SueFinanceManager Posted November 26, 2018 Share Posted November 26, 2018 So it would be great to see some of the wonderful things you do in your setting so others will be inspired! To start you off saw this link to simple cooking activities some of which require no cooking at all like marshmallow snowmen! 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnyday Posted November 26, 2018 Share Posted November 26, 2018 Thank you - might just 'have a bash' at those! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panders Posted November 26, 2018 Share Posted November 26, 2018 love the unicorn bark idea. We did the melted snowmen last year, our "theme" for the Christmas period was snowmen. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zigzag Posted November 26, 2018 Share Posted November 26, 2018 Great idea.🙂 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FSFRebecca Posted November 26, 2018 Share Posted November 26, 2018 I saw comments on the site about trying to cater for allergies and also remaining mindful of healthy eating .... if you've got a suitable recipe can you post it here, we have lots of allergies at our setting and we are also trying to be 'low(er) sugar'? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finleysmaid Posted November 26, 2018 Share Posted November 26, 2018 42 minutes ago, Rebecca said: I saw comments on the site about trying to cater for allergies and also remaining mindful of healthy eating .... if you've got a suitable recipe can you post it here, we have lots of allergies at our setting and we are also trying to be 'low(er) sugar'? we like painting toast!! red and green for christmas (ohps..there I go!) small amount of food colouring in milk.(or dairy free alternative if you need!!) clean brushes paint on your toast and then use your IT skills to put it in the toaster and cook. Then use your fm skills to spread the butter and eat! What allergies have you got in the group? might be able to pass on some simple bits if I know what to avoid! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FSFRebecca Posted November 26, 2018 Share Posted November 26, 2018 2 hours ago, finleysmaid said: What allergies have you got in the group? might be able to pass on some simple bits if I know what to avoid! Nuts, eggs, dairy (not all the same child) ... and we're trying to be lower sugar! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finleysmaid Posted November 26, 2018 Share Posted November 26, 2018 23 minutes ago, Rebecca said: Nuts, eggs, dairy (not all the same child) ... and we're trying to be lower sugar! I had one last year allergic to 7 things!! nuts is easy to omit...lots of good dairy alternatives . The dairy free spreads cook well and in most recipes eggs can be changed for a mashed up banana!!! We've done soup ...good for chopping Pizzas ….can use anything for a base fruit base things like kebabs etc or fruit salad. I have some recipes squirreled away at work will see if I can find them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zigzag Posted November 27, 2018 Share Posted November 27, 2018 Every year our church asks all the organisations in the village to decorate a small tree within a theme. This year we had to pick a verse from the nativity. We have chosen to do the shepherds and sheep! The children are going to make cotton wool sheep to hang all over the tree and I am beginning to make the shepherds to hang alongside them (they are not child friendly at all) hence me making them. 8 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panders Posted November 27, 2018 Share Posted November 27, 2018 I like that zigzag, good to bring the community together in that way. I always made the children a personalised tree hanger, it gave me an outlet for my creativity in a way that I know the children need! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finleysmaid Posted November 27, 2018 Share Posted November 27, 2018 I really like this decorate a tree thing....is it done as a fund raiser and how does it work??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
louby loo Posted November 27, 2018 Share Posted November 27, 2018 44 minutes ago, finleysmaid said: I really like this decorate a tree thing....is it done as a fund raiser and how does it work??? No! It's a real nightmare We do it in our local town church. It is actually a really beautiful event- however, I find it a tad stressful ensuring all the children get to make something.. then I worry 'the decoration' we get damaged or worse still removed (possibly by the parent ) and when the tree comes back to us after the event the child becomes upset as their decoration has disappeared! There is something incredibly moving about seeing a church full of trees decorated by the community though- each has it's own meaning, and I usually end up in tears at some point. 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finleysmaid Posted November 27, 2018 Share Posted November 27, 2018 26 minutes ago, louby loo said: No! It's a real nightmare We do it in our local town church. It is actually a really beautiful event- however, I find it a tad stressful ensuring all the children get to make something.. then I worry 'the decoration' we get damaged or worse still removed (possibly by the parent ) and when the tree comes back to us after the event the child becomes upset as their decoration has disappeared! There is something incredibly moving about seeing a church full of trees decorated by the community though- each has it's own meaning, and I usually end up in tears at some point. it sounds lovely ...do the church charge for entry then? and who supplies the trees? ( iassume they are quite small) and lights???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
louby loo Posted November 27, 2018 Share Posted November 27, 2018 (edited) 50 minutes ago, finleysmaid said: it sounds lovely ...do the church charge for entry then? and who supplies the trees? ( iassume they are quite small) and lights???? Sorry, I didn't actually answer the question! We pay £10 to enter, they supply a fair sized tree 4-5ft, they are all set up on tables with cloths etc, and we just go along the day before and decorate the tree. It's all a bit friendly rivalry- as the winner gets....... A CERTIFICATE!!!! The tree festival runs fri-mon, and then we get to keep the tree afterwards. We supply our own lights which I always find funny for some reason as no one mentions things like 'pat testing' and in my rather vivid imagination I sometimes wonder if the church will go up in flames due to a bad set of lights. Edited November 27, 2018 by louby loo 1 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zigzag Posted November 28, 2018 Share Posted November 28, 2018 We use a very small tree and you decorate to a set theme, no charge for entering. Last year the theme was world peace and we received our letter all quite last minute. We made handprint doves which actually looked like psychotic seagulls! But they were all child made and at least we entered! Hopefully this year with more time it will look better. Once all the trees are up, we take the children for a visit. I admit I am a complete atheist, this is my one visit to the church annually but it even melts my heart to see all the trees and the organisations that they represent. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finleysmaid Posted November 28, 2018 Share Posted November 28, 2018 has anyone organised one of these? we have potential church that might let us do this sorry seem to have gone a bit off topic! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Froglet Posted November 28, 2018 Share Posted November 28, 2018 (edited) 10 hours ago, finleysmaid said: has anyone organised one of these? we have potential church that might let us do this sorry seem to have gone a bit off topic! Not organised one myself but a church local to our school has had one for the last 2 years - in fact this year's opens on Friday! There is no charge for entry, they staff it and give us a slot when we can take the children up. Each year they've expanded a bit so last year they had a couple of optional craft activities and a 'treasure hunt' around the trees (children just had to spot certain pictures). This year they are doing a little talk/story and a craft activity. In addition we all get to look at the different trees. We create our 'tree' as a whole school thing. Last year each class made paper chains in red, green and white and the white ones were decorated with children's names. This year our 'tree' is a stack of cardboard top hats all at different angles; each class has decorated in their own way - it looks brilliant! A bit like this one: Top hat Christmas tree. Lots of the trees are 'alternative' - one was a stack of boxes covered in green paper and arranged to resemble a tree. Edited November 28, 2018 by Froglet 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zigzag Posted November 28, 2018 Share Posted November 28, 2018 Very posh Froglet, puts ours to shame! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
louby loo Posted November 28, 2018 Share Posted November 28, 2018 Yes that is posh Froglet, ours is a bit more traditional- air dray clay, curtain rings and pine cones this year. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Froglet Posted November 28, 2018 Share Posted November 28, 2018 We are very lucky to have a couple of TAs who are amazing at coming up with ideas - all we had to do is decorate the hats - mine had snowmen on. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
louby loo Posted November 29, 2018 Share Posted November 29, 2018 On 28/11/2018 at 08:09, finleysmaid said: has anyone organised one of these? we have potential church that might let us do this sorry seem to have gone a bit off topic! The church itself organises ours. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnyday Posted November 30, 2018 Share Posted November 30, 2018 Loving all this 'decorate' a Christmas tree stuff - nothing like that in this village...... On Monday we will start making Christmas presents for mummy......this year I have a stash of little baby food jars (courtesy of my youngest grandson!) - children will glue squares of tissue paper to the outside of these and we will supply a tea-light......a simple idea but very effective 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zigzag Posted November 30, 2018 Share Posted November 30, 2018 We did that once Sunnyday, as you say very effective. This year as we only have such a small group, I bought some wooden pen boxes for them to decorate with paper mosaic squares and some jewels. Then there is a space to put their photo on the front. Also got some magnetic photo frames as presents. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panders Posted December 1, 2018 Share Posted December 1, 2018 This site gives some lovely ideas http://stimulatinglearning.co.uk/2018/12/christmas-last-year/?doing_wp_cron=1543653113.7129309177398681640625 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
finleysmaid Posted December 1, 2018 Share Posted December 1, 2018 2 hours ago, Panders said: This site gives some lovely ideas http://stimulatinglearning.co.uk/2018/12/christmas-last-year/?doing_wp_cron=1543653113.7129309177398681640625 Thanks Panders ...great site . Some inspirational stuff there! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnyday Posted December 1, 2018 Share Posted December 1, 2018 3 hours ago, Panders said: This site gives some lovely ideas http://stimulatinglearning.co.uk/2018/12/christmas-last-year/?doing_wp_cron=1543653113.7129309177398681640625 Oh lovely ideas there my little black and white furry friend - thank you for sharing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
louby loo Posted December 1, 2018 Share Posted December 1, 2018 4 hours ago, Panders said: This site gives some lovely ideas http://stimulatinglearning.co.uk/2018/12/christmas-last-year/?doing_wp_cron=1543653113.7129309177398681640625 Thank you, some really lovely activities one there. HOWEVER............. am I the only one that sets up these beautiful activities - then with 10-15 mins, the displays have been stripped...... and all resources have been transported around the setting in a variety of methods including cars, boxes and bags? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zigzag Posted December 1, 2018 Share Posted December 1, 2018 1 hour ago, louby loo said: Thank you, some really lovely activities one there. HOWEVER............. am I the only one that sets up these beautiful activities - then with 10-15 mins, the displays have been stripped...... and all resources have been transported around the setting in a variety of methods including cars, boxes and bags? No you are not the only one at all. I follow a group who set up tuff tray activities, which look so beautiful and inviting and I did dare to ask the same question as you! We have a couple of children who are into transporting and another who just secretes anything and everything in the dressing up hand bags! I searched high and low yesterday for the elves magic door, finally found it under a pile of other stuff in a handbag! I refuse to spend ages and ages setting something up just to look beautiful, when it will get trashed within minutes. I agree things need to look inviting but there is a limit! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sunnyday Posted December 1, 2018 Share Posted December 1, 2018 1 hour ago, louby loo said: Thank you, some really lovely activities one there. HOWEVER............. am I the only one that sets up these beautiful activities - then with 10-15 mins, the displays have been stripped...... and all resources have been transported around the setting in a variety of methods including cars, boxes and bags? You are definitely not alone - my personal favourite was all the tiny parts from our 'Betty Spaghetti' all squished into the play-dough! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Panders Posted December 1, 2018 Share Posted December 1, 2018 I have to agree for our age group, this is generally demanding. But I have used these ideas especially say, the tree outline with beads, buttons etc. and then taken a photograph of the result, that photograph then becomes the picture on the front of their Christmas card etc. Have done similar with black foam for a firework play theme too, the photos then went up on the board as the night sky. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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