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photo credit: chrissatchwell
The Christmas season is a time when we rummage the malls for new stuff or our house for some old recyclable things that we can still use. Besides receiving gifts, kids enjoy setting up and helping in the Christmas tree decoration.
Putting little Santa heads under the tree is one cute way of decorating the tree this Yuletide season.
Supplies:
- Styrofoam balls (You can buy Styrofoam balls of different sizes)
- Red felt paper
- Wiggly eyes
- Black and red (or pink) marker
- Cotton
- Scissors
- Super Glue
- Triangle pattern (the bigger the Styrofoam balls, the larger the triangle shape)
Steps:
- Depending on the size of the Styrofoam ball, choose the right pattern size. Trace the triangle on the felt paper and cut it out.
- Fold the triangle from side to side to form a cone. Put a fluff of cotton on top of the cone.
- Glue the Santa hat on the Styrofoam ball. Put some fluffs of cotton around the base of the Santa hat.
- Glue the wiggly eyes on the ball to form part of the face.
- Using the marker, draw a smiling mouth on the Santa ball.
- Put some fluffs of cotton around the mouth to form Santa’s beard.
- Put some pink marks on the cheeks of the Santa ball.
- Make as many Santa balls as you want. Arrange them carefully under your Christmas tree.
The Santa Styrofoam Balls are very easy to make. You can even create a family of Santa balls to represent each member of the family – from grandma to the little baby. You can also adorn the balls with accessories to give it a personal touch.
photo credit: mitsukuni
You don’t have to wait for your kids to grow up before you can teach them how to cook, or even bake. It will be fun to do this with your kids. You can start with simple recipes that the kids will surely enjoy not only baking, but especially eating.
Doing things together with your kids at home, such as baking, will be an opportunity for you to strengthen your parent-child relationship, teach them simple household skills that they can use later in life, and develop in them important values like responsibility, industry, cooperation and obedience, among others.
Here’s one simple menu for you to experiment with your kids: Homemade Animal Crackers. Ask your kids to assist you in this baking activity.
What you will need:
- ½ cup oatmeal
- 2 tsp. salt
- ¾ cup flour
- ¼ tsp. baking soda
- ¼ cup softened butter or margarine
- 4 tbsp. buttermilk
- Animal cookie cutters
- Blender, bowl, and rolling pin
How to do it:
- Use a blender to grind ½ cup oatmeal until becomes fine.
- Mix the oatmeal with a bowl with honey, salt, flour, and baking soda.
- Cut in butter or margarine
- Add buttermilk.
- Roll your mixture with the rolling pin until it is very thin.
- With the cookie cutter in several animal-shaped template, cut into shapes of different animals.
- Bake at 400 degrees Fahrenheit on non-greased cookie sheet for about 10-12 minutes until they become golden brown.
Enjoy your time; develop teambuilding and rapport with your kids. Perhaps you might want to organize a tea party and just have fun storytelling about the animal crackers you made while relishing great cracker and tea taste.
One activity that your kids will surely love doing with you is cooking. You don’t need to cook elaborate food to make it fun and exciting. Making cookies is simple and easy, but will be enjoyable to the kids. This will give you time to bond with your kids, and at the same time teach them simple lessons on responsibility and helpfulness. You can do this on special occasions or celebrations like Halloween.
What you will need:
- 1 ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 cup butter or margarine
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ½ tsp almond extract
- 2 ½ cups flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp cream of tartar
- Cookie cutters
How to do it:
- Mix powdered sugar, butter or margarine, egg and vanilla and almond extracts.
- Mix in flour, baking soda and tartar. Mix well.
- Cover your mixture and refrigerate for two hours. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Make sure that your kids do not touch the hot surface to avoid burning.
- Divide your dough into halves. Roll out on a lightly floured board.
- Using cookie cutters, cut the dough into different Halloween characters or symbols (e.g., pumpkin, ghost, hands, etc.)
- Place them on a lightly greased cookie sheet.
- Bake for 7 to 10 minutes.
- Give “Halloween life” to your cookies by letting your kids adorn them with colorful sweet icing tinted with your favorite Halloween colors of black, yellow, orange, red, and other dramatic colors that your kids may surely enjoy mixing and messing.
photo credit: eyeliam;
Having fun does not necessarily mean spending a lot of money. You can still have fun with your kids without having to spend too much money, and the kids will surely love spending time and doing enjoyable things with you, whether at home or anywhere else. What is more important is the time you share together for these are precious moments that they will forever treasure in their hearts. Here are some fun activities you can do with your kids, even with tight budget.
- Backyard barbecue. One of the many home activities that the kids will surely love is having a backyard barbecue. Take a break from the usual and ordinary dinners you have at home, and enjoy outdoor eating with your kids, even if it is just in your backyard. Let loose, relax under the stars, and enjoy cooking and eating with the kids. “The family that cooks and eats together stays together.”
- Gardening. Involve the kids in keeping your gardens beautiful. It is never too early to start teaching and training the kids to be environmentally aware and to participate in the “greening” of our world, even if it is just your own yard. Encourage them to plant their own tree which they can nurture and see it grow even in their old age. This will be their small contribution in restoring Mother Earth.
- Going to parks. For sure you have public parks with facilities where children can play and enjoy just nearby your neighborhood. If there is an amusement park or theme park in your locality, or near your place, you may visit this with your kids. Certainly, it won’t be the kids, who will enjoy only, but even you and your spouse. Give the child in you the chance to come out once in a while.
- Swimming. You have a choice; you can either bring your kids to a nearby pool or beach, or enjoy the water even under the heat of the sun, or if you have an inflatable rubber pool, you can set it out in your yard and swim with the kids. Just don’t forget to protect your kids and yourself from sunburn by putting on a sun block lotion.
- Watching a movie at home. Choose a film that you and your kids will enjoy and love watching. You may ask your kids their preference or let them choose the movie they want to watch. Make sure you have prepared enough pop corn for you and your family. A movie without pop corn seems to be boring.
photo credit: Squish_E
Having a tea party is such a fun activity for kids. We have a set especially for kids with small little tea cups and saucers. The kids love to set up a table cloth and put water in their Tea pot and pour tea for each other. You can make it a picnic event and add finger sandwiches to the “tea” they are drinking. They can practice pouring the water themselves into the cup and using their table manners. If you add some cookies at the end you’ll have a full blown tea party. Letting the kids make the sandwiches and cookies themselves can make this a great learning activity. Tea parties are a fun learning activity for kids.
Do you have tea parties with your kids?
