suggestion would be to use a boyscout badge for this purpose. The fleur de lis, or troop number, or something else that is either boyscout symbollic, or troop symbollic.

These are SO easy, you might want the boys to each make 2. One to trade and one to keep.

I love the two ideas you have gotten so far. The only other one I really like is a popsicle stick (craft stick) snow flake. Good Luck and have fun.

This year we made ornaments as gifts for extended family. I checked out Martha Stewart's webpage (marthastewart.com) to get some ideas, took a few, combined/altered them to make them more age appropriate and easy. What I came up with are felt based ornaments.

Part one: I drew a dove template (also we did some w/ hearts that turned out nicely), and then used it to cut, from off white felt, three parts: upper wing, lower wing and body. The parts give dimension and once you have your template it is very easy to do. Fun for little ones to help with as well. We used a small bead for an eye. We used ribbon (that doesn't fray and has shinny material woven in) for extra dove decoration. Then, we hot glued the dove together.

Part two: I used a red colored, rough and natural weave material to create round, lightly stuffed, circles (used a small/med sized yogurt top to create uniform circles) and put a loop w/in the hem of the circle - this is how the ornament hangs. Then glued the doves to the circle.

I hope that makes a little sense...I'm more of a visual learner/explainer...
Good luck!

I've done one that is really cute. It's a "mouse" out of green & red felt and a candy cane goes though slits on it as the "tail" and that's what it hangs on the tree from. Glue eyes & a nose on it.

You could get the clear ornament balls and have them put fake snow on the inside. They could decorate the outside with puffy paint.

I don't know the age of cub scouts.

Many craft stores sell clear plastic/glass bulb type ornament. You put a little bit of paint inside and twirl. Decorate the outside with some glitter.

Take pine cones and cover with a little bit of glue and sprinkle with glitter. Tie on a pretty ribbon to hang.

You'll need small styrofoam balls, ribbon, staight pins and small beads. Put the beads on the pins and then push them into the ball at various angles. About 10 pins per ball.

Check out www.familyfun.com for some ideas.

i was thinking of using clear (glass or plastic ) balls and filling with candy like m&m's, skittles or other smaller candy. Wondering if tootsie rolls or crayons would squeese in there? might be too hard to get out. for boy scouts you could put little patches or rubber snakes. a scroll with writing. also look on martha stewart for holiday crafts. she has simple ones that might work.

Well, the popcicle stick photo frames are always great & nostalgic for ornaments, cheap & easy to make & you can buy the stuff in bulk, decorate w/glitter or stickers, etc. Maybe solid color bandanas w/the kids' handprints on the bandana or maybe a quilt piece w/the handprints on it for framing?? Or maybe the small handbags (for moms) w/the kids' handprints or maybe something of their own 'design'??? Hope this helps, good luck!

An easy one that has withstood years on our trees is a candy cane reindeer. The short end of the candy cane is the face. You glue a puffy little red ball on the end and eyes just above. Then twist pipe cleaners on the crook for the antlers. Loop all the way around, twist once or twice and then bend the pipe cleaners to make whatever shape antlers you want. They hook onto the tree easily.