Kid Crafted Christmas Cards

The Holly Bloggy Christmas Bash continues today, with a Christmas craft link up at Blue Eyed Blessings. Most of the crafts we've made this season have been children's crafts, including the Christmas cards pictured above, which were crafted by the children for their grandparents, and their great-grandmother.

We wanted to deliver both a card, and a cutaway craft from the children, that the grandparents can hang up, for a little bit of Christmas enjoyment of their own. Originally, I had planned to use a crayon melt craft, but realized, much to my horror, that we were completely out of wax paper. So, we shifted gears slightly, to a tissue paper, and contact paper sun catcher sort of thing. I've been inspired by a number of these in the blogosphere this fall, and winter, and it seemed like a good time to try it with the children.

We started by folding a pieces of red construction paper in half, to make our cards. Then, we traced a tree, and star shaped cookie cutters, on the front of the cards, which you can see from the picture below, required tongue protruding concentration.

I cut out the shapes for the children, and also cut matching shapes from a half piece of construction paper, to go inside the cards.

We cut three pieces of contact paper, the same size as our unfolded cards. We placed the contact paper over the cutouts, sticky side up, and covered the spaces with green, and yellow, construction paper. Then, we folded the contact paper in half, so the tissue paper was sandwiched in the middle of the contact paper, which was now the same size as our half sheet of construction paper.

We glued the contact paper inside the card, between our two cutout sheets.

All, that was left was to glue in a picture of the children in front of the Christmas tree, and have them write a little greeting, and sign their names, and our cards were complete.

This craft was fairly involved for the younger children, and after working through it with them, and then trying to get everyone still, and straight in an attempt at a nice picture for the grandparents (not to mention dressed in matching Sunday attire), my nerves were a tad more than frazzled. But, the children were quite pleased with the end result, and I think their grandparents will be too.

For more crafty Christmas ideas be sure to check out the Holly Bloggy Christmas Bash links at Blue Eyed Blessings, or the Christmas Link Up at Southern Domestic Goddess.

It's great to be a homeschooler.

My Favorite Ornaments, and Day Two Of The Holly Bloggy Christmas Bash

Cassie at Southern Domestic Goddess, is hosting a Christmas Post Link Up, from now until the end of December, and The Holly Bloggy Christmas Bash Continues today, at A Baby Changes Everything, with a Christmas tree event. Since, I've already posted about our Christmas tree...

...and this years handmade, keepsake ornaments for the children...

...I thought I'd focus in on my favorite ornaments on our tree - my gingerbread children.

They are simply pieces of fun foam, traced, and cut around cookie cutters. I cut two identical pieces for each ornament, and then used a razor knife, and a milk cap for a guide, to cut a circle in the face of one of the pieces, so I could sandwich the children's pictures in between them. I finished them off, by cutting the scrap pieces of foam into little squares for buttons, and squiggly lines, with the kids' craft scissors, for frosting.

Then, I glued them together with Elmer's school glue, and used a large sewing needle to poke a hole through for the hook.

I wasn't sure they'd hold up as well as the Hallmark ornaments, we bought in the past, but considering, that we have two Buzz Lightyears being held together by super glue, and a headless Celebration Barbie, who just didn't survive last year, I think they're doing pretty well.

Not to mention the fact, that they make me smile every time I look at them.

It's great to be a homeschooler.

Homemade Red Licorice Recipe - Take 3, 4 and 5

Despite a definite change of gears into holiday mode around the house, our quest for a homemade red licorice recipe has continued. I haven't bothered sharing every trial, because quite frankly, they were more error than trial. Like, for instance, switching the flour from our first try, to wheat flour (not good). Or, attempting to order the amounts of the ingredients according to how they are listed on the back of the package of store bought licorice (this led us to put in way too much salt).

But, tonight, we hit on something kind of tasty. It's not licorice, but it's a yummy enough candy, that I thought I'd share.

Cherry Chews (we thought this was a better name, than Red Licorice - Take 5)

• 1 3/4 cups light corn syrup
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon corn starch
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 packets of sugar free cherry flavored gelatin
  

In a small mixing bowl, mix the flour, salt, corn starch, and oil together until smooth.

In a medium sauce pan heat the corn syrup, and sugar to the soft ball stage, on a candy thermometer, stirring constantly.

Remove the pan from the heat, and pour in the gelatin. Stir until dissolved. And, then stir in the flour mixture.

As soon as the mixture cools enough to handle, spoon out tablespoon sized globs, and roll into ropes. The mixture might be sticky at first, and so you might want to roll it in powdered sugar, to make it easier to handle. It will become less sticky as it cools, but it will also become harder.

After the candy ropes have cooled, you can break them apart into bit sized pieces.

This candy has a nice fruity taste, a little like a Jolly Rancher, but a texture closer to a slightly stale Laughy Taffy. My kids love it.

With only 10 days to go until Christmas, we'll have to postpone any additional trials, until after the holiday. After all, I'm going to need some corn syrup left, for making peanut brittle.

It's great to be a homeschooler.

Homemade Gifts and A Holly Bloggy Christmas Bash

I've been working, over the last week, or so, on some Seriously Cute Crochet (and no, I'm not being conceited, it's the title of the pattern book I've been using, and will review, when I finish my projects). As you can see, I still have some work to do before Christmas.

For those of you who are brainstorming for last minute hand made gift ideas, I've pictured a few suggestions below - many of them kid tested. But, if you still don't see anything that inspires you, or if you're a regular reader, and you've seen all these things before, click on over to Tater Tots and Jello, where there is a Homemade Gifts link up going on right now, as a kick off to a weeks worth of Christmas themed link ups, being called "A Holly Bloggy Christmas Bash". It sounds like fun to me!

So with that said, here's what we have to offer in the way of homemade gift ideas:

• Matchbox Doll Houses



• Tiny Sock Dolls



• Stuffed Felt Cars With Rolling Milk Cap Wheels



• Recycled Pull-Toy Dogs



• Tiny Knit Dogs and Cats



• Cardboard Submarines (what child doesn't want to play with a box?)



• Homemade Lip Balm



• Cold Porcelain Clay Pendants



• Chinese Yo-Yo Stocking Stuffers

And, it's great to be a homeschooler!

Puffy The Snowman - Marshmallow Snowmen Monsters for Science Sunday

With marshmallows, edible markers, and a house full of children, it was inevitable, that we'd end up making a marshmallow snowman, or two.

Of course, since we are homeschoolers, and this is Sunday, and there's a Science Sunday link up going on over at Adventures in Mommydom (at least there should be, sometime later today), it was also inevitable, that we wouldn't stop there. (If you're looking for instructions for making marshmallow snowmen, check out The Decorated Cookie, hers are adorable.)



Armed with a printout from the Exploratorium, with the heading of, "The Accidental Scientist, Science of Cooking", we popped our marshmallow creations into the microwave for 30 seconds, and watched while they expanded to four times their original size. It's actually really cool. There was a lot of oohing, aawing, and happy exclaiming (and, the kids got excited too!).




Then, after we removed them, we watched as they deflated, and hardened into shape. To find out what's happening on a molecular level, click the Exploratorium link above.




We discovered that right out the microwave the the marshmallows were all warm, gooey, sugary goodness. But, once they cooled, they turned into hard, crunchy, sugary goodness.




And, before too much sugar could be consumed, we moved on to a discovery of the nature of sugar crystals, and how easily they dissolve in water, as we rinsed them off of the dishes, the microwave, the table, the counter tops, and the floor.



It's great to be a homeschooler.

Melted Snowman Snacks

We had a little more fun with the edible markers, and marshmallows today, and made melted snowmen out of pudding.

Here's the healthier, raisin and banana version I gave to the youngest ones (you have to start somewhere!).

It's great to be a homeschooler.

Super Easy, Kid Friendly, Chocolate Fudge Truffles

The "kid friendly", in the title of this post, refers to the fact, that these truffles can be easily made by children (at least by my 10 and 8 year old daughters). Be warned though, they are extremely sugar filled, so you may only want to actually feed them to your children, if you're planning on sending them away with an unsuspecting friend, or relative for the afternoon.

To make the truffles, start with a batch of the easiest fudge in the world. You know the one...

Easy Microwave Fudge

(I think I originally found this recipe on the back of a can of sweetened condensed milk. Some similar recipes add 2 tablespoons of butter)

• one 12 oz package of chocolate chips
  
• one 14 oz can of sweetened condensed milk
  
• one teaspoon vanilla
  

Combine the chocolate chips, and the condensed milk in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave, until melted - about 1 minute 30 seconds, stirring at 30 second intervals. Add the vanilla to the melted chocolate, and pour the combination into a greased, 9x9 inch cake pan. Refrigerate until set. Cut into squares.

Once you have the fudge made, roll the squares into balls (this is a little bit messy). Place the fudge balls back into the fridge to harden for a few more minutes.

Melt a cup, or so of chocolate chips in the microwave, as you did for the fudge, but without the milk. You might end up needing more chocolate, depending on the number of truffles you want to make, but work in small batches, to keep the chocolate from setting before you're done.

Remove the fudge balls from the refrigerator, and drop them, one at a time, into the melted chocolate. Remove them from the chocolate with a spoon, or fork, allowing the excess chocolate to drip back into the bowl. Place the truffles onto a tinfoil covered plate, or cookie sheet.

Finally, put the truffles back into the refrigerator for another few minutes, to set again.

Enjoy!

It's great to be a homeschooler.