Growing Tree

Total Time Needed:: 1 Hour

This felt Christmas tree serves as a visual record of your family's growth from year to year. After measuring in, kids can print their heights on felt ornaments and add them to the tree.

Materials

2 yards each of red and green felt
Fabric glue
2 plastic 6-foot tape measures
Felt scraps in assorted colors

Wooden dowel
20-inch piece of yarn
Fabric paint

Instructions

Cut a 6 x 2-foot piece of red felt and lay it on a flat surface. Apply glue to one long side. Press a tape measure onto the glued edge, with the 1-inch mark at the bottom of the banner. Glue the second tape measure to the opposite side.
Cut out a 7- by 5-inch tree trunk from the felt scraps. Center it on the banner 2 inches from the bottom and glue it in place. From the green felt, cut five triangles that measure 20 inches tall and 17 inches across the base. Glue a triangle onto the banner, overlapping the top of the trunk by an inch or so.
Glue on a second triangle so that it covers the top half of the first one. Add the other triangles in the same manner. Top the tree with a big felt star.
To make a casing for the dowel, fold over the top of the banner and glue the edge to the back. Insert the dowel, then tie the ends of the yarn to the ends of the dowel.
Finally, cut out a bunch of colorful 3 1/2-inch circles on which kids can note their heights and the year with fabric paint. When gluing the ornaments onto the tree, line up the tops of the circles with the appropriate marks on the tape measures.