Christmas
One of the things I love most about blogging is how one post will inspire another and not just on the same blog but from one blogger to another . I wasn’t going to post this yet but when Kristina from Toddler Approved posted this Corn Roll game that we inspired with our Candy Corn Counting I knew I needed to share this game. Also we have been playing it a lot, and not just because the tv is broken, because it’s fun!
- Gather your materials. You will need some paper, markers, marshmallows or even cotton balls, a die and someone to play against.
- Start by drawing Santa , I couldn’t find a good printable with a beard big enough for the numbers. Which was good since my printer is out of ink anyway. So I drew the santas.
- Add numbers.
- I put the sheets on clip board to keep them from blowing around, but you could laminated them or pop them on a cookie sheet with some magnets too.
- The objective is simple you want to fill up Santa’s beard first but covering all the numbers with marshmallows. The way you do that is to roll that number on the die.
- Roll.
- Add the marshmallow… oh and look who is getting a little fine motor practice too. I’m so sneaky.
- We ended up playing a few times and by request one was a boys against girls.
My daughter even rolled the die for the girls’ team!
I love games like this because they use a few novelties like Santa and marshmallows but are still packed with learning not only math but about sportsmanship and good game play.
Books About Santa
Christmas Morning
How Santa Got His Job
McDuff’s New Friend
5 Comments »
I love advent calendars and there are so many great ones out there. I have been dreaming of making this advent calendar since about February- and it took me about that long to get all the lids from baby wipe containers I needed. What I love about it is that I control what’s in it. As Halloween reminded me my kids and artificial flavors/ colors are just not a good mix. I love treats and enjoy sharing them with my kids but a calendar like this where you control the treat is the best way to go for us. Be sure not to miss my screw ups so you can learn from them!
- Gather your materials. You will need 24 or 25 ( depending on if you include 25 in your calendar – I do) flip top wipes lids. Lots of things have these lids all mine came from baby wipes. You will also need spray paint for the lids- Make sure it is for PLASTIC. I grabbed mine in a rush and the red was good for plastic the white…not so much. I had some flaking already. The paint made for plastic should be a ok. Also a drop cloth, canvas or a poster paper, ribbon, christmas themed card stock, glitter number stickers, white card stock, hot glue , fine tiped pen, pinking sheers, plain paper.
- Start by spray painting your lids, I did the inside then the outside. Let dry.
- Spray paint your poster if it’s not the color you want it to be or like me just want it to be extra pretty.
- Now make the numbers. I cut one piece of christmas themed card stock per flip top and one smaller piece of white card stock, and put the number stickers on. I used an extra lid to make sure it would cover the brand on the top.
- I laid the paper numbers out before gluing them on. You may notice I ran out of the number 2. I was so careful to make sure I had enough number 1s … so I ran back to the store. I wanted this to look whimsical and home made so I didn’t use a ruler, I just eyeballed everything.
- Some of the lids still had the sticky residue from where they were attached to their plastic container which was great for spacing them out. Many still needed to be hot glued on.
- I glued the paper on with hot glue, regular white glue just didn’t work.
- Make a bow by tying two loops together ( think tying your shoes with bunny ears) hot glue the ends to the back. Sorry about the dark photos I have a 16 month old who thinks we are 2 parts of one person and needs to be attached at all times, I had to maximize the happy seperation time to the fullest.
- Now time to write out all the activities I balanced them out with lots of activities like an indoor snowball fight, cutting our own Christmas Tree and setting out our nativity scene as well as a few candy canes, small toys and baking cookies. I also put some giving back like choosing a toy for toys for tots, and canned food for our local food bank.
- I cut each sentance out with pinking sheers and popped them in the doors.
- Hang Up. As you can see I have a 25 door on ours, many people do not add actual Christmas Day. I did because last year my son opened his 24th door and proclaimed it to be Christmas and while it didn’t take too long to explain the confusion he was genuinely disapointed. So I added one to open on Christmas Day too.
I hope you like this, even if you don’t please lie to me. I have been bursting at the seams to make this and share it with you all, and finally I had enough time to manage! Back to stuff for the kids to make and learn tomorrow !
I hope Santa brings everyone a few good books, crayons and paint !
Last year my son and my dad made a gingerbread house for fun and this year they cemented it as a tradition for years to come. It’s so important to have traditions and special events only for certain special people in your children’s lives. I am not surprised at all that I was exiled upstairs to nurse and have some alone time with my daughter while he made the house with my parents. I didn’t mind one bit. I hope your holiday season is filled with special events likes these.
You will need an over excited child, a more than willing to let said child eat far too much candy grandparent and another lenient grand parent to take the photos. Oh and a pre made ginger bread house, and extra candies that were suppose to be for the house but you suspect may just be for your kid.
Before they cracked open the house I put my son to work sorting the chocolate rocks for the path, and after they were done decorating my dad commented on how when he started a pattern with the candies my son kept it going. There was learning in this activity for sure , not to mention fire motor exercise too picking up and placing the candies.
Honestly though I couldn’t care less about the learning because that is not what this activity was about. It was about strengthening family bonds, creating tradition and making memories that will last longer than any craft or project, even cool ones with glitter.
I hate just recycling scrap wrapping paper after wrapping gifts. I’d much rather use it for crafts! I also like that this craft is a pretty fast one to set up and depending on your child’s abilities they can do this semi independently. I made lunch while my son did this , stopping only to take pictures and reign in his glue habit ( I would have used a glue stick if mine weren’t all dried up – must get some new ones). One other thing I’d do differently – I’d use a larger piece of paper ( or smaller trees) so you could also make the squares larger, the small ones were at some times tricky to match up.
- Gather your materials. You will need a large sheet of construction paper multiple scrap pieces of wrapping paper,a marker, scissors and glue.
- Start by cutting your wrapping paper into 3 different trees .
- cut the rest into square ‘gifts”
- Glue the trees onto the paper.
- Invite your child to sort and match!
- Glue them on. Like I said a glue stick would be ideal but white glue worked.
More Gift Wrap Crafts
