Book
#3
The
Baker’s Dozen by Aaron Shephard
Activity: Make cookie ornaments
This book tells a wonderful story about a baker
who has a booming business until he gets a magical visitor and learns that
generosity is the best way to succeed in life. The original activity for this
book was to make Christmas cookies. Well, we do that every year so I wanted to
try something different…cookie ornaments.
The recipe I used for our dough is:
2 cups flour
½ cup salt
¾ cup water
You will also need Christmas cookie cutters,
acrylic craft paint, and something to use as a clear protective coating such as
thin shellac or clear nail polish.
Combine the flour and salt. Add the water
gradually until the mixture has the texture of putty. Knead the dough for about
five minutes. Roll the dough out on a floured surface to ¼ inch thickness. Cut
with cookie cutters. Skewer a hole in the top of each ornament so you can hang
it. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet for 30 minutes at 325 degrees.
After the ornaments have cooled off, use a nail
file or fine sandpaper to smooth any rough edges. Paint the ornaments, front,
back and sides (this takes a couple of
days so the coats can dry and you can add details).
When the paint is dry,
coat with a clear protective coating.
Book
#4
Petunia’s Christmas by Roger Duvoisin
Activity: Pipe Cleaner Wreaths
Your kids will love this book and activity! I
promise. Petunia saves her true love from becoming the Christmas goose by
making wreaths and other ornaments to sell in town.
The instructions for this craft can be found at
Bella Dia here, but it’s pretty simple. Cut out a wreath template from
cardboard (a cereal box works fine), wrap the pipe cleaners around the wreath
until it is covered. Add embellishments like ribbon, bows, tiny flowers, etc.
Of course my girls wanted the sparkly pipe
cleaners!
Book
#5
The Christmas Hat by A.J. Wood
Activity: Peppermint Stick Chocolate Covered
Marshmallows
When a snowy owl is adopted by a family, they soon
discover that he is easily lost in the winter. Mom comes up with a brilliant
idea to make him a bright red hat for Christmas so they can keep track of him.
After a close run in with a fox, the family realizes that maybe a red hat isn’t
such a good idea.
Okay, the craft for this book is not the original
craft because it’s not a craft at all. It’s food! We are looking at Christmas
lights tonight and these little treats are for putting in our hot cocoa. They
are super easy to make and wonderfully delicious on their own!
You will need:
Candy canes
Marshmallows
Semi-sweet chocolate chips for melting
Christmas sprinkles or crushed up peppermint
Melt the chocolate in your microwave. I added a
drizzle of oil to mine so that it would be smooth. Break the crook end off of
the candy cane so you just have a stick. Poke the candy cane stick into a
marshmallow. Dip marshmallow into chocolate. Let excess drip off, and then roll
in sprinkles or some crushed up peppermint.
Serve alone or put in a cup of hot
cocoa and let the marshmallow chocolate goodness melt into your cup!
Extra Craft:
As a bonus, I’m sharing this ornament that I made with Chipette and some friends a few years ago. Rudolph is made out of popsicle sticks, googly eyes, and a red pom-pom ball.
As a bonus, I’m sharing this ornament that I made with Chipette and some friends a few years ago. Rudolph is made out of popsicle sticks, googly eyes, and a red pom-pom ball.
Paint the craft sticks brown, glue them in the
shape of a triangle with some overhang for the antlers, glue on googly eyes and
the red pom-pom. Loop some fun Christmas ribbon around the top craft stick and
hang on your tree. Even better if you read a book about Rudolph before you make
it!
Ornaments are cheaper and the memories are
priceless when you make them together as a family in the treehouse,
Chelli
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