There’s a not-so-new craze that encourages your children to scatter glitter out on your lawn to help the reindeer find your home.
Firstly, how can reindeer see the glitter from way up high? Especially when every child is doing it?!
And why do it all? Santa, of all people, knows where you live!
In all seriousness though, we’re not really debating the tracking ability of Santa and his reindeer here, are we?
A while ago I brought up that glitter is made up of tiny bits of plastic. Glitter that’s scattered on your lawn ends up in the waterways, and quite often it’s consumed by creek and sea-life.
I’m not suggesting you ditch the activity. It’s important to build special life-long Christmas memories with your children.
I’m in the habit of providing alternatives that keep the magic alive and also consider the environment and I’m certain Santa would approve too!
Introducing our stunning eco-friendly reindeer food!
Why eco-friendly reindeer food?
Whether you sprinkle this on the lawn or place it in a bowl accompanied by my free reindeer cards below, you’ll feel great when you embrace this eco-friendly alternative:
- It’s a fun activity to do with the kids during the lead-up to Christmas Eve
- It will help strengthen your child’s fine motor skills
- The activity builds strong and meaningful life-long memories, and
- This reindeer food won’t harm our wildlife and the environment.
What you’ll need
What you’ll need- Grass (I used mondo grass, but any grass will do)
- Leaves (lots and lots of bright, pretty leaves: yellow, reds and oranges look best against the green grass)
- Scissors
- Hole punches: we used a small star punch and a snowflake punch
How to make it
Watch the video
@mothernatured Ditch the glitter and make eco friendly reindeer food instead. It’s both enchanting and biodegradable! #christmasideas #christmascraftsforkids #naturecrafts ♬ We Wish You A Merry Christmas (TikTok Version 1) – Elsa Japasal
- Collect all the nature you need. Take some time to enjoy this moment together with your child.
- Place all the natural materials out on a table.
- Cut all the grass into little bits and place it in a bowl.
- Use the hole punch to cut the bright leaves into shapes and place them in a different bowl.
- Sprinkle the leaf shapes onto the grass and gently mix them with your fingers.
How long will your reindeer food last?
This is a hard question to answer. It will depend on your environment. The warmer your environment, the quicker the leaves and grass will fade and curl.
I suggest you make your food a couple of days before, or on the day of Christmas Eve. If you live in a warm environment, store your food in the fridge.
Reindeer food gift card
As a Christmas Gift to you, I have made a pretty Reindeer Christmas Card to accompany your eco-friendly reindeer food. There’s also a gift card and tag set for friends and family too!
FREE Reindeer Christmas Cards and Gift Tags
Printable includes:
How-to sheet
Reindeer food printable
Reindeer Christmas Cards
A full page of reindeer gift tags
Download your Reindeer Cards and Tags
Be sure to scatter your hole-punched leaves outside too. They’ll bring you so much joy every time you see them in your garden!
I hope this gives you and your children plenty to enjoy this festive season.
I’m certain the reindeer will love it too *wink*.
Want to see more wonderful ways to get your kids connecting with nature? Follow us on Facebook or Instagram.
You may also like our
Christmas Nature Craft Pack
8 nature craft character and shape printables
(Santa, elf, Christmas tree, Snowman,
Reindeer Candy cane, star and bell)
6 Christmas Card templates
Make your own Christmas tag template
Love the idea, could you please tell me where you purchased the star and snowflake hole punch ??
Thank you
Hi Linda,
You can purchase them from any craft shop, or I’ve added the links within the materials heading of this post. xx
Penny