Holiday Bling

Craft Time: Today we are making jewelry. You will need construction paper, tape, glue, and some advertisements from the paper or an old store catalog with pictures of jewelry. Cut strips of construction paper. Cut out pictures of jewels from advertisements. Let your kids choose which items they want even if you have to do the cutting for them - it's their jewelry, after all! Have them glue the cutout jewels onto the strips. Once they are dried, use tape to hold the ends together. Your kids will love having a little bling to wear! (picture below is bracelets in the drying stage)

Now, fair warning, your child may have a completely different idea of what a diamond bracelet should look like than you do. Remember, this is their project, so no editorial comments on how they decorate their bracelet. If you must, make your own so you can do it the "right" way. *wink*

I hear you saying, ummmm, I have 3 boys and not one of them is interested in making a diamond bracelet. Never fear - let them make a watch. Have them pick out a watch face to cut out and glue on, and then they can decorate the "watchband" however they like.

Music Time: Put on a classical music station and practice ballet dancing. Moms of boys, before you go telling me how your little one won't want to ballet dance, here is the solution. Don't tell them it's ballet. Just have them spin around, leap through the air, jump, hop, whatever they want. Try to get them to tailor the movement to the music - that's the real gist of it anyway - getting into the timing and mood of the music. Have fun with it though. Don't become the dance nazi and get overly critical. If they are jumping up and down like they are hopped up on sugar when the music is slow and calm, let them burn the energy!

Art Time: How is the photography going this week? Good! This is your last day to get some great shots. Have you noticed that your kid is getting better at taking pictures? Doesn't take long does it!

Story Time: Find all the books you have about opposites and make that your topic for the days reading.

Indoor Time: Indoor bowling. Use whatever you have on hand that might work as pins - some ideas are empty plastic soda bottles or rectangle shaped blocks. Get a ball (preferably big soft squishy type that kids are so enamored with, but even a tennis ball would work fine) and let them have fun trying to knock down the pins.

Outdoor Time: Our outdoor time was filled with the game - catch the snowflake on your tongue. Obviously one you can only play when it's snowing! In the event that you don't have snow falling when you want to play with your kids outside, grab a bag of mini-marshmallows and practice tossing them up in the air and trying to catch them in your mouth. Decidedly more delicious than snowflakes any day, and your face doesn't get all wet! For a variation, try tossing marshmallows into each others mouths.