Christmas Play Dough

When I saw this idea on Counting Coconuts I knew we had to do it as well.  I made a batch of green play dough and added some peppermint extract to make it smell more Christmas-y.  Eva and I then molded it into a tree shape.  I had a few sequins and gems in my craft supplies that I gave to Eva to decorate the tree.  She had a blast and got some great fine motor practice in- those little sequins are tough to pick up!

Thanks Mari-Ann for another great idea!
Today Eva got to see Santa.  It took a few walk-bys before she built up the nerve to meet him but she finally did.  She was a little nervous but she was sure to tell him what is on top of her Christmas list- a floor lamp (pretty sure that was Santa's most unique gift request of the day!).

Pine Cone Trees

This is a super easy craft to make.  We have a big bag of pine cones from Eva's grandparents' house so we found a few that looked like trees and Eva painted them with glue.

Then came the fun part- adding glitter!  I placed some red and green glitter in a salt shaker and Eva went to town sprinkling the trees.

We let them dry and then placed them on our window sill.  You could also add ribbon or yarn and turn them into ornaments for your tree.

Beaded Ornaments and Pine Tree Pizza

We made two beaded ornaments today.  The first is a candy cane.  For this one Eva sorted out red and white beads from our bead bucket and slid them on a pipe cleaner.

When she filled the whole thing, I bent it like a candy cane.  The other ornament she made was a tree.  I cut various lengths of green pipe cleaner and twisted them onto a brown one and then Eva added beads for ornaments.

I think they look great on our tree!

For dinner tonight Eva had a pine tree pizza.  I cut the tree shape out of a whole wheat tortilla and topped it with homemade spinach pesto.  Then Eva added snow (mozzarella), garland (onions) and ornaments (sliced cherry tomatoes).

Tasty and festive!

Pine Trees and Poinsettias

We are getting into the holiday spirit this week and focusing on pine trees and poinsettias!

Crafts
Pipe Cleaner Pine Tree- we'll use pipe cleaners and beads to create a festive tree

Pine Cone Tree- the evergreen's cone will be transformed into a snowy tree

Poinsettias- we'll make a paper flower and another out of ribbon

Popsicle Stick Tree- this ornament is quick and easy to make using just popsicle sticks, glue and gems

Pasta Garland- Eva will string pasta to make a fancy garland for her little tree

Cooking
Snowy Pine Tree Pizza- we'll have a yummy pizza dinner one night this week

Activities
Outdoor Christmas Tree- the animals will be able to celebrate the holidays too when we get done decorating a tree in the woods for them

Conservatory Field Trip- while we are visiting the woods we'll stop by the park conservatory to check out the winter flowers, especially the poinsettias

Christmas Tree Magnets- Eva's Grammy found her a fun magnetic Christmas tree for her to decorate and redecorate as she chooses

Trimming the Tree- Eva has her own little tree that she will be able to decorate

Books