• Guide middle school students in Christmas craft projects.christmas presents under christmas tree image by Maria Brzostowska from Fotolia.com
  
  If you work with middle school students, then you can help them craft Christmas gifts for their parents and other loved ones with simple craft materials. Middle school students are old enough that they can use scissors, glue and craft supplies effectively and creatively. Let them create "outside of the box," but give them guidelines to help get their inspiration started.
  
  

Light Bulb Christmas Ornament

• Make a Christmas tree ornament out of an old light bulb. Ask your students to bring a new or used light bulb in a protective box to class. Provide acrylic paints in a range of colors, including shades of Christmas colors, such as red, green and gold. Allow them to paint the bulb in whatever way they would like--but encourage a Christmas message or theme. "You could paint simple shapes, or you could get really fancy and make the light bulb look like Santa's head," notes kinderart.com. After the paint dries, have them wrap colored wire around the coiled part of the bulb. They also can tie a decorative Christmas ribbon on the wire. The light bulb is ready for the Christmas tree now.
  
  

Puzzle Christmas Wreaths

• Make a door wreath out of puzzle pieces. Ask your students to bring an old puzzle or to buy one from a dollar store. You will need to provide cardboard doughnuts for every student. This is the wreath base. Slip a string of ribbon through the doughnut, and tie the ends in a knot. Staple the knot to one side of the wreath. This is the ribbon hanger so that they can hang up the wreath. Students glue random puzzle pieces around the doughnut so that the pieces overlap and cover the ribbon knot completely. They then spread some glue on random puzzle pieces, and sprinkle the wreath with glitter. Have them shake off the excess glitter, and allow the wreath to dry.
  
  

Waste Not Snowman

• Make a snowman out of recycled materials or trash that your students bring in to class. They can use a condiment bottle--such as a ketchup--or an old dish washing soap bottle as the base. Encourage them to be creative. If the bottle is clear, then give them white scraps of paper to fill it with. If it isn't clear or white, then they can glue scraps of white paper on the front so that the bottle is covered in overlapping white paper. Let them use random craft materials and trash to decorate the snowman, again, encouraging their creativity. For example, they may glue on buttons for the eyes; make a carrot nose out of fabric, felt or paper; and use scraps of fabric for a scarf. Give them bendable straws for the snowman's arms, and let them make a black top hat out of paper or recycled cardboard boxes that you paint black.