Friday, December 31, 2010

Celebrating the New Year with kids!

New Year’s is when we see out the old year and ring in the new.  New Year's Eve is a celebrated across the globe. Many cultures have fireworks displays and other festivities to celebrate the start of the New Year. In Mexico, people make a wish and eat a grape with each of the twelve chimes of the bell during the New Year countdown.  In Brazil, people typically dress in white in order to bring luck into the upcoming year.
In the United States, New Year's Eve is a major social holiday. People often head to New York City to watch "the ball drop," a tradition that began in 1907 after firecrackers were outlawed. Following the lowering of the ball, people typically sing Auld Lang Syne and adults drink champagne at parties and other social gatherings. (Info and lyrics for Auld Lang Syne at bottom of post)

New Years Eve Crafts with Kids

Monday, December 27, 2010

National Make Cut Out Snowflake Day!

The Northeast is having a NorEaster!!!  Yeah!  The kids are so excited and can't wait to go sledding!

 Bring out the paper and scissors, and cut out some paper snowflakes.  Beginning in 1885, Wilson Alwyn Bentley studied thousands of snowflakes under a microscope before concluding no two were identical. It shouldn't come as a surprise, that there are seemingly countless different snowflake designs.  Here are few we found to help you out....

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Kwanzaa

 From December 26th to January 1st, millions of people will be celebrating Kwanzaa around the world. This is a celebration of the "First Fruits of the Harvest" which got its start in the mid sixties when America was experiencing the civil rights movement. 

Let it Snow!

It has started to snow like crazy here in the North East!  The kids are so excited about the snow and can't wait to go sledding. 

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Winter Solstice 2010 + Total Lunar Eclipse!

Today is the first day of winter, the shortest day of the year. The earth is receiving less daylight right now then it will all year long for our hemisphere. And for the first time in 372 years we are having a total lunar eclipse fall on the winter solstice and NASA does not even know then the next Winter solstice/total lunar eclipse will ever be.

The eclipse starts 1:33 AM EST on Tuesday December 21, 2010 on the east coast and starts Monday
December 20th at 10: 33 PM PST on the west coast.


Sunday, December 19, 2010

National Hard Candy Day and Gingerbread Houses with kids!

Today is National Hard Candy Day and Christmas is a great time to celebrate hard candies.  We thought we would combine this day with Gingerbread Houses.  We may attempt to make our own sugar candy to help decorate our houses.  We have posted a few non edible gingerbread house crafts below.  

Simple Hard Candy Recipe:
3 3/4 C. white sugar
1 1/2 C. light corn syrup
1 C. water
1 T. orange, or other flavored extract
1/2 t. food coloring (optional)
1/4 C. confectioners' sugar for dusting

In a medium saucepan, stir together the white sugar, corn syrup, and water. Cook, stirring, over medium heat until sugar dissolves, then bring to a boil. Without stirring, heat to 300 to 310° F., or until a small amount of syrup dropped into cold water forms hard, brittle threads.

Remove from heat and stir in flavored extract and food coloring, if desired. Pour onto a greased cookie sheet, and dust the top with confectioners' sugar. Let cool, and break into pieces. Store in an airtight container.
 


Watch this video on how candy canes are made...wow - it looks like a lot of work!  (ribbon candy video is at bottom of this post)

Whether you are going to make a eatable or non Gingerbread House here are few non-editable houses to help you get inspired...

 
Family Fun Magazine


Family Fun Magazine

Family Fun Magazine

How Ribbon Candy is made:





Saturday, December 18, 2010

Christmas Ornaments with kids!



Parents

 
Family Fun Magazine

 
Family Fun Magazine 


Family Fun Magazine

 


 Family Fun Magazine
 
Family Fun Magazine

 
Family Fun Magazine

 
Family Fun Magazine


Friday, December 17, 2010

Fun Christmas Activities for the kids!

Have fun with some of these fun Christmas activities we found around the web.

Click HERE to print out some Holiday Tong Twisters

Chritmas Gift Riddle Hunt - print out HERE


 CHRISTMAS SONG PICTURE GAME

To play this game, you can print the picture sheet right off this site by clicking HERE. Robins says to give people a sheet of blank paper and a pencil to write their answers on, then give them 5 minutes to figure out as many as possible. They can not talk to each other or copy. You can give prizes to the top two or three winners and a cd of Christmas songs to the person with the worst score.   Click HERE for the answers to this game


Wintertime Matching Game - click HERE to print


Paint by Number - Click HERE to print out

Christmas Jokes - Click HERE for to print them out
Click HERE and HERE and HERE for each one to print

Click HERE to print out Christmas Care's
Click HERE to print out Christmas Conversation's
Click HERE to print out Christmas Crack Up's

    

Sunday, December 12, 2010

National Poinsettia Day

By an Act of Congress, December 12 was set aside as National Poinsettia Day. The date marks the death of Joel Roberts Poinsett, who is credited with introducing the native Mexican plant to the United States. The purpose of the day is to enjoy the beauty of this popular holiday plant.

December Birth Flower

Also known as the Christmas flower, the poinsettias origin is legendary. It is believed it began as nothing other than a child who could not afford a gift to offer to Christ on Christmas Eve picked some weeds from the side of a road. The child was told that a humble gift, if given in love, would be acceptable in God's eyes. The weeds turned into brilliant red blooms we now know as the poinsettia, and the congregation felt they had witnessed a Christmas miracle.

Poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima) are popular potted plants, particularly during Christmas. Poinsettia was named after the first ambassador of US to Mexico, Dr. Joel Robert Poinsett who introduced the plant to United States in 1825. Poinsettias are also known by other names such as winter rose, lobster flower, Mexican flame leaf, Noche Buena, Christmas star and Christmas flower. Peru and Chile called the poinsettia the “Crown of the Andes”. The botanical name of poinsettia, Euphorbia pulcherrima, means “the most beautiful Euphorbia”. The plants are native to Central America and southern Mexico.

Tuesday, December 07, 2010

National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day

About National Pearl Harbor Remebrance Day

National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day, which is annually on December 7, commemorates the attack on Pearl Harbor, in Hawaii, during World War II. Many American service men and women lost their lives or were injured on December 7, 1941, entering America into WWII. National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day is also referred to as Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day or Pearl Harbor Day.  It is a tradition to fly the U.S. Flag at half-staff until sunset.

Gather great Pearl Harbor Social Studies information for kids HERE at Social Studies.com

References & Resources
National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day

Saturday, December 04, 2010

Santa List Day

Today is Santa's List Day. Have you been good all year? Santa knows.

Santa's Elves have been everywhere, checking up on children all over the world, to see who has been naughty, and who has been nice. Thanks to the hard work of his elves, Santa now has two lists. The short list contains the names of a few children who have been naughty. A much longer list is filled with the names of children who have been good all year long.

Happy Santa's List Day!!!!

National Cookie Day

Today is National Cookie Day! 
Turn your favorite cookies into lollipop cookies and then arrange them in a bouquet and give them out as gifts.  Perfect idea for kids and holiday hostess gifts.

Wednesday, December 01, 2010

Hanukkah and Menorah Crafts

Here is a list of Hanukkah and Menorah Crafts ....

 Forty Two Roads hanukah
Hanukah advent calendar
Forty Two Roads

Dollar Store Crafts electric tealight menorah
electric tea light menorah
Dollar Store Crafts
Creative Jewish Mom glittery kid's menorah
glittery menorah
Creative Jewish Mom

The Magnifying Glass sand menorah
sand menorah
The Magnifying Glass

Activity Village handprint menorah
handprint menorah
Activity Village
Creative Jewish Mom dreidel mobile nesting dreidel mobile
Creative Jewish Mom

Junior Society button menorah
button menorah
Junior Society

 Creative Jewish Mom popsicle stick menorah dreidel
popsicle stick dreidel and menorah
Creative Jewish Mom

Creative Jewish Mom hanukah gelt
Hanukah gelt bags from tulle
Creative Jewish Mom
Vimoshanukkahpapelpicado Vimoshanukkahpapelpicadoblue

CreativeJewishMomclaychanukahdecorations
Creative Jewish Mom
baker's clay Hanukkah ornaments

Christmas Countdown!

Christmas Countdown

Have the kids keep checking when Christmas will arrive by having them visit http://www.xmasclock.com/

 Kids can email Santa and there is also a lot of cute Christmas things found here http://www.emailsanta.com/ and http://www.northpole.com/