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So I need your help on my great idea. I saw this in my Parenting magazine, and I thought I would give it a try. It was a countdown to the holidays using envelopes with activity messages in them. I was going to do the envelopes and attach them to the wreath we have hanging inside our deck door. And each day in December, you pick an envelope and do the activity. I think Ashley will get a big kick out of this.
The problem? I need some ideas for some activities...this is what I have so far...
- Go look at Christmas lights in the neighborhood.
- Bake cookies
- Bake a cake
- Get ice cream from Sonic (more for Ray than the kids...)
- Watch a movie
- Drink hot chocolate
- Play a board game
- Go to the Dollar Store and get a treat
Um, and that's where my creativity ends. Help??
18 comments:
I just read this yesterday by Amy Clark at Momadvice.com. Here is the link about her list....It sounds like a great time!!!
http://momadvice.com/parenting/christmas_jar.aspx
make ornaments
write letters to Santa
print out coloring pages and color
drink hot chocolate with m.mallows
watch a christmas movie
make up your own carrol
sing carrols
string popcorn
make those paper chain things you did when you were a kid
I love this idea! I may do it, too!
I'm letting the cat out of the bag on one of our traditions. But my resident "artists" color more Christmas drawings than I can even store, so I pop them in envelopes and send them to local nursing homes with a note to please give the kids' brightly colored artwork to people who get no visitors.
I am probably giving you ideas you already have...but here are some that popped into my mind:
1. read a book
2. have a dance party
3. put on a puppet show
4. make a craft
5. play a game
6. tell a pretend story (each person tells part of the story to make it more fun)
7. make jello
8. draw pictures of your family
9. go visit a friend
10. call a relative on the phone
11. come to Pam's house and clean it (ha ha ha)
12. go to the local library
13. go window shopping
14. make Christmas cards from scratch
15. take food to donate to a local shelter/food drive/etc.
16. take a toy to donate to toys for tots
17. make sock puppets
18. make smores
19. take a bubble bath (okay, maybe that isn't fun for kids- I don't know)
20. look through a magazine or newspaper and circle all the letters you know/letters in your name/whatever you want them to circle
21. cut out pictures from a magazine (two or three) and use those pictures to make up a story (this can be really fun if you get some crazy pictures and put them together)
22. trace and cut out hand shapes to make a paper wreath
23. use a brown paper bag to make a reindeer (give it a red nose and you have rudolph)
24. take a family picture
25. decorate paper plates for everyone in your family
26. go look at holiday lights around your town
I don't know how many of those you like....but hopefully it helps you get some ideas you want to do
Enjoy! Sounds like fun!
I would suggest maybe donating a toy or something to the needy, writing letters to family/friends and even Santa, and oh - everything else that the other commenters have suggested! I might do this with my boys, it sounds fun!
I'm with the making of ornaments
writing out christmas cards
putting pictures in a scrapbook
wrapping presents
donating a toy to toys for tots
read a book about the meaning of christmas
Huh, that's all I can think of, but you have some great ideas so far!
try family fun.com they have GREAT crafts
some of my own:
I saw today in the magazine to string minimarshmellows and cranberries instead of popcorn -easier for little hands to manage.
cut up a paper egg carton (do they still make those?) - the individual egg holders can be painted and strung on a piece of yarn as "bells"
use plain butcher paper and stamps to make christmas wrapping paper
turn off all electronic devices and just sit and watch the christmas lights.
go to a museum
build a snowman
make (or just ones you have) Christmas cards for the soldiers who at war - the ANY SOLDIER program.
You should check out Heffalump's entry in the bazaar, she does this but has a great list too, though some of these suggestions in the comments are really great too.
What about making some type of decorations for christmas??
bs said what I was going to say! That's what I'm doing with my Scout troop on Monday night.
Oh, your daughters are probably young for this now, but when they get a little older take them to a women's shelter and have them serve a meal to the folks there, or volunteer for for some Christmas-related community service (Toys for tots collection or Coats for the Cold or something). The kids can play with the other kids there, so it's fun for them, and it also teaches them to be so thankful for what they have. I've been doing this with the boy and the girl since they were about five. Before that (and still, actually) we would do Adopt an Angel, from the Angel Tree and I would let them pick out things for the "kids they didn't know". They love doing that, still.
But again, this is when they get a little older. So I'm no help!
string popcorn - oops I better read other's comments first.
Ok, well everything I thought of has been said except to dye the dog redd and green. :) No? Ok well, that's all I got.
i went back and read the comments now, but you coulud also go ring bells for the salvation army, usually there are never enough volunteers, go walk dogs for the pound/shelter, if there's no peanut allergies, roll some pinecones in peanut butter and bird seed and hang them in trees for the birds in front of a big window or one the girls can sit near and watch.. umm.. i was going to say go through your toys and have them choose one or two each that they have grown out of to donate to a women's shelter... others have mentioned buying new toys, but that would benefit you and them. you could even sponsor a stuffed animals "bath" and put new ribbons on their necks to be regifted to a shelter or salvation army, something like that. churches always have stuff going on you dont have to pick one specific, just look through the sunday paper and see what's coming up for the rest of the week, i have torn out ads for 2 museums that usually cost something that are free this saturday that we could go look at.
How about go to Target (where else) and pick out a toy for Toys for Tots. (You have that down there yes, I assume National program?)
check out the mouse house for some cards i stamped up. they were the $1 for 10 from michaels and i bought the stamps from there as well. i do think they are as good as store made. or the girls could color pictures or draw pictures on heavy paper and you could write your holiday message on the other side and/or stamp it or just let them go crazy with the stamps on the top half and you write your message on the bottom half of the inside of the card!
I came into this one to late to have anything new. Our favorite things to do are craft projects and baking.
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