Thanks for the Lidl tip. I picked up some packs of the tea towels yesterday to make gift stockings. :thumbsup:Quote:
Originally Posted by Maza
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Thanks for the Lidl tip. I picked up some packs of the tea towels yesterday to make gift stockings. :thumbsup:Quote:
Originally Posted by Maza
That's exactly how the pj tradition started in our house too - with the photographs revealing too short, tatty pyjamas! My sister started it for the same reason with her kids too. There is something lovely about getting into brand new pjs on Christmas eve. I traditionally get new pyjamas for Christmas (day, not eve) from DH and I love putting them on on Christmas day night. This year I won't be getting any though because of our new obsession with Lidl. Their weekly special about three weeks ago was ladies pyjamas. DH bought me three pairs - so cheap. I had to try them on because the sizes are not always consistent and so he couldn't put them away for Christmas.
This morning I caught myself saying 'Santa'! I had never been aware of it before. I don't mind the word but I don't want it to replace FC! I also really, really hate the word 'xmas'.
Another tradition that most of us on here do is Christmas books with the children. Now that DD is almost 10 and I don't have any little ones around we do Christmas chapter books throughout December. This year we have got 'Mistletoe and Murder' ready and waiting. Gone are the days when our Christmas stories were about cute little animals and Father Christmas! (It is an age appropriate murder book - if there is such a thing!! Part of a series which is very popular at the moment - Agatha Christie for kids.)
Bunyip - fantastic idea about stockings from the tea towels! I hadn't thought of that.
Just got back from Asda and all I could hear was 'Santa this, Santa that'! Made me think of this thread. What an observation Mouse! We have to keep Father Christmas alive!
My two littlest mindees have been saying ‘tanta , tanta’ all day after a visit to the garden centre this morning....I guess my attempt at repeating back ‘ Father Christmas ‘ isn’t working ...plus I guess it’s harder to say!
Maza - i have just ordered that book as a treat for dd. How could i not when its described as a cross between nancy drew and the chalet school. I loved both of those set of books- no doubt dd will hate it :laughing:
Well ladies and gentlemen last night we put micheal buble christmas songs on and made christmas stars. I have to admit it was a really chilled out afterschool session.
I am making a christmas advent tea light/ jam jar 'thing' with a mindee after school in Thursday. I have jam jar, battery tea light and assortment of tissue paper/christmas stickers and stars. ... it was her request so i hope she knows what she wants to do! I pick her up late from a club and drop remaining mindees home on the way, so it's just us and we like to craft!
I'm liking the idea and might make something similar for us.
But no more Christmas craft until next week!
Fussy, Mistletoe and Murder is part of a series - the murder most unladylike series. You don't have to have read the ones before that book but it does help. That series has really taken off at DD's school. It's a modern murder mystery which is why I think they are doing well. Some of the old fashioned language in the old classics puts some kids off I think. Yesterday we started 'Murder in Midwinter' by Fleur Hitchcock. It's good. I was a bit hesitant about murder mystery books at first, but then I remembered how much kids love the Harry Potter books which are based upon violence and murder when you think about it!
I would be interested in ideas for Christmas crafts for 10 year olds if anyone has anything that they do with their after schoolies...
No problem Maza if by some miracle she enjoys it we can go back and start the series. Hoping it being a christmas book it might pique her interest.
I find the problem with crafts that you tend to have done them before. Have you tried the snowy scene in a jar or i have seen a lovely christmas countdown just not sure if we have enough time to make it.
Lol ... that's how i feel about crafts ... i don't think there are any i haven't done!
Santa?
Xmas?
Surely, that should be "Kris Kringle" and "Crimbo"?
:rolleyes:
I must admit i enjoyed the 3d snowflakes and christmas stars as i havent done them for about 4 years. It was nice to see my older afterschoolies engage and realise they could actually do them.Quote:
Originally Posted by loocyloo
ooo, are they the snowflakes made by folding and cutting paper, and then sticking them together? ( can't get picture to link! ) i used to make those for years with my older mindees! my oldest is about 5 1/2 and i don't think we're ready yet for those!Quote:
Originally Posted by FussyElmo
Those are the ones my youngest was 5 so it did work wellQuote:
Originally Posted by loocyloo
My mindees are all 3 and under so our crafts tend to involve me letting them loose with glue and glitter and seeing what we end up with :laughing:
My best Christmas theme was around trees- we spent time in early December around the trees- forest school like , surrounding our field and in the nature reserve. The activity the 3 yr olds liked best was finding out which one was the biggest in width...a very long ribbon, a sharpie and 3 hours later all excited about the one that was the thinnest and widest. All the craft was around trees in some way which made thinking easier for me. Decorating the trees in the garden and inside etc...easy to plan, lots of stories and songs to hand about trees, outdoor and indoor.
Problem then was the following year I had the same LO’s so couldn’t repeat, but they observed the trees more that year and the widest one became our friend, with lots of times in the year when we sat under it or hung things from it.
I finally finished all the weather related decorations for the village Christmas tree display with my mother, baby and toddler group this morning. I was a little behind as I had a stinking cold last week and didn’t attend, so planned to do craft the whole session....it turns out that the school had an inset day so lots of older children came and everything was finished in half the time! They even helped me tidy up, I was so happy that , weirdly, the village school chose to have a midweek inset, just on the day I could take advantage of it.
I'm hoping to do these next week. Not strictly Christmasy, I know.
I would love to see a picture of the 3D snowflakes and stars!
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Mine are mainly tinies too , so lots of baking style activities , making slow cooker mincemeat , and transient art for us. Anything that is product led rather than process led has gradually been reduced over the last few years to help parents manage their expectations! I hate seeing other minders guiding little hands to get the ‘bits’ in the right place. What’s the point? There’s no creativity or learning going on. They tell me it’s because mums love them and keep them forever , yes but I’m sure they’d love them less if they knew that they were 90% the childminders work rather than their little ones! I see so many wonderful Pinterest worthy crafts which I’d love to do but they are beyond the abilities of my lot!
Maza for some reason fat fingers i think. I have attached the photo of the stars to your post.
Thank you me and dd have started mistletoe and murder tonight and dd has really enjoyed the first few chapters.
Oh I'm glad you are enjoying it!Quote:
Originally Posted by FussyElmo
That snowflake looks fab! Do you know where I could find instructions on how to make it?
Same here ...Quote:
Originally Posted by mama2three
My most 'processed' activities are where i give them a wooden shape to decorate to go on the tree or i have some angel cut outs that fold round to make angels. I shall not be directing what is coloured or stuck where, but there will be a finished article at the end! I will add the childs photo to something as well, but that will be my only contribution.