Surprise balls are my new obsession. I love that I can easily create them into any shape that I want. And they just so happen to yield themselves perfectly to an advent calendar. Last week I shared how to make ornament surprise balls, and this week I’m sharing how to make them look like sweet treats! Included in each ball is a note for a holiday themed activity and a little special treat that goes along with the activity. My kids are going to flip when December 1st hits and they get to start opening these!
- Little toys, stickers, temporary tattoos, costume jewelry, stamps, etc…
- Handwritten notes with activities (bake cookies, go sledding, read a Christmas book, ride on the Polar Express, drive and look and Christmas lights, drink cocoa, get new Christmas jimmies, donate toys to children in need, go caroling, decorate a gingerbread house, make snowman Rice Krispie treats, eat snowman pancakes for dinner, etc…)
- Crepe paper streamers
- Cardboard tubes for the long candies
- Glue
- Cello wrap
- Ribbon
Begin by taking one toy and wrapping the crepe paper around the toy several times until it becomes a ball. Add another toy and continue wrapping. The number of toys you include is up to you, but I am including one for each kid in mine. Then towards the end, add in the note with the activity for that day and continue wrapping until the surprise ball is a sphere. Use a dab of glue to secure the end.
For the long candies, just put all the toys and note inside the tube and then wrap with crepe paper.
Once you have your basic shapes, glue on swirls cut from felt or crepe paper to turn the pieces into candy. The last step is to wrap the surprise balls in the cello wrap and tie the ends with ribbon. Each day the kids can pick a surprise ball to open as they count down to Christmas.
Now all I’m asking myself is why did these exist when I was a kid?!
