Green pine cones make the perfect base for an organic Christmas tree. Glue the pine cone base to a piece of foam board, cardboard or wood so it stands up straight. Have your kids paint the pine cone with different colored "ornaments" and "garlands," or give them stickers, pom-poms, beads, plastic stars or other decorative materials to glue to the pine cone. You could also let them drizzle glue all over the pine cone and sprinkle glitter over it. You could also turn these pretty pine cones into Christmas ornaments by gluing a loop of string to the top or the bottom.
When placed in a circular array, green pine cones can create a beautiful wreath for a front door or mantle piece. Collect several green pine cones; the more pine cones you have, the bigger your wreath can be. Arrange them in a circle with the pointy ends facing out. Hot glue the sides of each cone to the next one, or glue each pine cone onto a base, such as a styrofoam or wooden ring. Decorate the pine cones with paint, glitter, ribbons or sprigs of pine boughs. You could spray paint the wreath gold, paint the tips red, paint alternating pine cones white, sprinkle the cones with glitter, or glue a big bow on the bottom. You could also add depth to the wreath by adding another layer of cones in the crevasses of the first layer. This is a great project for kids, too.
Create a pine cone mosaic by collecting a big stack of green pine cones and cutting some of them into pieces. Select a sturdy base, such as a large sheet of plywood, foam board or cardboard. Dip the pine cones into various colors of paint -- you may want to select shades of certain color, or you may want to pick as many colors as you can find. Create shapes with the colored pine cone pieces, such as a tree, a sun or a bushel of grapes, or simply lay the pieces out in an abstract pattern. When you have set the pieces out in the design you like, glue them down to the base. If you have wide crevasses, you can fill them in with colored cement or plaster, wiping the excess off of the pieces.
Kids love playing pretend, and puppets let them assume any identity they want. Turn pine cones into imaginary characters by painting faces on one side with acrylic paint. Adding string or ribbons for hair, put a hat on top, make ears out of construction paper, turn some modeling clay into a nose or twist thin wire into glasses. You could also paint the face at the top and dress up the rest of the pine cone with clothes, adding twigs for arms or legs. Pine cones do not have to be people; they can also be animals, such as turtles, fish, butterflies and spiders. Glue a Popsicle stick or a twig on the back for controlling the puppet.