HomeEducatorMom

Colorful Snowflakes

November 27, 2012 by Betty

As an extension activity to Snip, Snip… Snow! by Nancy Poydar, we made some coffee filter snowflakes. Instead of leaving it white, I asked the kids to use their imagination and mix the colors that we have been learning at home. This was a fun and interactive activity that I am sure your kids will love as well. Here’s how…

To start, click my post Snip, Snip… Snow! for instructions on how to make some white coffee filter snowflakes.

Once you have your precut white paper snowflakes, children can use any color of markers to draw on the snowflakes. The great thing is, no particular design is needed.

Chico’s working on his. I put newspaper underneath the snowflake to keep the ink off the table.

After adding some colors to the snowflakes, using a spray bottle and spray the snowflake until the colors start to blend. Here’s a couple of ways to do this part. Lay snowflake on cookie sheet and have your child spray or an adult can take the snowflake to the kitchen sink and spray it. Let the wet snowflakes drip dry in your hand. Then set it flat on some paper towels to dry.

Wet snowflakes laying flat on the paper towels.

Our beautiful work of art: colorful snowflakes!

Adapted from A Story + Art = A Great stART. For More stART stories, visit A Mommy’s Adventure.

Filed Under: Books and Activities, Winter Tagged With: colorful paper snowflakes

Christmas Craft for Kids: Beaded Candy Cane

November 25, 2012 by Betty

One Christmas ornament that we enjoy making is candy canes. I first learned of this simple beaded candy cane from my friend Margaret when we were doing a winter Vacation Bible School (VBS) together. And since then, I’ve adapted this activity with my kids. Here is the story of the candy cane with its rich symbolisms to remind us of the true meaning of Christmas.

Look at the Candy Cane

What do you see?

Stripes that are red

Like the blood shed for me

White is for my Savior

Who’s sinless and pure!

“J” is for Jesus, My Lord, that’s for sure!

Turn it around

And a staff you will see

Jesus my shepherd

Was born for Me!

Materials:

Red Chenille Stem (or pipe cleaners)
Beads (Red and white)
Strings for hanging

Instructions:

1. Cut pipe cleaner into half.
2. String alternating red and white beads onto pipe cleaner or use RRW (red red white) pattern
3. Bend beaded pipe cleaner into candy cane.
4. Tie string onto candy cane for hanging.

As an extension, your kids might like these children’s books:

J is for Jesus, The Sweetest Story Ever Told by Crystal Bowman

The Legend of the Candy Cane by Lori Walburg
(We’ve read the older edition)

I got the candy cane poem from Ministry to Children.

Filed Under: Indoors Activities, Winter Tagged With: candy cane craft, the story of the candy cane

25 Ways to Tie a Scarf

November 23, 2012 by Betty

Image Credit

Do you have an outfit that you like, but need to add a little flare to the design? Have you tried adding a scarf to it? I love scarves because it’s so versatile. Here’s a fun video that gives you 25 ways to tie a scarf. I tried a few of them already and love it!

Filed Under: Videos Tagged With: 25 ways to tie a scarf

Snip, Snip… Snow!

November 23, 2012 by Betty

My kids look forward to a winter wonderland every year. They like to catch snow with their hands, taste the snow with their tongues and create their own snowmen with things they find in and outside our house. So, when I borrowed this book, Snip, Snip…Snow, from the library, I knew that they would love reading it. As a home educator, of course, I like to make every experience a learning one. And what better way to turn this language arts lesson into art.

Snip, Snip… Snow! by Nancy Poydar is about a little girl, Sophie, who longs for snow. Sophie was excited to hear the forecast predicted snow, but was disappointed when she learned that the forecast was wrong. In the meantime she and her classmates made beautiful snowflakes in class. As she was cutting her pretty snowflakes, real soft snow drifted from the sky. This is a delightful story. The book includes instructions on how to make your own paper snowflakes.

As an art extension, we made these snowflakes:

Materials:

1. white coffee filters or precut paper circles
2. scissors

Instructions:

Simply fold coffee filter into half 3x and start cutting. Experiment with cutting out different shapes out of the three sides and the pointy tip to see what you get. Unfold and enjoy your beautiful handiwork!

To learn how to make colorful coffee filter snowflakes, read Colorful Snowflakes. Interested in making some yummy snowflakes to eat, click Edible Snowflakes.

Filed Under: Books and Activities, Winter Tagged With: book review

A Parent’s Lesson in Gift Giving

November 20, 2012 by Betty

As a parent of three children, my desires are to give my kids the best of everything, materials and non-materials. A lot of times, I wonder, how much is too much and what are their little minds thinking about these gifts? Often, I find myself swinging to the other side of the spectrum and not give them any gifts. So, this is a dilemma for me because Bubba and I want to raise our kids up in a Christ honoring environment where they are thankful for what God has blessed them.

The following article titled, The Gratefulness Principle, helps me understand this topic at a deeper level. The article talks about how gratefulness increases closeness in relationships and how not to give more than what the child’s character can handle.

Here’s the full article:

Gratitude increases closeness in relationships. As you parent your children, look for opportunities to take advantage of gratefulness to draw closer to your kids. Give your children small gifts of love day after day. Be careful, though, that you don’t confuse the gratefulness principle with the overindulgence trap.

Some parents, wanting their children to like them, recognize giving gifts opens the heart, so they overdo it by giving them too many things. Giving to your kids must be tied into relationship, or the gifts feed selfishness instead of gratefulness. Overindulgence is giving your children more than their character can handle. When children lack gratitude, then the more you give them, the less they appreciate. Parents must restrain themselves or they’ll exceed their children’s ability to manage the blessings.

Overindulged children rarely become grateful when you give them more things. They grow to be more demanding and selfish. Parents then feel unappreciated and become resentful. The hearts of both parents and children harden toward each other, and closeness becomes a thing of the past.

If your children become overindulged rather than grateful, then pull back on the area where you’re giving too much. Look for creative ways to give differently to your child. Teaching the heart gratefulness can be a challenge. Having a child say thank you is just behavior. Gratefulness comes from the heart.

Monitor your child’s response to gifts of love to determine if you’re growing gratitude or overindulgence. As gratefulness increases, you can slowly give blessings in a way that will produce more gratefulness. You’ll know if you’re moving too quickly by your child’s response. This parenting tip comes from the book Parenting is Heart Work by Dr Scott Turansky and Joanne Miller, RN, BSN.

My friend Gilda introduced me to some of these parenting articles and I’m thankful for that. If you’d like to continue to receive tips yourself, you can sign up at www.biblicalparenting.org.

Linking up with The Beauty in His Grip.