Christmas Food

For some folks, Christmas is over and they are well into taking down their decorations and festive Christmas gear.  At our house, however, we are still jamming with the Christmas groove.

Here's something fun that I attempted to do for Harmony.. (to be good at, mind you.. which some thing's I just CAN'T do all or most of the time..)

She LOVED it!  Harmony hugged and kissed me.. thanking me for such an awesome lunch!  The extra five minutes I spent sprucing up her peanut butter and jelly sandwich into a winter tree scene.. was well worth it!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Candice S.

Holiday Traditions, Gifts, and Family Fun.

I love Christmas.

I love the season, the cold, family, eating, and fun festive activities that we all love to do with our family.  I'm going to miss it, dearly.   So, to keep the Spirit of Christmas alive I want to share some of Rattles and Redheads, and your's truly, family traditions that are old and the fresh new one's that were welcomed into our family this holiday season.  Some of them I posted about, other's I didn't get a chance so it'll be your first time seeing them!  :o)

• Having Pinkie Pie watch over us during the month of December until he/she flies back to the North Pole to report on our behavior.

• Opening PJ's on Christmas Eve and other presents with our extended family member's.

• Setting out Reindeer Food (made of oat's and glitter) and Homemade Cookies for Santa.

• Our Christmas Activity Box is so fun that I might make one themed for each month!

• Buying Christmas Santa Claus Storybook

• Watching a Christmas Movie

• Receiving Santa's Bell (Polar Express Idea)  We bought the bell from The Dollar Tree and put a pretty ribbon on it.. Only those who believe can hear it.  :)  What fun!  

• Homemade Ornaments and Gifts

• Family Handprint Christmas Tree.  This is my all time favorite present that we could have made this year!  I love, love, love it!

Merry Belated Christmas and to a Happy, Happy New Year!  I hope that your holiday was as special as our's!

Candice S.

Santa Claus Countdown Chain

What better and easier to use then this fun Santa Claus Countdown Chain for Christmas. Harmony loved making this and it was beyond easy! I put the chain's together while she decorated Santa, and then put the date and countdown on each one.  She cannot wait to check on her Elf, Pinkie Pie, and then to go and rip off one of our chain's on the Santa Claus Countdown Chain!

Merry Christmas!

Candice S.

Christmas Advent Jar

How cute did this come out?  I was quite impressed, myself.  HEHE.  I love it and I love what it contains.  I recycled a jar and cut some wrapping paper into square's to make this advent jar.  

For each paper that you pull out, thirteen square's exactly, you will read the following information.. :)

Make Christmas Present

Read a christmas book

Make a tent in the living room and have dinner in it

Make a reindeer Christmas Ornament

Bake Christmas Cookies

Watch Christmas Movie

Hot Chocolate Night

Learn a new Christmas Carol

Discuss the meaning of Christmas

Drive around neighborhood and look at Christmas Lights

Create Family Handprint Tree

Make baby food jar snow globe

Make Christmas Ornament

I added one extra- just in case we wanted to do an additional Christmas Activity!  :) 

Merry Christmas!

Candice S.

Martha's AMAZING Newspaper Tree's!!!

Is this not the neatest idea, EVER?  Thank you, Martha Stewart for sharing this wonderful creation with us!   

How beautiful and unique.. and out of newspaper and glue!  The possibilities for the creation of this unique tree is endless.  You can use other tree materials, such as felt or foil, if you don't want to recycle that old newspaper! 

For more information on how to make this Christmas Craft click here.

Merry Christmas!!!

Candice S.

Christmas Sensory Box

We always have fun coming up with new idea's for a sensory table, and/or, box. Harmony adores her small toys and I love her using them so they don't end up in the vacuum or trash.

This Christmas Sensory Box helped us use our growing (way beyond expanding) box of lids and caps so we were super excited about that!!!  We made the Christmas shapes using cookie cutters, we decorated them with glitter, and then glued them onto the lids.  Harmony can use them for her Christmas "scene" and can actually pick them up and grasp them.  Nice, right?

I'll be posting a tutorial on how to make the snowflakes very soon.  :)  Have a great day and ..

Merry Christmas!

Candice S.

Wordless Wednesday =)

Merry Christmas!!!

Candice S.

Preschool Week, 12/6/10 and Giving Theme

We use the Everything for Early Learning, Preschool Book for all of our worksheets, minus a few printables that I find from online resources.

Weekly/Monthly Theme:  

Christmas

This year Harmony is old enough to start learning about giving to the poor and really learn about appreciation.  This week we have sorted through toys, of which Harmony has selected several herself to give away, and we have sorted through clothes.  We are making donation to the Salvation Army.  I think it is important for our kids to know the wonderful joy of Christmas that doesn't just consist of "getting" but of giving to those that are not as fortunate as we are.

Letter of the week:  

"H"

"H" Worksheets from Everything for Early Learning, Preschool and "H" Snowman 
Activities include fine motor activities and coordination promotion of writing, worksheets, arts and crafts, etc.  I decided that we are not going to do the mini book from First-School this week, as I noticed Harmony was getting a little bored.

Word and Trait:

Helpful

Sight Words:

four, my, is, like, red, I, am

Math Lessons: 

"C" is for Christmas Counting w/ objects card

Christmas Bulbs Number 5

Christmas Themed, Number 6

Christmas Trees, Number 7

Adding and Subtracting, Recognition, Sorting, and Measurements in Practical Life Applications are applied daily.

Tools for Math Lesson: 

Beans, lids, jars, and bottle caps

Books: 
Will post on library book selection.  Any good selection's for Christmas books??

Crafts:  

Review our crafts section on our preschool planner.  :)

New Nursery Rhyme:

Little Jack Horner Nursery Rhyme

Little Jack Horner
Sat in a corner
Eating his Christmas pie.
He stuck in his thumb
And pulled out a plum
And said, "What a good boy am I!"

120710ChristmasPlanner#2

What are some of the life lessons you would like to teach your kids this time of year? 

*If you are interested in donating your used goods that are in decent condition, then please take the time to visit the Salvation Army's website.  They also do business and residential pick up's.  Please, keep items out of household trash when you can donate it to someone who can use it or even more importantly, an individual that has need for it.

Merry Christmas!

Candice S.