How to Make a TinkerToy Kid's Christmas Tree
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I love to have a little side Christmas tree for my kids to decorate with their own ornaments...the ones that don't really match with what I had in mind for our big tree. :) Sometimes they'll keep it in their room or we'll have it on a side table in the living room. This little Tinker Toy tree is easy and fun to make, never drops needles, and turns back into a toy after the holiday!
I first made one as a prop many years ago when I was an editor at Martha Stewart Kids for a craft story about buttons. This idea was, for the absolute easiest ornament, string up buttons in all sizes to decorate a tiny tree!
SUPPLIES
- TINKERTOY 30 Model Super Building Set – 200 Pieces, (We used our classic wooden TinkerToy set which you can find it on eBay!)
- 4 spools
- 13 yellow rods
- 13 blue rods
- 5 red rods
- 5 green rods
- 1 coupling
INSTRUCTIONS (These are loose instructions and can be adapted to whatever sizes and colors you have in your set. You can see that I made my tree differently than I did in the older photo from Martha Stewart Kids.)
- Start by making the base. Alternate blue and yellow rods in the spool. Place a green rod in the middle.
- On the next level, alternate red and green rods around the spool. Top with the red rod.
- The next tier, use only blue rods. On the last tier, use only yellow rods. Top the yellow rod in the middle of the spool with the coupling piece.
I hope you and your kids will try making this fun tree. Happy building!
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