The Twelve Days of Christmas Break: The 7th Day - Door Decorating

 On the seventh day of Christmas Break encourage your kids to spend some creative time decorating their bedroom doors. 

Supplies You Will Need

large piece of butcher or art paper the size of your kid's bedroom doors OR wrapping paper to cover the door
construction paper
fabric scraps
glitter
novelty items
string
paints
makers
glue or tape
scissors
notepad and pencil

Here's a fun way to give kids free reign to their artistic impulses while adding a holiday touch to your home. With a door-sized piece of paper and a few art supplies, your kids will keep busy an entire afternoon completing this project.

Lay paper flat across your work surface. If your children share a room, you may divide the paper into parts with a pencil line so each child has a "space," or the kids may wish to work together to create a design. Use construction paper, glitter, paints and other available art supplies to make a colorful holiday picture. For extra fun, add a "mailbox" to the lower portion of the paper by attaching a large envelope and a notepad with a pencil on a string. Throughout the holiday season, family members and guests can write greetings to the child. Kids always love to get note, especially those that praise them for accomplishments, compliment them for kindness to others, and communicate to them how much they are loved. When the project is finished and dry, hang the decorated paper on the bedroom door with masking tape or small nails. You might string mini lights around the doorway to draw attention to the door.

The Twelve Days of Christmas Break: The 4th Day - Homemade Gift Wrap

On the fourth day of Christmas Break, make some personalized homemade gift wrap.

You Will Need

large roll of craft or butcher paper
markers, crayons, paint, etc
items unique to the person receiving the gift

Ask your kids what trait they think of when they reflect on a certain friend or family member and you'll have the beginnings of a gift wrap idea! Here are some examples just to get you started: 

If the person loves shopping, wrap the gift with a map of your local shopping mall. Instead of a ribbon, use a long cash register receipt or several taped together.

For a sports enthusiast, wrap the gift with a page from a sports magazine and tie it up with a a new headband or a pair of socks.

If the recipient enjoys gardening, wrap the gift in floral design fabric and top with bunches of seed packets tied together for a clever bow.

Wrap a gift for someone with a great sense of humor in the comic section from the Sunday newspaper. Write your own joke in the gift enclosure. 

For the person who loves to cook, print a special recipe on the wrapping paper. Fill the packages with ingredients called for in the recipe. Attach a kitchen utensil or gadget to the bow.

The Twelve Days of Christmas Break: The 3rd Day - Holiday Card Mapping

On the third day of Christmas Break, try this fun and educational activity with your kiddos.

Supplies you will need

Map of the United States, North America, or the World
Scissors
tape or thumbtacks
envelopes from incoming holiday cards

Whether you or your kids are brushing up on your geography or learning the locations of states, capitals, and countries for the first time, this activity will be educational and fun to do each day through the month of December.

Post the mail where it seen readily. Then as holiday greetings arrive in your mailbox each day, share the messages with your kids and save the envelopes the cards came in. Cut off the postmark from each envelope. Read the location of the postmark (or return address if you have multiple coming through the same sorting facility), locate it on your map, and tack or tape the postmark to the correct spot. If the location happens to be a small town that is not printed on the map, use the closest major city as a reference point.

In addition, older children may enjoy calculating the distance the card traveled to get to you. And, save the postage stamps - your kids can start a new hobby that can last a lifetime.

If you're like a lot of families, you may not have a map of the United States lying around to use for this project. I've made a printable map that you can download and use on a smaller scale. Just click on the image above and you can see it full size and save to your device.

The Twelve Days of Christmas Break: The 2nd Day - Yule

 On the second day of Christmas Break, spend some time learning about the holiday of Yule.

Yule began in Germanic countries as a midwinter celebration lasting for twelve days (and is the origin for the twelve days of Christmas). It begins on the eve of the Winter Solstice and continues through December 31. 

Yule is about celebrating light and the beginning of  the lengthening of the days after the longest night of the year (Winter Solstice). 

Modern lore tells the story of the battle of the Oak King and the Holly King. The Oak King represents the light of the new year while the Holly King represents the darkness of the year that has passed.

Yule logs are often decorated and then burned in the hearth while telling stories and sharing time with loved ones. 

An easy craft to do with your kiddos to celebrate the return of the sun (and one that makes your house smell lovely) is a pomander. 

Supplies you will need

Orange for each child
Whole Cloves
Ribbon (optional)
Large headed straight pin for each child (optional)

Use cloves to pierce the skin of the orange and insert them to create festive designs. If you would like decorate your pomander with ribbon, use a straight pin to secure it to the orange. These can hang (using the ribbon) or can be placed in a bowl. If you choose to display them in a bowl, rotate them daily so they dry evenly and prevent mold.

The Twelve Days of Christmas Break: The 1st Day - Homemade Ornaments

 

On the first day of Christmas Break make some homemade ornaments to decorate your tree.

You Will Need

fresh cranberries
mini marshmallows
thin florists write
holiday ribbon
pieces of orange rind (optional)

Young children who enjoy threading buttons and beads will be adept at making this ornament. It makes a colorful addition to the tree and when the holidays are over, you can hang it outside on a tree branch for a treat for the birds!

Cut the wire into 16-inch lengths. Begin by threading a cranberry on the wire, leaving about 1 1/2 inches of wire at the end. Alternate cranberries, marshmallows, and orange ride pieces (optional). When the wire is almost covered, twist it into a wreath shape. Twist end pieces of wire together. Attach a ribbon to the wire and hang it on the tree.

Spotlight On: October 2024

 I'm trying something new Behind the Blue Doors - a newsletter of sorts that is focused on special events and tidbits of interest for after school programs. I've created this as an image so it's super easy to save and to add to your planning boards at Pinterest. 

If this is something you enjoy, please let me know!

High Yield Activity: Treasure Maps

Here's another activity that you can use for the Career Launch program. It's also a great activity for August because it's National Pirate Month (and who doesn't love a good pirate activity?!?)

Target Area: Art Studio

Objective: Youth learn to set long-term goals and plan paths to their futures.

Target Age Group: Teens 13-15 years

Time to Complete: 2-45 minute rotations (1.5 hours total)

Materials Needed: Pencils, pens, construction paper, makers, computers

Skills Taught: Goal Setting

Instructions:

Have members write their names at the top of sheet of construction paper. Ask them to think of a dream job or a long-term goal for their future. What would they like to do or be when they get older? Have them write this goal at the bottom of the page.

Then, have members use the Internet to research things they would need to do in order to reach this goal (e.g. finish high school, go to college, save money). If necessary, help members break these down into more short-term goals (e.g. work hard in school, get good grades, graduate from high school).

Instruct youth to write these short term goals on the paper, scattering them around the middle of the page. Ask them to draw a line showing the "path" to the treasure, from their name through the short term goals to the big dream at the bottom of the page.

Allow time for youth to decorate their maps so they look like maps that lead to a hidden treasure.