Upcycled Tree Toppers

This activity uses wooden coffee stirrers, two pipe cleaners and some shiny decorations: glitter glue and sequins.

You will need:
4 wooden coffee stirrers
school glue, glue dots or hot glue gun
2 pipe cleaners
glitter glue and sequins

We used hot glue because it sets up more quickly than school glue. If you have time and want to allow children the experience, use school glue. Glue dots would also work for children and won't require drying time.
Begin by gluing your sticks into two cross shapes.

Off-set both of your cross shapes to form a star.

Wrap a pipe cleaner in the center of the star working around each angle.

After we were done wrapping the center of the star, we cut the extra length of pipe cleaner off.

Squeeze glitter glue onto the star arms. We used Pipsqueaks yellow.

Place sequins on each arm. We used a pattern. Kids can either decorate freely or use this as an opportunity to work on patterning if a symmetrical star is desired.

To hang on the tree, we slipped a piece of green pipe cleaner under the red pipe cleaner on the back on the star. The green pipe cleaner blended well with the tree top.

Attach by twisting green pipe cleaner around tree top.

For a simpler, Scandinavian look, glue a loop on the back of one the star arms and hang on the tree as an ornament.