Deck the Halls with Mother Nature:

An Outdoor Treasure Hunt to Transform Your Holiday Table

The holidays are a time of joy, and stress, for families. We rush around buying gifts, cooking, baking, and decorating our homes. But, in our haste to make spirits bright during a dark, cold time of year, sometimes we forget to savor the beauty around us. Regardless of the season, studies show even a few moments outdoors lowers stress levels and makes us feel calmer and happier.

Kids and grown-ups benefit from a nature break. Make it extra fun with a treasure hunt craft project. Children love to play outside, collect objects outdoors and be helpful. With this activity your kids can find items from your own back- yard or neighborhood and join you in creating beautiful, handmade holiday centerpieces.  Choose one that fits your family tradition or make them all and give some as gifts!

You’ll need to find:

• Pine cones (a variety of sizes and shapes)
• Holly or other berries/greenery (not for toddlers)

You’ll also need:

• Green and silver paint
• Paint brushes
• Thin gold, green and red ribbon
• Assorted stick-on jewels

Step 1:Go outside and search for pine cones and berries. Play while you're out there!

Step 2: Clean off pine cones so paint will adhere.

Step 3: Paint the pine cones green or silver.

Step 4: Allow to dry completely. Let your child decorate their trees with ribbons, jewels, and holly!

Some mini-trees may stand upright and will make great centerpieces or decorations for the mantle. Those that do not can be displayed in a basket or glass vase or used as ornaments or place card holders.

Branch Menorah (Hanukkah) or Kinara (Kwanzaa)

You’ll need to find:

• A thick branch or narrow log (3-4 inches in diameter)

You’ll also need:

• A drill
• Sand paper
• Gold paint
• Candles (for Menorah, eight any-colored candles; for Kinara, one black, three red and three green).

Step 1: Go outside and search for a thick branch or narrow log. Try to find one with interesting knots and variations that enhance its natural beauty. Play while you’re out there!

Step 2: Mark candle placement on the log with a magic marker. Have a grown-up drill holes for candles in the log (drill 9 holes for Menorah and seven for Kinara).

Step 3: Test holes to make sure candles fit.

Step 4: Dust off the log and sand any rough spots

Step 5: Paint the log gold.

Step 6: Allow to dry completely.

So, bundle the kids up and take them outside for a holiday treasure hunt. It will make them and you feel great, give you a fun activity for a cold day, and adorn your Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa table with a little help from Mother Nature!

Alyson Weinberg is a Washington DC-based writer specializing in issues concerning children and families. She is an award-winning speech writer, feature writer and communications strategist and the former editor of Spirit, the magazine of the Special Olympics movement. Alyson's articles and editorials have appeared in national print media, textbooks, and on the web. She and her husband Josh live with their two daughters, Josie, 10, and Raina, 6, in Potomac, MD