candy house

You will need the following:

An empty half gallon milk carton
Miscellaneous holiday candy, cookies, sprinkles, etc.
Graham crackers
Cereal
White frosting
Paper plate

Cut the top of the carton however tall you'd like your candy house to be, then wash out the inside and place the carton on a paper plate. Once you've done this, frost the carton, and then have your child start to decorate with the items listed above. Frosted Mini-Wheats make a great snowy roof. Graham crackers can be used for a window or two. Allow your child to get creative!

fleece scarf

Here is a wonderful gift idea that is also very functional. Go with your child to the fabric store and pick out a fleece design with your giftee's taste in mind. For one scarf, you will need ¼ of a yard of 58"-60" wide fleece. One yard should make four scarves.

You will also need sharp scissors. I suggest washing and drying the fleece before cutting.

Trim off the sides of the fleece to make a clean, smooth edge. Each scarf will be between 8" and 9" wide. On either end of the scarves, the edges can be cut approximately 1" wide and 4" inches deep.

holiday doodads!

Make or break out the playdough and have your kids create some fun holiday ornaments. These can be great as centerpieces or in bedrooms on nightstands for happy reminders of this glorious season.

fleece tie pillow

For instructions, see "fleece tie blanket," which I discussed in a previous post (November 3, 2011). This time, however, you will be working the fleece on either side of a pillow of your choosing. You will want to allow for 4"-5" of extra fleece all around. Be sure you measure accordingly. This makes for a great gift idea!

soundtrack sing-along

Our personal favorite is The Sound of Music. Yours might be The Wizard of Oz, or, possibly, a Disney movie, whatever it may be. Play it loudly and maybe round up some percussion instruments. Sing, dance, and sing some more. Try to make it through the whole record.