Sorry To Bring It Up... Christmas

[Guest]

Hi guys,

 

Quick question. Any one have any nice ideas they can pass on to me in relation to xmas. We do a card and a little xmas decoration with clay for our parents. I have been doing this for the last four years so fancy a change. Just want to know what other schools do?

 

Any great suggestions?

[Steve]

Hi Aggy -

While you're waiting for suggestions, have you looked through the Christmas forum area?

[sunnyday]

My deputy announced today "it's 38 days to Christmas"!!!

Time I got my act together!

I am thinking about buying some canvas thingies for my children to paint as Christmas presents for parents - Artful dodgers have some......hmmm - think they were something like £1.10 each

[Rea]

Well the coca cola advert has been on, so... Not long now

[Fredbear]

Hi one year i bought wooden photo frames from ikea approx cost 60p each. The children then painted and decorated them.

We took a photo of the children to put in them.

The children then made wrapping paper by printing with paints and wrapped them up.

We have also used the canvasses for paintings, made calendars.

Tend to look in the Baker Ross book for a starting point then adapt and make our own creations.

Have fun

[rachelllps]

We've already had the glitter out ....for fire work pictures.

 

Our order arrived from Hope yesterday with all our Christmas craft goodies (not bad as I ordered Friday night) glitter and sparkly stuff everywhere, we're making a card, decorating a tealight holder and making a tree decoration. We'll probably do some cooking as well, peppermint creams, truffles or star biscuits.

 

Rachel

[sunnyday]

We've already had the glitter out ....for fire work pictures.

 

Our order arrived from Hope yesterday with all our Christmas craft goodies (not bad as I ordered Friday night) glitter and sparkly stuff everywhere, we're making a card, decorating a tealight holder and making a tree decoration. We'll probably do some cooking as well, peppermint creams, truffles or star biscuits.

 

Rachel

oh yes, peppermint creams - haven't made those for years.......hmmmm do I remember how.....

[louby loo]

We did the canvas's last year - ala Jackson Pollack... big success!!

[Deb]

We're making pot pourri this year, with dried oranges, star anise, cinnamon sticks, pine cones that sort of thing. Instead of using an oil to fragrance it we thought of orange food flavouring because we were concerned the oil might be poisonous. We're going to put them in a little Christmassy bag with ribbon and a label saying 'hand made by....'

[Guest]

Love the pot pourri idea Deb, might have to steal it for next year. We're making the usual cards and calendars plus individual snow globes made from baby food jars (collected from parents) and each child is making a christmas cake baked in small baked bean tins which they then ice and decorate, I love it when the preschool is filled with the smell of 50 cakes baking, makes me feel really festive.

[apple]

Max - what icing do you use? We did these one year but it proved quite expensive buying rolled icing and how do you make your snow globes?

Deb - how do you dry the oranges? (Love your pot pourri idea)

Finally - The Works have lovely card frames in a pack of 8 or 10 for about £1.50. About the size of the IKEA ones mentioned here (I think roughly postcard size) They are in neutral colours from cream, buff brown and black. We decorated ours when the children first came in and they drew a picture of themselves - we will just add the calendar to them.

[Deb]

Apple - we're going to slice them and dry them out in the oven. My deputy found the 'recipe' online. I'll try to remember to find out where.

 

And we still have the tea towel or a random square of fabric for the shepherds' headwear -mixed in with the odd shop bought costume. The angels' costumes are pillow cases with tinsel attached!

[Guest]

Apple,

I do buy ready roll icing and roll it very VERY thin to coat the cakes once the children have made them (i use this instead of marzipan in case of allergies), it takes 4 packs to cover 50 cakes so not too bad. We then then use royal icing mix sugar and the children mix their own icing to coat the top of the cake, add silver balls and a piece of smart price tinsel around it, job done. Yes there is some cost involved but the parents love the cake surprise and the children really enjoy any form of cooking. I guess something like reindeer shaped cookies could be cheaper. The snow globes are real easy, superglue a plastic toy to the inside of the lid, this year I'm using cake decoration christmas trees (£1.00 for 10 on ebay). fill the jar with water and a little glycerine or mineral oil ( I use glycerine from a cake decorating supplier, have never found out what mineral oil is) it helps the glitter float down slower but is just as good without it. Anyway then add a small amount of glitter white or silver looks the most effective, hot glue the lid on and all done. We do send them home with a note about careful handling of the glass and the danger of small parts

[Guest]

thanks guys have printed these and have a look through - also will look at the Christmas forum! :-) thanks x