CHRISTMAS MUSIC

CHRISTMAS MUSIC

Music has always been one of my favorite parts of Christmas. Hearing the well-loved carols puts me in the spirit of the holidays! My younger grandchildren (ages 6 and 4) are just beginning to learn Christmas carols and so I found this book with keyboard. Each key is numbered (including the black keys) and color-coded so they can play these simple songs. We have already spent hours playing music on our “mini-piano.”

Playing Cards

PLAYING CARDS
Yep, playing cards---children as young as 4 years of age can enjoy simple games like “Go Fish” with a deck of cards showing pictures (instead of suits and numbers) like the ones below.

With younger children, it is better to be flexible about the rules---sometimes you have to show them the card you want, for example. They will enjoy it more if it is just for fun and not too much emphasis is placed on winning. My young granddaughter, when I told her we were tied since we had the same number of books (matches), said “Grandma, we’re bundled together” and seemed to want us to have the same number of books!

Of course, when they have learned their numbers, then you can graduate to a regular deck to play “Go Fish”, “Crazy Eights,” “Matching” or “Concentration”. Playing cards helps reinforce numbers they are learning and helps them learn about following rules, and that playing can be fun even if they don’t win.

Cookie Baking

Cookie Baking

Baking cookies is one of my grandchildren’s favorite things to do when they come to my house. We use store-bought cookie dough, since what they really like is cutting out the cookies and decorating them when they come out of the oven. I put an old T-shirt on each of them so they don’t mess up their clothes. We use a Plexiglas cutting board to roll out the dough and use a plastic tumbler as a rolling pin. Everything gets lots of flour on it---hands, the cutting board, the tumbler, and the cookie dough. We have a few cookie cutters in simple shapes like a bell, star, circle,Christmas tree, and more complicated ones like birds and reindeer. I’m in charge of putting the cookie sheet in the oven and taking it out so no little hands get burned. After the cookies cool, we put them on plates and decorate---we use canned frosting, little tubes of colored frosting, colored sprinkles, and small candies. We have little spreaders like you use for parties that are just the right size for spreading the frosting on the cookies. Then, of course, we have to eat some of the cookies and the rest go home with the kids. They take great delight in their “creations” and always beg to make cookies when they come to my house.

Speaking of cookies, here’s a great source for cookie recipes I received in an email:

Just click on the name of the cookie and bam the recipe is there. Good to keep handy

1-2-3 Cookies 7 Layer Cookies Almond Crescent Shortbread Amish Sugar Cookies Andies Candies Cookies Angel Crisps Angenets Applesauce Cookies Apricot Fold-Overs Aunt Edy's Molasses Crinkles Auntie Linda's Ginger Gems Bakeless Dream Cookies Banana Drop Cookies Best Chocolate Chip Cookies in the World Biscotti Biscotti Blueberry Cookies Boiled Chocolate Oatmeal Drop Cookies Bronwnies Brown Sugar Shortbread Brownie Cookies Brownie Delight Brownies Buccaneer Snowballs Buried Cherry Cookies Butter Cookies Butter Nut Balls Butterballs Butterscotch Haystacks C.O.P. Cookies Candy Cane Cookies Candy Cookies Caramel Shortbread Cheesecake Brownies Cherry Buns Cherry Crowns Cherry Winks Chewies Chewy Noels Chinese Chews/Haystacks Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars Chocolate Chip Cookies Chocolate Chip Meltaways Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies Chocolate Christmas Trees Chocolate Cream Cheese Squares Chocolate Crinkles Chocolate Mint Snow-Top Cookies Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies (no bake) Chocolate Snowball Cookies Chocolate Streusel Bars Chocolate Sundae Cookies Chocolate Walnut Crumb Bars Choco-Scotch Crunchies Choose A Cookie Dough Recipe Christmas Crackers Christmas Crunch Bars Christmas Ginger Snaps Christmas Macaroons Christmas Mice Cookies Christmas Shaped Cookies Church Window Cookies Coconut Cookies Congo Squares Cookie in a Jar Corn Flakes Cookies Cornflake Christmas Wreaths Cowboy Cookies (oatmeal) Cream Cheese Cookies with Apricot Filling Crème De Menthe Chocolate Squares Crème Wafers Crescent Cookies Crispy Crunchies Date Nut Balls Date-nut Pinwheel Cookies Diabetic Peanut Butter Cookies Disgustingly Rich Brownies Doodles Double chocolate chip cookies Double-Chocolate Crinkles Eatmore Cookies Eggnog Cookies Elizabeth's Sugar Cookies Elves Quick Fudge Brownies Emily Dickinson's Gingerbread Cookie Recipe Emily's Best Brownies Famous Oatmeal Cookies Firemen Cookies Fluffy Shortbread Cookies Forgotten Cookies Frosted Peanut Butter Brownies Fruit Cake Cookies Fruitcake Squares Fry Pan Cookies Gems Ginger Cookies Ginger Crinkles Gingerbread Baby Gingerbread Cookies with Butter Cream Icing Gingerbread Men Gingerbread Men Ginny's Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies Glory's Golden Graham Squares Glory's Sugar Cookies Gramma Chapman's chocolate coconut drops Grandma Elsie's Zimt (cinnamon) Cookies Grandma J's Butter Cookies Grandma Olson's Parkay Cookies Great Grandmothers Sugar Cookies Gum Drop Cookies Gumdrop Gems Haystack Cookies Ho-Ho Bars Holiday Cereal Snaps Holiday Chocolate Butter Cookies Holiday Raisin Walnut Bars Holly Cookies Hungarian Cookies (Little Nut Rolls) Ice Box Cookies Irresistible Peanut Butter Cookies Italian Cookies Jacob's Peppermint Snowballs Jam Bars Jessica's Famous Brownies Jessie's Chocolate Chip Cookies Jubilee Jumbles Juliet's Peanut Butter Blossoms Jumbo Chocolate Chip Cookies Kentucky Colonels Kiefle (cream cheese cookies with jam filling) Kifflings Kiss Cookies Lacy Swedish Almond Wafers Lemon Angel Bar Cookies Lemon Bars Lemon Cake Cookies Lemon Cream Cheese Cookies Lemon Squares Linzer Tarts Log Cabin Cookies

Bowling Set

BOWLING SET
I made this bowling set out of Liquid Coffeemate plastic bottles. You just rinse the bottle out thoroughly with soap and water, remove the label, let the bottle dry, then screw the cap back on and it’s a “bowling pin.” These bottles are lightweight so they can be used in the house with a small rubber ball. I bought one at K-Mart which is soft enough to be grasped and rolled on a hard floor surface. I have made a set with smaller Coffeemate bottles for a younger child (3 yrs.old). It takes a while if you want to make a set of ten, but that’s part of the fun. The kids get excited everytime they get another bowling pin and they can still play with the set even if it only has three or four pins. A quart-size plastic milk bottle could also be used, or any bottle that is broader at the bottom than at the neck.

Costume - Mob Cap

MOB CAP
This cap can be used for lots of costumes---Colonial period costume, Raggedy Ann, Mrs. Santa Claus, Strawberry Shortcake are just a few. I made this one for my granddaughter for a Strawberry Shortcake costume. It was really easy using a shower cap (cloth over plastic) as the base. I bought an extra large shower cap at Target for $3 and covered it with a circle of pink cloth (the lining from an old dress of mine). I centered the cloth on the top of the shower cap, pinned the top, then pinned the cloth around the cap where the elastic is sewn in. Then I stitched the cloth to the shower cap by hand. (You could do this on a sewing machine too.) I bought 2 yards of ruffled lace at a fabric store for $1.35 and stitched it around the edges of the cap to finish it off as I thought that would be easier than trying to hem the edges. So I made this cute cap for less than $5 and a little time. Here’s a picture of my granddaughter wearing it.
The strawberries on it are stickers from a Strawberry Shortcake sticker book.

Why This Blog

I’ve been a grandmother since 1998. It’s been a wonderful experience and it has given me an opportunity to use my imagination to create what I like to think of as magical experiences for my grandchildren. One of my friends, an elementary school counselor, told me that when the kids talk about their grandparents, it’s always about what they DO with their grandparents, not about things their grandparents buy for them. So this blog is meant to share some of the things I have come up with that they seem to enjoy, whether it be homemade toys, things we do together, costumes, or other creative ideas. And you don’t have to be a grandparent---some of the things I made were done years ago for my son, nieces and other children. Enjoy!