DECK THE HALLS WITH HANDMADE CARDS 3 Easy Ideas You Can Make With Kids!
HANDPRINT CARDS This Christmas card variation is a favorite for kids to make and family members to receive. Have your child place their hand on the blank card stock and trace their hand with a pencil. Then, cut out the shape of their hand using scissors. Finally, with the cut-out hand facing down (fingers to the ground), have your child decorate it as if it were a tree, drawing ornaments, lights, candy canes, or other decorations. PIPE CLEANER CARDS For this card, you need green pipe cleaners and gold stars (like the ones you’d earn in school). Simply twist a pipe cleaner into a tree shape using a zig-zag pattern to form the widest branches at the bottom to the smallest boughs at the top. Glue the pipe cleaner to the card. Finish with a gold star as a tree topper!
Sending Christmas cards is a great way to tell people you’re thinking of them during the holiday season. However, like everything lately, buying enough Christmas cards for your loved ones is expensive. Store-
Don’t believe us? Check out these three easy Christmas cards you and your family can make at home. Each card idea is built upon plain white cards!
WASHI TAPE CARDS
All you need for this card is a roll of washi tape with any design you wish.
bought cards can also feel too stiff and formal for our friends and family.
Simply cut strips of the washi tape, starting with a longer piece (about 2—3 inches), and place it horizontally across the card near the bottom. Then, build upward using gradually smaller pieces of tape to make a triangle — and that’s it! You’ve successfully created a washi tape tree! You can also draw a tree stump under the longest strip or a star on top.
That’s why you should consider making Christmas cards this
holiday season! It is more cost-effective and a great way to give your cards a personal touch that lets friends and family know you care. The best part is that making holiday cards doesn’t have to be laborious or stressful — it’s quick, easy, and fun!
HOW LAURA MORRIS BRINGS MUSIC TO LIFE FOR HER STUDENTS ‘A LIFELONG HOBBY’
When she was a child, Laura Morris was enraptured by her aunt’s playing. “Whenever I had access to the piano, I’d try to play songs by ear,” she remembers. “At the age of 10, we inherited my great- grandmother’s piano, and I was able to take more formal lessons.” It was the beginning of a lifelong passion. Laura attended the University of Minnesota as a music education major and began teaching band before shifting to private lessons at home. She has now been a music teacher for 25 years, four of which she has spent at Minnesota School of Music. “I knew I wanted to find a job helping people,” she says, “and I really enjoy sharing music.” Many years later, teaching remains interesting. “There are so many different personalities, and I enjoy the challenge of helping various children learn in their
own unique ways,” Laura says. “The most rewarding part of my job is helping a student work on a piece that seems completely unstable at first, then sharing their success at mastering it.” Laura explains that working for Minnesota School of Music has been a joy. “Eric runs a really well-organized operation,” she says. “I really admire the company he created. It’s such a welcoming environment with great staff. He holds us to high standards and has built a business with a great reputation.” Music is also a big part of Laura’s life outside of school. “I play the piano while my one daughter plays the violin and the other plays clarinet,” she says. “And my sister and I like to do piano duets.” Some of Laura’s other favorite activities include gardening, reading, and spending time with her friends and pet corgi.
We’re glad to have Laura as one of the most tenured teachers on the MnSOM team; her love of music shines through in everything she does. When asked what keeps her passionate after all these years, she simply answers, “I love working with the kids, and I love helping them build a fun, lifelong hobby.”
2 • www.mnschoolofmusic.com
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