CHRISTMAS ESSENCE Provide each child with a 5 x 5 square of brightly colored cotton fabric. Have the children break up cinnamon sticks into small pieces. They put the cinnamon bits, chopped orange and lemon peel, 6 whole cloves and one bay leaf into the middle of their square. Gather the edges of the square and tie with a length of string. Staple on a label: To use, simmer this ball in 2 cups of water. It will create a spicy Christmas scent throughout the house. Remember Me Plaque 5" wooden circles painted white 1/4" ribbon glue tempera paint meat trays Pour a small amount of paint on the meat tray. Help each child press a hand in the paint and then press on one of the circles. When dry, print the child's name and the year below the handprint. Glue the ribbon on the back making a loop to hang. Pretty Posies Cut bottomm off a plastic soda bottle about 1 inch from the bottom. Paint thinned glue on the inside of the flower: then press tissue paper pieces atop the glue. When glue is dry mount a fake jewel in the center of the flower. Attach magnetic strip &/or paper leaf to pipecleaner stem. CHRISTMAS IS ... C is for Christmas, I wait for all year. H is for holly that brings so much cheer R is for reindeer that pull Santa's sleigh I is for icicles dripping all day S is for Santa who seldom is seen T is for tree that is lovely and green M is for mistletoe, hugs and a kiss A is for angel who looks just like this S is for stockings all loaded with toys from all of the elves to the good girls and boys We make this into a Christmas book for parents. Each letter has a page. We do one a day until completed. Use your imagination for illustration ideas (mini 1998 calendar for waiting all year (copy from your check book cover?), punched out red bears for holly "berries",cotton for Santa's beard, glitter on reindeer's nose, silver tube paint for icicles, sequins on tree, ribbon bow on mistletoe, child's picture for angle's face, fabric scrapes for stocking with catalog picture of a couple of toys, etc.). they are very proud of these books when finished and love reading it to their family Christmas morning. wrapping paper Age: 1 plus Give the children red and green paint, a large sheet of paper and some Christmas shaped objects to print with. This can then be used as Christmas wrapping paper. Reindeer Bait! Place several Hershey’s Kisses (or other treat) in a small square of netting. Tie up with a ribbon. Attach the following poem. Worried about your standing with Santa Claus this year? Been a little naughty and have empty stocking fear? Although you’ve changed your ways, you’re afraid it’s much too late! Just Lure in Santa and his sleigh with some reindeer bait. The reindeer can’t resist it. They’ll lead Santa to your door. He’ll forget that you’ve been naughty, and leave gifts and treats galore! Christmas "gift" Idea Each year......we manage to come up with an idea for a gift to make our "parents" for Christmas. Sometimes this can be a challenging task. This is what I do for our 3's each year....I usually plan something different for our Pre- K's to make since they usually all did this the year before. Anyway here goes... I purchase the Wooden "craft" hoops from Walmart or a craft store (7 or 8 inch hoops)......muslin.....and red craft ribbon... I cut the muslin into squares big enough so they will fit in the hoop easily. I dip the child's hand in green paint and place it on the muslin square to make a handprint. After the paint is dry...I put it in the hoop.(you can stain the hoop first if you are ambitious)....then with a red paint pen....I write at the top........"Children are a gift of the Lord"...at the bottom I write the child's name and the year......example: ......."Doug" 1998.... then I hot glue a little red bow at the top of the hoop. We let the children wrap the gift..providing them with paper and tape... We make a christmas card and attach this poem to the inside: SOMETIMES YOU GET DISCOURAGED BECAUSE I AM SO SMALL.. AND ALWAYS LEAVE MY FINGERPRINTS ON FURNITURE AND WALLS BUT EVERY DAY I'M GROWING UP AND SOON I'LL BE SO TALL THAT ALL THOSE LITTLE HANDPRINTS WILL BE HARD TO RECALL SO HERE'S A SPECIAL HANDPRINT JUST SO THAT YOU CAN SAY THIS IS HOW MY FINGERS LOOKED WHEN I PLACED THEM HERE TODAY. December Mailbox A Sweet Gift two large doilies sequins ribbon foild wrapped candies Place one doily atop the other so that the cut-out designs correspond. Fold the doilies in half. Then fold them in half again. Glue the loose folded edges togeher to create a cone shape. When the glue is dry, punch two holes through severl thinckneses near the top of he cone. Thread a length of ribbon t hrough the holes and tie the ribbon in a bow. Glue colored sequins on the cone if desired. To make a handle, staple a length of ribbon on each side of the cone. Fill the holder with the foil wrapped candies. Christmas Frames Take a photo of each child and mount in a frame made of pasta shapes which has been sprayed gold/silver. Recipe Holder Cover a bathroom tissue roll with contact or construction paper. Cut two slits on on end directly across from one another Place an index card into slits, add message: For your favorite recipes! Soap Balls/Soap on a rope Grate a bar of Ivory soap into a bowl Add water a little at a time, mix with a wisk or elctric mixer until blended Shape into ball shape, insert string if desired, Let dry 2 days Gift Bags Decorate brown paper lunch bags with crayons, markers, or holiday stickers Place gift inside bag, add tissue paper if desired Fold over top of bag approximately 2 inches, punch two holes, and add yarn to tie together. Add a gift card if desired! Pencil Holders Cover a frozen juice can with contact or construction paper Decorate with holiday stickers, crayons, or markers Add pencils, and a bow! Book Markers Trace your hand and arm onto a piece of paper Carefully cut out, decorate, and cover with clear contact paper if desired Angel ornament/gift I helped my pre-k kids make for a family gift. For our picture frame mirror, I finally decided on using an angel pattern for it. The pattern is just a simple angel about 5" tall. You have to cut 2 angels for each child. I use Christmas cards to cut the angel pattern from which gives the two angels from one card This is a good way to use old Christmas cards. What you do is cut out an oval opening in or near the "tummy"of the angel. This will be where the child's picture shows. Tape the picture in place on the back of the frame side, positioning it as you do. Next , glue the two pieces together putting the "wrote-on" side in so that the back side looks good. The above work is teacher-work, but the children's work is drawing a face on their angel, outlining the edges by squeezing glue all around the edges, then placing it glue-down in a paper plate with glitter in it. (I know, I'm the one that said I was scared of glitter, and I still am but this was well supervised!). Give the children a choice of glitter colors. Pick the angel up and it is outlined with the glitter. The angels end up looking different and unique because of the different colors in the Christmas cards and the different glitter colors. After they're dry, help the children punch a hole in the top, string it with a hanger of beautiful ribbon (give choices here). They can then wrap them in envelopes for a gift for their family. The children dipped Christmas cookie cutters in assorted colors paint earlier to use for "wrapping" their ornament gifts in. They're beautiful!! I always do ornaments with pictures of the children every year. We've made bells, Christmas trees, stockings, stars, and balls in the past the same way we made the angels. For the last several years I have taken a picture of each child in front of "our" Christmas tree and put them in the frame. I always get double prints made and give the extra to the parents. The parents love these ornaments with their children's photos on them. Candle for Parents Gift Take a baby food jar. Tear different colored pieces of tissue. paper. Cover the jar using a paintbrush with glue diluted slightly with water and attach the pieces of tissue paper. Throw a few sprinkles of gold or silver sparkles. Add ribbon around the top and place small votive candle in jar. Before making test candle size with baby food jar, as not all jars are the same so the candle sometimes will not fit. Christmas Candle Take a clean baby food jar, and "paint it" with a mixture of water and school glue. (Mix the glue and water to a thick paint-type consistency). Sprinkle with glitter. I have used gold, silver, mixed, etc., but the "prettiest" to me is crystal glitter. Allow it to dry. Wrap a 1/4 inch red or gold ribbon around the neck of the jar. Secure a votive candle in the bottom with melted wax or sticky tack. I then copy this poem and send it home with the candle. I run off copies of this poem and send with each candle on the last day of school before Christmas holidays. (I teach in a Christian school. If you teach in public and are prohibited from talking about Jesus, you can omit this poem, or use it in Sunday School instead) I made this candle by myself, It comes wrapped up in love. And as we light it Christmas Eve, We'll remember God above. He gave us all His very best, The day Jesus was born. Let's not forget this special gift, When we wake on Christmas morn. As years pass by and memories grow, I hope that we remember, Lessons learned 'round this little light, Made for you this December. I also send home a sheet telling the parents to light it each Christmas eve as a family to celebrate the birth of Jesus. I made a similar candle in Kindergarten 35 years ago, and every year we would light it on Christmas Eve and read the Christmas story from Luke 2. My parents have that candle, and still light it each year. It is very special to us all. Christmas Brick For Christmas presents for our parents, I get new bricks from a construction site, then I give them several coats of glossy white paint. When they dry, I paint the children's hand green, then tell them to put their fingers and thumb together and press on the brick..perfect tree. I then have them add a brown painted trunk, yellow star at the top, and red fingerprint ornaments. On the sides of the brick, I write the date. On the bottom, I put red plaid. I put them in brown shopping bags with a teddybear stamp (brown) sponge across the bag and tied it with a big red gingham bow. Christmas Cards... Use typing and color over old Christmas cards that have embossed designs. Mount onto colored construction paper slightly larger than design. Paste the colored picture on a folded card and print MERRY CHRISTMAS inside. Bells Captivating Cards... Fold sheets of construction paper in half to make cards. Fold the fronts of the card in half again and cut out holiday shape along the fold. Let the children finger paint with Christmas colors on white paper. When dried, tape them inside the cards behind the cutout shape.