Paper Bag Gingerbread Garland

Originally posted at Blissful Kids, December 2008.

With just a brown grocery bag and some crayons, you and your kids can create this sweet garland of paper-doll-style gingerbread boys & girls.

Supplies:

• brown grocery bag (or a roll of brown craft paper)
• crayons, markers, etc. for decorating – we found that construction paper crayons worked great
• scissors

Open your paper bag flat and cut into strips. Accordion-fold each strip, making the folds the width you want your gingerbread people to be. Draw or trace a gingerbread shape onto the top of the folded strip (we used a cookie cutter for tracing.)

With some good scissors, cut around the shape (this is a grown-up job!). Remember not to cut any parts that are on the folded sides, in this case the ends of the arms and legs. Unfold and see the long string of gingerbread people holding hands!

Let your kids get busy decorating! We used crayons, but the paper bag would be sturdy enough for paint, or even fabric scraps, ribbon, ric-rac, etc.

Happy decorating!