December 14: Koen's Christmas idea

Last week I had the opportunity to go to Koen's class to help the kids make Christmas cards to distribute to those who live in the neighborhood.  His teacher had three styles and the kids were put in three groups, each group making a different style card.  You needed to know that little bit of information to understand today's Christmas activity.  I had something all set, but Koen said that he had an idea for a Christmas project.  Impressed with his enthusiasm and wanting to encourage his creativity I told him we would do his project instead of mine.  He told me what he needed:  Popsicle sticks, tan paper, brown paper, and blue paper, black paper, scissors, and some glue.  He wouldn't tell me what he wanted to make, but as he began to work I realized he was re-creating the card he had made at school!  After he finished it, he thought it'd be a nice idea to give it to his teacher with his Christmas gift.  Ty, on the other hand, wasn't too excited about making a Christmas card, so he just cut paper. 

Cut, cut, cut!



Baby Jesus!







The finished Christmas card!



December 12 & 13: Sugar Cookies

Over the course of these two days we mixed the sugar cookie dough (new recipe this year from food.com), cut out and baked the cookies, and decorated the cookies.  Every year I think making and decorating sugar cookies with the kids is going to be so much fun, and every year I'm reminded once we're in the midst of things how not-so-much-fun and time consuming it can be.  They boys need to cut out and decorate 3-5 cookies and they're set...no need to do more.  So I'm left to cut out and decorate the remaining cookies.  And the 3-5 cookies they do decorate tend to be quite the ordeal...like Koen dumping half the bottle of sprinkles on one cookie or Tysen just eating the candy rather than using it for decoration.  I suppose eating the candy should be part of the fun. :) 

One of my frustrations each year is the frosting...if you have a recipe for decorative frosting that doesn't drip and run everywhere I would love to have it!!!  It always hardens just fine, but it runs all over the place first (see picture above). 

Eating the cookies, of course, is the best part of the whole process for the boys.  With all the other delectable cookie choices, they ALWAYS pick a sugar cookie. 

December 11: Picking out a present

I had something else planned for today, but Koen had his own ideas.  He is so excited to wrap up and give other people presents!  Of course, his gifts come from what he already has...a favorite toy, a book, or anything he stumbles upon around the house that looks like a good gift.

Today he insisted on wrapping a present for Tysen.  It's currently sitting under the tree waiting for Tysen to unwrap it on Christmas.  I loved seeing Koen get so excited about giving something special to someone else!!!  And this trend has continued.  As I write this a number of days after December 11, he's since discovered gift bags and tissue paper and has been gifting and regifting at a steady pace.  Now he wants the person receiving the gift to open it immediately.  I wish you could hear Koen and Tysen's exchanges and their enthusiasm in these gift givings...completely joyous and sincere...just the Christmas spirit!

December 9: How The Grinch Stole Christmas!

My boys had never seen Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas!  I had planned to watch it with them during our 25 days of Christmas activities but hadn't figured out when that would be.  I decided to go ahead with it one afternoon when we had 4 other kids over.  (It was a nice break for the kids and for me!)   Koen and Tysen both LOVE this story!  We own the VHS version from when I was teaching (a great way to teach the parts of a story), and, I'm not sure why, but we also own the CD with the story and songs.  Since seeing this movie they've listened to the story at bedtime every night as they go to sleep!

After watching it the first time and after our friends left that day we talked about it a little bit.  They relayed what the Grinch had done both before and after he changed.  I asked them if Christmas was really all about presents, food, and Christmas trees.  They answered no, and when I asked them why Christmas is so exciting and so important, Koen was excited to share that it's Jesus birthday!  I only hope we can continue to keep Jesus' birthday celebration in the forefront throughout this and other holiday seasons!!!  

December 8: Taking a break...

I wanted to take the kids to NiteLites for this day's Christmas activity and talk about how Christ is the true Light of the World, but they didn't want to go.  The original book I'd looked at for doing activities for keeping Christ in Christmas suggested that I not force activities, so I didn't.  I didn't think that forcing everyone into the van would lead to a fun night out for the family.  It also saved us a little money as there was an entrance fee.  Maybe we'll get there another night yet, but today, we just took a break from Christmas activities.  Maybe next year we should just to the 12 Days of Christmas for activities rather than the full 25 leading up to Christmas Day. 

December 7: Candy Cane Ornaments

Another ornament day.  The boys each made a candy cane based on the instructions from

http://crafts.kaboose.com/candy-cane-ornament.html.  I purchased the tri-beads from Jo-Ann Fabric, but I was disappointed that I had to buy a multi-color bag as they didn't have bags of all one color, like red.  Because of this, Ty made a red and white candy cane while Koen had to make a green and white one...there just weren't enough red beads.  This is a perfect craft to practice patterns, though Ty didn't seem to think the pattern was super important as you can see in his finished product.  A note about this craft...I needed to pull out a needle nose pliers to help finish the ends so there was no sharp edge sticking out.  The instructions didn't mention anything about it, but I found it to be helpful.   

Ty's Candy Cane

Despite Koen's green candy cane, I read the following poem to them:

Look at a CANDY CANE, what do you see? 
Stripes that are RED like the BLOOD shed for me! 
WHITE for my Savior, Who's sinless and pure! 
"J" is for JESUS, My Lord that's for sure! 
Turn it around And a staff you will see --- 
Jesus, my SHEPHERD, Is coming for me!
http://dltk-holidays.com/xmas/candy_cane_poem.htm

After a little research, I found that the meanings associated with the candy cane were not the reason for its creation as some believe, but it's still a neat little poem to remind us about the meaning of Christmas. 





Koen's Candy Cane



December 6: Jingle Bell Wreaths

Originally I was planning on making jingle bell bracelets with the kids, but decided I'd rather not hear the jingling all the time.  I came across another idea of making this jingle bell wreath on http://www.allfreecrafts.com, but I didn't want to mess with the heavy gauge wire and wire cutters with the kids, so I decided to combine the ideas and make jingle bell wreaths using pipe cleaners instead of the wire (after the fact, someone else posted this idea in the comments section of the site). 

We went to Jo-Ann Fabric's and Ty picked out a package of blue jingle bells (a variety of sizes) for him and a package of red ones for Koen.  We already had the pipe cleaners at home.  I first had the boys sort the bells into three piles:  small, medium, and large.  We started by stringing the large bells on the middle of the pipe cleaner.  It was pretty easy for the boys to do it for themselves.  We then strung half of the medium bells on one side followed by half of the small bells and then repeated that on the other side.  Once all the bells were on, I twisted the remaining pipe cleaner around so it wouldn't come loose and viola!  We had our jingle bell wreath ornaments! 

I actually ended up making most of Koen's wreath as he bailed on the project, but Brielle loved the finished product!  Of course, once it was finished Koen wanted it back, so we decided that he and Brielle could share that wreath. 

After they were hanging on the tree, I asked the boys why they thought bells were a Christmas symbol.  After the pat, "I dunno," answer, I explained that bells on churches rang when something wonderful happened, and Jesus being born was certainly wonderful! 

I thought these turned out really cute!  One of the better projects we've done! 

December 5: Gingerbread House

I've always enjoyed making gingerbread houses at Christmas time!  Because of this, I've purchased a gingerbread house kit for our family to make for the past few years.  I usually leave the construction and design to Daddy and the boys while I snap pictures, but I have to admit, I miss making them...maybe next year I'll have to buy one for me and one for the kids.  I've also wondered about making our own gingerbread and creating houses that way, but that hasn't happened yet. 

The boys were super excited to decorate with all that frosting and candy!  It was fun to put together, despite the sagging roof (Ty cracked the roof piece and we had a hard time putting it back together).  While they were working on the house, I asked the boys if they thought Jesus would have made a gingerbread house at Christmas time.  Both said "no" in a that's-a-silly-question kind of way.  But then we talked about how Jesus didn't celebrate Christmas with his family.  How blessed are we that we can celebrate the coming of our Saviour!?!  Merry Christmas!!!

Brielle enjoyed the fun, too!

                                    

December 4: Christmas Shopping

 Every year our church supports the Criminal Justice Chaplaincy by bringing unwrapped gifts to church for clients to "purchase" with credit earned through volunteer hours.  I thought this would be a good activity for our kids to help with and experience the joy of giving.  When I explained that our Christmas activity was to go shopping for gifts for other kids who might not get presents this Christmas, Koen's response was, "But I want to get a present for me!"  It took some talking and convincing, but he finally agreed to shop for someone else.  It's such a tough line as a parent...I want to be able to give my kids the things that they want (within reason, of course) and protect them from the harsh reality of poverty that others know too well.  On the other hand, I want them to have generous and giving spirits, and how can they have that unless they know there's a need?

I gave them each $10 and off we went to Target.  I was correct in my assumption that we'd head straight to the Thomas the Tank Engine aisle.  Each boy picked out a train to give to church, and then we picked a Barbie doll to be from Brielle.  Ty selected a train that he has and loves and Koen selected a train that's on his Christmas list.  Once we got home, Ty wanted to take the train out to play with it, but I explained again that it was for another boy or girl who wouldn't have Christmas presents like him.

I wondered how it would go at church the next morning with the boys having to leave the trains there, but they both walked up to the box, placed the train in, and walked away.  I was so proud of them!

December 3: Setting up the Nativity Sets

I think I now collect Nativity sets.  I have 3 full sets of my own, one for the boys (a gift from Uncle Mark and Aunt Jane a few years back), plus a few smaller-scale versions with just Mary, Joseph, and Jesus.  Anyway, I thought it'd be a good idea for the boys to help me set up the Nativity sets this year.  We talked about the different people involved and that baby Jesus was probably the center of all the attention so it made sense that he was in the center of the Nativity displays. 

Now that they've set up these scenes, the boys view them as toys and play with the pieces often.  While I love that they are remembering the Nativity, I have to admit I cringe a bit to think that my beautiful Nativity sets are seen as playthings by my boys.  One set is from my trip to Israel, one set is a beautiful Willow Tree set, and one set was made by a family friend and belonged to my Grandma.  I guess I have a hard time just letting them play with these pieces -- like using the creche as a slide for baby Jesus, stacking the wise men up into a tall tower, etc.  Of course, the one set they are allowed to play with isn't as exciting to play with as the others simply because they are allowed to play with it. Nothing has been destroyed yet, and I suppose in the end, these are just material things and it won't be the end of the world if something happens.   

December 2: Donkey Puppet

The boys made donkey puppets today (template found at http://www.dltk-kids.com/animals/mbagdonkey.htm).  We talked just a bit about how Mary and Joseph had to travel right before baby Jesus was going to be born.  Instead of riding in a car or flying in an airplane, Mary rode on a donkey.  We also figured that the donkey might have stayed with them in the stable since that's where the animals slept. 

We did this activity at Grandpa and Grandma Smits house.  Grandma knew what we were working on and went into her stash of Christmas books, knowing she had one that would fit well.  She pulled out The Donkey's Christmas Song by Nancy Tafuri.  It fit perfectly!  All the animals sing their songs for the new baby Jesus, but the donkey is afriad its loud bray will scare the newborn.  You'll have to read it to find out what happens. ;)

I realize these little lessons aren't deep theological discussions, but my hope is that these little nuggets of information will help them become more aware of the true Christmas story and the significance of the season. 



December 1: Advent Christmas Tree

Making an evergreen tree Advent calendar the first suggested activity in the Keeping CHRIST in CHRISTMAS for Kids book. 

1. Trace 25 hand prints on green construction paper and neatly cut them out.
2. Number each of the hand prints on the palm.
3. Glue the hand prints on tag board in seven overlapping rows to form an outline of an evergreen tree.
4. For the seventh row, use only four hand prints and place two of them on each side of the tree continuing the tree shape.
5. Cut a trunk from brown construction paper and glue it in the middle of the seventh row.
6. Display tree in a prominent location and place a sticker on the date after the reflection and activity has been completed for that day. (ours is on the back of the front door)

It turned out looking great, but I'd definitely do it differently next time!!!  Cutting out 25 hand prints was NOT a good idea.  I had figured Koen would be able to help cut some out, but he was done after cutting out one of his.  Both Koen and Ty drifted off to play something else while I finished cutting.  They did help a little bit when it came to gluing the hands down, but I couldn't help but think during the 25 minutes it took to cut out the hand prints that next time I'd use some green paint.  Messier?  Of course, but then I'd be able to take one hand, put it in paint, slap it on the cardboard a few times and wash it off.  Next hand and repeat.  It sounds so much simpler and then the kids would be involved for more of it, too.  Live and learn! 

During the course of constructing this tree we talked about the meaning of Advent.  Koen had talked about it that day in school and he remembered (!) that Advent was a time of waiting for Jesus.  I love it when God's timing works out like that!  The booklet suggested talking about how we use the evergreen during the Christmas season because Jesus gives everlasting life.  I kept the focus of this project on advent for this year.  We're putting a sticker on each numbered hand until we reach Christmas.  Waiting for anything is tough at these ages (heck, it can be tough at my age!).  I figure I'll keep it simple, plant some seeds, and pray they grow in their love and knowledge of Christ this Christmas season. 

This Christmas Season

After Christmas last year, my mom gave me a booklet entitled Keeping CHRIST in Christmas for Kids by Donna and Nick Medendorp.  The book outlines an activity along with Bible verses for each day from December 1 through December 25.  That planted the seed for doing something each day with the kids this Christmas season that would relate to the meaning of the season, but when I pulled the book out and looked at the ideas I realized that a few changes would be needed.  Some of the activities were too advanced for the ages of my kids, and some of the activities I just didn't care for.  Fortunately, I love to research and plan things, so I started scouring the internet for Christmas activity ideas.  Of course, this was Nov. 30th, so I didn't leave myself much time to get it all together...to some degree we're winging it.  I certainly don't have Bible verses for each activity...but that will be an improvement for next year when we do it again. :) 

So for the next 25 days I'll be posting the Christmas activity we do and how it goes rather than things from the flexible schedule idea we've been working from.  Enjoy!

November 30: Cinnamon Cut-Out Ornaments

I'll start by saying I was excited to make these with the boys but was a little disappointed with the outcome.  Maybe a few "tweaks" would improve it. 

We made the following recipe and then used our cookie cutters and play-doh cutters to get the shapes we wanted for our ornaments (not necessarily Christmas shapes as Koen wanted the letters of their names and numbers of their ages).  The dough was very sticky and messy...too much for the boys to handle, so I mixed it and tried to roll it out, but I ended up having to just press it down with my hands because the rolling pin tore the dough apart.  Koen, despite my repeated warnings that this dough was NOT for eating, licked his hands and wasn't impressed with the taste.  Ty keeps calling them "chocolate cookies" but hasn't tried to eat one...yet.  We're now waiting the suggested six days for our ornaments to harden so we can hang them on our tree. 

Cinnamon Cut-Out Ornaments
1 cup cinnamon
3/4 cup store-bought applesauce -- slightly warmed

Mix together in a bowl.  Form into a ball.  Sprinkle the work space with additional cinnamon and roll out the dough so it's 1/4" thick.  Cut out desired shapes and set in a flat space to dry.  Poke hole near the top to string ribbon through after it's dried.  Let dry for six days before stringing and hanging the ornaments.

Note:  I went online to look for additional/better recipes and came up with some ideas...

• Roll the dough out between wax paper
• Add a Tbs. of white glue to the mix
• Add glitter to the mix
• Use paint after ornaments are dry to paint "frosting"

November 26: Coloring Christmas Pictures & Setting Up the CHRISTMAS TREE!!!

I asked the boys if they wanted to do a Christmas project with me today, and after a resounding "yes!" I asked if they had any ideas or if they wanted me to find something to make.  Koen pulled out the Christmas coloring/activity book Grandma had giving them and suggested we color pictures.  Simple, but perfect.  We each tore out a picture to color and began using the new crayons, also from Grandma.  We spent 20 minutes or more sitting at the kitchen table just coloring, talking, and laughing together. 

It had been a long time since I'd colored with crayons; I'd forgotten how relaxing it can be.  I tried to research online to see if there was anything about stress relief and coloring, or something of that sort, but the only things that popped up were specific calming colors or coloring mandalas -- pictures meant to focus your thoughts.  I'm pretty sure the kid's Christmas pictures I was coloring weren't designed to focus my attention and calm my spirit, but in a way, they did.  I supposed just slowing down to sit and color something that can be completed in a short time frame (as opposed to never-ending laundry or even my scrapbook which is 3 1/2 years behind our current life) was the perfect relaxing activity.  We (or maybe just I) may need to do this activity more often.

Later that evening we hauled out the fake tree (I've never had a real one...maybe some day I'll be brave enough) and all the Christmas decor.  The boys were beyond excited about setting up the tree and couldn't wait to hang the ornaments...really, they couldn't wait.  They began unpacking them before I could do it in my organized fashion.  Praise the Lord for an excited Christmas spirit!