SONG -THREE LITTLE WITCHES - SONG

THREE LITTLE WITCHES (Sing to Three Little Indians and use fingers for numbers)

One little, Two little, Three little witches,
Flying on their broom sticks, flying over ditches,
Sliding down the moonbeams without any hitches,
Hay Ho Halloween Time.

HERE COMES PETER COTTONTAIL

HERE COMES PETER COTTONTAIL
Hoppin´ down the bunny trail,
Hippity hoppity,
Easter´s on its way

Bringin´ ev´ry girl and boy
A basketful of Easter joy
Things to make your Easter
Bright and gay

He´s got jelly beans for Tommy
Colored eggs for sister Sue
There´s an orchid for your mommy
And an Easter bonnet too. Oh!

Here´ comes Peter Cottontail
Hoppin´ down the bunny trail
Hippity hoppity
Happy Easter Day

Look at him hop and listen to him say,
"Try to do the things you should"
Maybe if you´re extra good
He´ll roll lots of Easter eggs your way

You´ll wake up on Easter morning
And you´ll know that he was there
When you find those choc´late bunnies
That he´s hiding ev´rywhere, Oh!

Here´ comes Peter Cottontail
Hoppin´ down the bunny trail
Hippity hoppity
Happy Easter Day.

VALENTINE HEART ACTIVITY

For this activity you will need scraps of fabric or paper with different textures. (ie: fake fur, velvet, corduroy, fuzzy wallpaper, sandpaper, etc.), construction paper, scissors, glue,and yarn.

Cut different size heart shapes form the different textures. Cut a few pieces of construction paper in half and glue the hearts on the paper. If desired, draw funny faces on the hearts with a permanent marker

Tie the pages together to make a book. Now you have a Valentine book for the baby to feel as you look at each page and describe what he is touching.

FATHERS DAY POEM/FOOTPRINTS

FATHERS DAY POEM/FOOTPRINTS
Walk a little slower, Daddy,
Said a little child so small.
I´m following in your footsteps,
And I don´t want to fall.

Sometimes your steps are very fast,
Sometimes they´re hard to see;
So walk a little slower, Daddy,
For you are leading me.

Someday when I´m all grown up,
You´re what I want to be;
Then I will have a little child
Who´ll want to follow me.

And I would want to lead just right,
And know that I was true;
So, walk a little slower, Daddy,
For I must follow you.

SUGAR CONE CHRISTMAS TREES

Sugar Cones,
Chocolate chips,
white chocolate chips or candy melts,
Assorted candies for decorating,
Fruit Loop cereal,
MM´s, red Licorice Strings, etc.
Waxed Paper (to work on)

Be sure a parent or guardian helps with this project.
Melt chocolate or candy melts in a shallow bowl in the microwave. Do not burn. Stir well until smooth.
Roll a Sugar Ice-cream Cone in the chocolate to cover. Turn upside down on wax paper and press the decorations into the chocolate to decorate your tree. Allow the chocolate to harden. Store in a cool location. Super gifts for the kids to exchange with friends.

EIGHT LITTLE REINDEER ACTION PLAY

EIGHT LITTLE REINDEER

Eight little reindeer pulling Santa´s sled One fell down and bumped him head
The elves called Santa, and Santa said, "Can seven little reindeer pull my sled?"

Continue counting down - seven little reindeer, six little reindeer, five,
four, three, and two ... THEN

One little reindeer pulling Santa´s sled He fell down and bumped his head
The elves called Santa, and Santa said, "Call Rudolph!"

FRIED BANANAS

An African-American holiday of Kwanzaa is a holiday in which people celebrate their African heritage. (Dec 26 - Jan 1) The holiday is based on traditional "first fruits" or harvest.

A snack idea for this would be Fried Bananas -

Material -

6 med to large bananas; plastic knives; lemon juice; brown sugar; cinnamon; butter; frying pan; spatula; paper towels

Ask the children to peel the bananas and cut into 1/2" slices (you may want to do the cuting). Place banana slice on a plate and sprinkle a little lemon juice, brown sugar and cinnamon onto the slices. Put butter in the frying pan over med heat. Place a layer of slices in the frying pan. Fry both sides of the slices until golden. Drain on paper towels and serve.

PINE CONE ORNAMENTS

Pine cones are a natural tree ornament and take very little effort to "decorate" for your Christmas tree. First tie a ribbon or string around the pine cone, the way you do this will determine how the pinecone hangs (from one end or the other, or from the center so the cone lies sideways). They can be decorated with glitter glue or paint, or glue on some ribbon, beads or sequins. Letting the kids use their imagination will make the cones even more special in years to come.

CRAFT -CINNAMON DOUGH DECORATIONS

Make Christmas tree decorations with a wonderful aroma of cinnamon and apples.

4 parts cinnamon
3 parts applesauce
1 part white glue
To make cinnamon dough, mix ingredients together in a bowl. Give each child a small amount of the dough. Have them flatten the dough on a floured surface. Let the children use their favorite cookie cutters to cut shapes out of the dough. Give each child a straw and have him make a hole in the top of each shape so it can be hung. Add ribbons or yarn for hanging after the shapes have dried for at least 48 hours

COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS PAPER CHAIN

Children have counted the days until Christmas arrived for years and years. You don´t need a fancy store bought countdown calendar, just make up this simple, yet effective craft.
Construction paper (red and green)
1 glue stick (not so messy)
scissors
Use your scissors to cut out 12 strips of red and 13 strips of green construction paper. The dimensions are flexible but I find 1 inch by 8 inches a good size. After that make 1 of the strips into a chain link (circle) and glue together with your glue stick. Repeat making each strip into a circle and connecting through the last circle making a chain. Alternate colors of paper until you have 25 chains. Now you have your very own countdown to Christmas. Starting December 1st pull off 1 chain & do this for the next 24 days and when there is only 1 chain left you´ll know that it´s Christmas! We always made these chains and draped them over the children´s headboards. They ripped off one link each night before going to sleep.
POEM TO PUT ON CHRISTMAS COUNTDOWN CHAIN
1.
How many days till Christmas?
It´s mighty hard to tell
Take off a link every night
When the Sandman cast his spell
And Christmas Eve will be here
By the time you reach the bell.
The children take the chains home and are told to take off one link
every night to count down the days until Christmas.
2.
December first until Christmas
Is the longest time of the year.
It seems as though old Santa
Never will appear.
How many days until Christmas?
It´s mighty hard to count.
So this little chain on links
Will tell you the exact amount.

TAG FOR A HOMEMADE CHRISTMAS ORNAMENT

HANG THIS ON YOUR CHRISTMAS TREE,
This is a good little poem to attach to a Christmas craft with the child´s hand, feet or finger prints. Be sure to date these items!

Hang this on your Christmas tree,
To remember how I used to be.
To remind you of me now and then,
And bring fond memories back again.

PETER COTTONTAIL SONG

Author Unknown
Here comes Peter Cottontail
Hopping down the bunny trail
Hippidy, Hoppity,
Easter´s on its way!!!

EASY BATIK EASTER EGGS

Batik is an Indonesian method of hand-printing cloth by brushing melted wax on to the parts that are not to be dyed. The traditional method of making Batik eggs also uses melted wax alternating dipping the eggs in colored dyes and adding designs by painting on melted wax. This method uses masking tape to produce very interesting results.

Cut out designs from masking tape and stick them onto your egg. Dip the eggs into dye. When they are dry remove the masking tape. You can repeat the process by sticking on new cutouts and re-dipping the egg. You can overlap some of the colors for variety. Be sure to start with the lightest dye and work your way to the darker ones. If you want to keep an area a particular color, cover it with masking tape.

You can use a white crayon (actually any color you want) or hard paraffin wax to draw on designs which will resist the dye.

REINDEER POOP

(use small, round chocolate candies like covered peanuts or raisins)

I woke up with such a scare when I heard Santa call...
"Now dash away, dash away, dash away all!
I ran to the lawn and in the snowy white drifts,
those nasty reindeer had left "little gifts".
I got an old shovel and started to scoop
neat little piles of "reindeer poop".
But to throw them away, seemed such a waste,
So I saved them, thinking ~ you might like a taste!
As I finished my task, which took quite awhile,
Old Santa passed by and he sheepishly smiled.
And I heard him exclaim as he rose in the sky ~
"Well, they´re not potty trained, but at least they can fly!"

HANGING CHRISTMAS TREES

Make Christmas tree cut outs out of green construction paper. Your kids can glue on "Fruit Loops" colored rice or pasta to decorate it.

SANTA PRINTS

If your children are looking for evidence that Santa actually came try out this little trick:
Dip a man´s boot in baking soda and make a few imprints across the carpet in your room. This works best with dark carpet. When the children arrive they will see the "snow" prints leading to the tree!


This can be done for the Easter bunny, too. Just cut out a sponge to the shape of a rabbit´s footprint. After making tracks have the children follow the tracks to their hidden treats!

ARBOR DAY - POEM

Written By: Kate Louise Brown

The sunbeams are twinkling;
The air, soft and free,
Is telling a message
To you and to me.
Come out! Come out!
We´re planting a tree;
Come out! Come out!
Let´s all plant a tree.

Though now it is slender,
No taller than I,
It soon will be growing
Straight up to the sky.
A tree! A tree!
That reaches so high;
A tree! A tree!
That touches the sky.

EGG SAFETY

Eggs have been used to celebrate spring festivals for centuries. Symbolic Easter rabbits and colored eggs came to America with German settlers, and egg hunts have been beloved by children ever since. Easter egg hunts can be fun and safe for all if a few simple guidelines are followed:

Inspect eggs before purchasing them, making sure that they are not dirty or cracked. Dangerous bacteria may enter a cracked egg.
Store eggs in their original carton on a refrigerator shelf until ready for preparation. Keep eggs away from foods with strong odors (such as fish). Be sure that they do not freeze.
For best results with hard-cooked eggs, buy eggs 1 week in advance and refrigerate them. Eggs can be "too fresh" to peel easily.

Eggs have been used to celebrate spring festivals for centuries. Symbolic Easter rabbits and colored eggs came to America with German settlers, and egg hunts have been beloved by children ever since. Easter egg hunts can be fun and safe for all if a few simple guidelines are followed:

Inspect eggs before purchasing them, making sure that they are not dirty or cracked.
Dangerous bacteria may enter a cracked egg.

Store eggs in their original carton on a refrigerator shelf until ready for preparation.
Keep eggs away from foods with strong odors (such as fish). Be sure that they do not freeze.

For best results with hard-cooked eggs, buy eggs 1 week in advance and refrigerate them. Eggs can be "too fresh" to peel easily.

Follow these directions for perfect hard-cooked eggs:

Place eggs in a single layer in a saucepan; add enough tap water to cover at least 1 inch above eggs.

Cover and quickly bring just to boiling. Turn off heat, and if needed, prevent further boiling by removing pan from the burner.

Let covered eggs stand in the hot water for 15 to 17 minutes for Large eggs. Adjust time up or down by about 3 minutes for each size larger or smaller.

Immediately run cold water over eggs or place them in ice water until completely cooled.

Dry and refrigerate, or decorate eggs immediately. Do not decorate cracked eggs.
Refrigerate them and use as ingredients in holiday recipes. Do not hide eggs where they may come into contact with pets, wild animals, birds, reptiles, insects, or lawn chemicals. Gather eggs as soon as possible after they are hidden. Do not allow them to remain hidden overnight.

After the hunt: Inspect eggs; discard cracked eggs. Any uneaten eggs can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Eggs gathered at public hunts should not be eaten if they are out of refrigeration for more than 2 hours.

Table decorations: Eggs used for table decoration should not be eaten.

Take care from the time of selection, and eggs can help make your holiday safe and fun.

SONG -THE GOBLIN IN THE DARK SONG

THE GOBLIN IN THE DARK
(To the tune of "The Farmer in the Dell)

The goblin in the dark,
The goblin in the dark,
Hi-Ho on Halloween
The goblin in the dark,

Verse 2- The goblin takes a ghost,
Verse 3- The ghost takes a witch,
Verse 4- The witch takes a cat,
Verse 5- The cat takes a bat,

They all tiptoe home,
They all tiptoe home,
Hi-ho on Halloween,
They all tiptoe home.

IT CAME UPON A MIDNIGHT CLEAR

IT CAME UPON A MIDNIGHT CLEAR
From the United States
(Edmund Sears, an American minister, wrote this carol as a poem in 1850. The poem was so lovely that a friend suggested the words be set to music. Dr. Sears sent his poem to Richard Willis in Boston who composed the beautiful melody.)

It came upon a midnight clear,
That glorius song of old,
From angels bending near the earth,
To touch their harps of gold;
"Peace on the earth, good will to men,
From heav´ns all gracious King";
The world in solemn stillness lay
To hear the angels sing.

PILGRIM, PILGRIM WHERE´S YOUR HAT? (GAME)

Have the children stand in a circle. Choose one child to be the pilgrim and stand in the middle Blindfold this child. Let the other children in the circle pass the hat to each other saying:
Pilgrim, pilgrim where´s your hat?
We´ve passed it around the circle
Now you try to get it back.
The children stop passing the hat when the poem is completed. The child who has the hat at this point hides it behind his back. The pilgrims tries to guess who has the hat.

TIE-DYED EGGS

TIE-DYED EGGS
Rubber bands are all you need to make tie-dyed eggs. Arm yourself with a collection of different sized rubber bands. Wrap the rubber bands, one at a time, around the eggs. Make sure to leave some of the egg shell exposed so it can be dyed. Once the eggs are dyed to the color you like, remove them from the water and let them dry. Once dried completely, pull the rubber bands off to reveal your banded design.
Crayon Eggs Perhaps the simplest technique of all is the color-with-crayons method. Using a crayon, simply draw a design onto your eggs and then dye as you would any other Easter egg. Your crayon design will be accentuated by your choice of dye!

COOKIE CUTTER BIRD FEEDERS

Here is a nice idea for feeding the birds in the winter. I myself have given these for gifts in a set of 3 or 4. You will need a metal cookie c utter, the kind that outlines the shape and has no front or back. Make a thick suet with Peanut butter or lard, oatmeal and birdseed. Tie a string around the top of the cookie cutter for hanging. Then stuff the cookie cutter with the suet. I pat the suet out about two inches thick on wax paper and insert the cookie cutter, removing the suet around the outside. These are pretty hanging from a tree outdoors and the birds really appreciate it too.

CHRISTMAS PLACEMATS

When you´re busy baking or making dinner, have the kids chip in by making some placemats for the Christmas breakfast table. They can use a sheet of construction paper and decorate it with their favorite Christmas scene. If you want to go all out you can laminate them, but we make new ones every year. On Christmas Eve, it´s the kids "job" to set and decorate the kitchen table for breakfast the next day. (It´s become a tradition for my husband´s to make breakfast Christmas morning.)

DECK THE HALLS

DECK THE HALLS
from Wales
(This old song was first sung in Wales when Christmas merry-making lasted nmonly as long as the great yule log burned.)
Deck the halls with boughs of holly,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
´Tis the season to be jolly,
Fa la la la la , la la la la.
Don we now our gay apparel,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Troll the ancient Christmas carol,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Fast away the old year passes,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Hail the new! ye lads and lasses,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Sing we joyous all together,
Fa la la la la, la la la la.
Heedless of the wind and weather,
Fa la la la la la la la la.

SONG -I´M A LITTLE BUNNY

I´m a Little Bunny
Sung to " I´m a little Teapot"
It´s fun to make little cottontails out of cotton balls before you sing this ditty.

I´m a little bunny with a cotton tail
See me hop down the trail

When I pass a carrot my ears shake
Then of course a bite I take, Crunch!

TOMBSTONE PLACE SETTINGS

Use mini tombstones made from black cardboard to create individual place settings with guests´ names.

PARTY MENU

If your party is in lieu of trick-or-treating, you can be more liberal with the sweets, but you still want to get something in your young guests stomachs besides candy. Pizza, sandwiches, and soup, all easy and irresistible, are standouts

LEPRECHAUN TREATS

It never hurts to have leprechaun treats on hand. You never know when you might need them! Put a few green Tic-Tacs in a mini zip-lock bag. Add glitter, beads, and confetti. Add a safety pin. Don´t forget to put a label on it that says, "Leprechaun Treats- for Leprechauns only!"

WEBBYCRAWLERS

WEBBYCRAWLERS
2 cups chocolate chips
2 tsp. corn oil
60 mini marshmallows
5 thin black licorice whips
20 tiny red hot candies

1. Place chocolate chips into a microwave-safe bowl, and heat 2 to 3 minutes or until the chocolate chips are melted. Add oil and mix well.

2. On a sheet of waxed paper, squish about 6 marshmallows into one round ball. Do the same with the remaining marshmallows, making 10 spider bodies in all.

3. Cut licorice into 80 2-inch-long strips.

4. Dip the balls into the melted chocolate. Stick in the legs-4 on each side of each body for a total of 8 legs on each spider. Add 2 eyes made of red hot candies to the top.
Makes 10 servings

THREE RED VALENTINES SONG

THREE RED VALENTINES SONG
Original Author Unknown
Sung to: "Row, Row, Row Your Boat"

Three red Valentines,
Each one with a bow.
Pretty and shinny and lacy, too.
Standing in a row.

TURKEYS AND PILGRIMS - game

This is a different version of the ever popular game of Dodge ball. Play this game outdoors before Thanksgiving dinner. The kids will be ready to eat lots of Turkey and all the trimmings when they are through.
Instructions:
1.All players but one are Pilgrims, and they form a circle.
2.One player is the turkey, and stands in the center of the circle.
3.The Pilgrims have a big soft ball or an old pillow. They try to hit the turkey with the ball, and the turkey dodges and runs to keep from being hit.
4.The first Pilgrim to hit the turkey gets to trade places with the turkey.

SILENT NIGHT, HOLY NIGHT

From Austria
(This carol was first sung in a little church in Austria almost 150 years ago. It was composed by the organist one Christmas Eve. And it was sung the next day to the strumming of a guitar because the organ had broken down!)

Silent night! Holy night
All is calm, all is bright!
Round yon Virgin Mother and Child,
Holy Infant so tender and mild,
Sleep in heavenly peace,
Sleep in heavenly peace.

SNACK PUMPKIN DELIGHT

PUMPKIN DELIGHT
1 (29 oz.) can Pumpkin .
1 (13 oz.) can Evaporated Milk .
1 cup Sugar .
1/4 tsp. Pumpkin Pie Spice .
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon .
3 Eggs .
1 box Yellow Cake Mix .
1 cup Pecans (chopped) .
1 cup Butter or margarine .(melted)
Beat together pumpkin, milk, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, cinnamon, and eggs. Pour into 9x12 glass baking dish that has been sprayed with a vegetable oil (such as "Pam"). Sprinkle the dry cake mix evenly over the pumpkin mixture, then sprinkle on pecans. Drizzle melted butter over the top. Bake at 350 for 1 hour. Chill. Cut into squares, top with whipping cream, and enjoy!

RHYME FIVE LITTLE PUMPKINS

RHYME FIVE LITTLE PUMPKINS
Five little pumpkins sitting on a gate
The first one said, my it´s getting late!
The second one said there´s a chill in the air
The third one said I don´t care
The fourth one said let´s run, let´s run
The fifth one said it´s Halloween fun
So Puff went the wind and out went the lights,
And away went the jack-o-lanterns
On Halloween night!

SONG -I SAW A LITTLE GHOST

I SAW A LITTLE GHOST

I saw a little ghost, (hold hands over eyes)
And he saw me too! (Point to self)
When I said ´HI´ (wave hand)
He said, ´BOO´.

CRAFT -EGG CARTON SPIDERS

1 egg carton cup, painted black (can color with marker)
2 wiggle eyes
3 - 6 inch black pipe cleaners
Poke 3 holes on each side of eggcup and thread black pipe cleaners through
Ladybug caterpillar (using 3 cups)
Bats 1 cup and 2 halves on either side.

GAME -CATCH THE GHOST

Inflate a white balloon to use as a ghost. Do not tie the end. Have the children release the balloon and try to
catch the ghost before it touches the ground. (CLOSE SUPERVISION WHILE USING BALLOONS)

TURKEY TAG -GAME

TURKEY TAG -GAME
Choose teams. Two children, one from each team, run turkey fashion from one line to another. They must also gobble as they race. If one gets out of position to gain speed, he or she is taken away by the farmer (you). The team
to have the most turkeys left at the end of two races wins.

CREEPY ICE CUBES

Create some fun by placing rubber or plastic spiders in an ice cube tray filled with water, and allow to freeze.

TOUCH IT STORY

A favorite story can be accompanied by passing around the items that a ghost left lying around. Guests must close their eyes and just feel the "parts." Use a wet sponge or cooked spaghetti for the ghoul´s brains, skinned grapes, olives or wet marbles for eyes; carrot, pickle, hot dog or warty cucumber for the nose; wet yarn for hair; dried fruit for ears; broken chalk for teeth; pistachio nut shells for toenails; and a surgical glove filled with red gelatin (keep it in the refrigerator until the last minute) for a bloodied hand.

THE EASTER BUNNY- POEM

THE EASTER BUNNY
by M. Josephine Todd, 1909

There´s a story quite funny,
About a toy bunny,
And the wonderful things she can do;
Every bright Easter morning,
Without warning,
She colors eggs, red, green, or blue.

Some she covers with spots,
Some with quaint little dots,
And some with strange mixed colors, too
-- Red and green, blue and yellow,
But each unlike his fellow
Are eggs of every hue.

And it´s odd, as folks say,
That on no other day
In all of the whole year through,
Does this wonderful bunny,
So busy and funny,
Color eggs of every hue.

If this story you doubt
She will soon find you out,
And what do you think she will do?
On the next Easter morning
She´ll bring you without warning,
Those eggs of every hue.

EYEBALL PUNCH

2 quarts Red Kool-Aid
1 liter 7-up or Ginger Ale
1 batch Jell-O jiggler (prepared and set) in 11x14 pan
20-30 green/yellow grapes peeled or just cut in half

Before serving cut Jell-O jigglers into long thin strips. Combine Kool-Aid and 7-up in a punch bowl or "witches caldron". Add jiggler strips and grapes and serve.

NOTE: Peeled grapes are more "slimey" but if you cut the grapes in half the cut end picks up the red color and makes a "kewl" bloodshot eyeball

PILGRIM HAT -2

PILGRIM HAT -2
Paper Plate
Glue
Construction Paper
Paint the paper plate black. Once the paint is dry, cut out the center of the paper plate. Leave the outside rim about 2 inches thick. Cut a piece of black construction paper to approximately 8 inches by 8 inches. Tape this into the circle you cut out of the paper plate so as much as possible sticks out through the top of the plate. Cut a 2 inch by 8 inch piece of white paper and glue it on the black paper where it meets the paper plate. Cut a rectangle shape out of yellow construction paper and glue it to the middle of the white strip as a buckle.

WHERE IS SANTA?

WHERE IS SANTA?
(Sung to the tune: Are you sleeping?)
Where is Santa? Where is Santa? (hands behind back)
Here I am! Here I am! (arms out in front making a belly shape!)
Merry, Merry Christmas! Merry, Merry, Christmas!
Ho! Ho! Ho!, Ho! Ho! Ho! (keep arms up through the rest of the song!)

LACY EGGS

Wrap colored yarn or thread around a balloon to make these giant eggs. You can vary the size of each egg by varying the size of the balloon you use. You can use all one color of thread or a different color for each layer. The variegated crochet cotton works beautifully! Decide what you like best. The results are delicate, so handle the eggs carefully.

You will need a round balloon
Yarn, crochet thread, or colored string (Easter colors)
Liquid starch, white glue or heavy sugar water
1-inch paint brush.

Blow up the balloon and tie a 2-foot piece of yarn or string from the knot end. This will be used to hang the competed project to dry. Carefully brush the whole surface of the balloon with the liquid starch or watered down white glue.

Now you will need to work quickly before the glue dries. Wrap the yarn, crochet thread, or string (what ever you are using) around the balloon in one direction leaving small gaps of about 1/2-inch wide so that the surface isn´t completely covered. You won´t be able to do a perfect job of wrapping but try to keep it somewhat even.

Brush on another layer of starch, glue or sugar water, right over the layer you just did and wrap another layer but this time go in a different direction. For instance, if the first layer was wrapped from the bottom to the top, this time wrap it around at right angles to it. Brush on glue and wrap one more time, varying the direction again. The balloon should be pretty well covered but you should be able to see gaps, sort of like lace.

Hang the covered balloon from the 2-foot string to dry for about 24 hours. When it is absolutely and completely dry, pop the balloon and very gently and carefully pull it out through one of the gaps.
And there you have it! Make a dozen of them and hang them all over.

If you want the egg to stand up (for a centerpiece, perhaps) flatten it very gently on one end.

SIMPLE THANKSGIVING GRACE

God is Great
God is Good
Let us Thank Him for our Food
AMEN

I´M A LITTLE VALENTINE SONG

I´M A LITTLE VALENTINE SONG
Original Author Unknown
Sung to: "I´m a little teapot"

I´m a little Valentine, Red and white.
With ribbons and lace, I´m a beautiful sight.
I can say I love you On Valentines Day
Just put me in a envelope, and give me away.

RUDOLPH SANDWICHES

Cut your kids sandwiches in a large triangle. Use two raisins for eyes, six raisins for mouth, a couple of pretzels make the antlers, and half of a red cherry tomato for a nose! Your kids will love your "Rudolph Sandwiches".

PAPER PLATE TURKEY

Cut the center out of the plate, leaving the rim intact. Draw and cut out a turkey´s head and feet from construction paper. Glue the body on the rim so that the head is in the center, then glue the feet so that they hang down from the rim. You can use several things for the tail feathers. Try cutting squares of autumn colored tissue paper and rolling them up the length of feathers. Buy a bag of multi-colored feathers to glue on or glue on lentils in rows. Whatever you choose, your turkey will be beautifully displayed on the wall or front door for Thanksgiving.

FIVE LITTLE VALENTINES - RHYME

FIVE LITTLE VALENTINES - RHYME
Five little Valentines were having a race.
The first one was all covered with lace.
The second one had a funny face.
The third one said, "I love you."
The fourth one said, "I do too!"
The fifth one was sly as a fox,
He ran the fastest to your Valentine box.

THANKSGIVING GRACE

THANKSGIVING GRACE
"To God who gives our daily bread
A thankful song we raise,
And pray that he who sends us food
May fill our hearts with praise."
~Thomas Tallie ( 1505 - 1585 )~

CANDLE ORNAMENT

Cover toilet paper roll with colored paper. Add colored leaves around the bottom & a flame to the top.

CRAFT -GREEN RICE SHAMROCKS

Green Rice Shamrocks
Color rice by shaking it in a clear plastic bag with several drops of green food coloring and several drops of rubbing alcohol. Spread the rice on paper towels to dry. Help your child brush diluted glue onto a shamrock shape cut from white poster-board. Then sprinkle green rice all over the glue.

BIRD TREATS

Make some bird treats for your backyard so the birds can celebrate Thanksgiving too! Help your child use a table knife to spread peanut butter all over a pine cone. Then roll the pinecone in birdseed. Use a piece of string to hang it outside for the birds to enjoy

CHRISTMAS CANDY LESSON

I wrapped red and green M&M´s in colored cellophane and tied with curling ribbon and attached this poem for the kids in my daycare.

As you hold these candies In your hand,
And turn them, You will see.
The M becomes a W,
An E, and then a 3.

They tell the Christmas story,
It´s one I´m sure you know.
It took place in a stable.
A long, long, time ago.

The E is for the East,
Where the star shone so bright.
The M is for the Manger,
Where Baby Jesus slept that night.

The 3 is for the Wise men,
Bearing gifts, they say they came.
W is for Worship, Hallelujah, Praise His Name.
So as you eat these candies,

Or share them with a friend.
Remember the meaning of Christmas,
It´s a Love story that never ends.

A PAT ON THE BACK FOR DAD

Materials:
Men´s T-shirts
Fabric Paint
Directions:
Have the children make handprints on the back of the T-shirts, then write,
"This Dad Needs A Pat On The Back."

PUMPKIN SEED TAMBORINE

Make a musical instrument with seeds. Fill an aluminum pie plate with clean, dry pumpkin seeds. Top with another pie plate and staple or tape them together, creating a seed tambourine. Add stickers and streamers. This is great addition to a costume especially if your child is going as a gypsy or a musician.

PAPER PLATE BONNET

Paper plate
Construction paper
Crayons or markers
Glue
Yarn
Children can decorate the paper plate any way they wish. Glue on pieces of pastel paper, color flowers on plate, use your imagination. Tie yard to each side of plate so it can be tied under child´s chin.

OLD ST. NICHOLAS - song

(tune Old McDonald had a farm)

Old St. Nicholas had a tree (form tree with arms)
Ho, ho ho ho ho!
And on that tree he had some horns (blow horns)
Ho ho ho ho ho!
With a toot toot here and a toot toot there
Here a toot. There a toot. Every where a toot, toot
Continue....
Lights------------flash, flash
Candy canes-------yum-yum
Drums-------------boom-boom
Bells-------------ring, ring
Birds-------------peep, peep
Stars-------------twinkle, twinkle
Snowflakes--------flutter, flutter

THIS IS CHRISTMAS

(sung to ´Twinkle Twinkle Little Star´)

What is Christmas? We´ll tell you.
It´s putting love in all we do;
In our work, and in our play.
In our living every day.
It is showing love for others,
Father, Mother, Sisters, Brothers.

PILGRIM HATS

2 Brown paper bags
Masking Tape
Old Belt (or paper or cloth strip)
Beach Bucket
Instructions
Measure around the rim of the bucket with the belt and ask an adult to punch another hole and cut off the extra piece of belt. Loop belt into a circle and buckle belt. If using paper bags, open up the sides and cut off the bottoms. Tape them together. Place paper centered over the upside-down beach bucket. Press paper down with hands around bucket to shape. Place looped belt over top and push down to the bottom of the bucket near the rim securing the paper in place. Remove hat from bucket.

EDIBLE EASTER BASKET

Color coconut green with food coloring in a few drops of water. Place green coconut in an ice cream cone and add colored jelly bean eggs.

THANKFUL TURKEY

This is a great family activity. Draw a large turkey body and feet on the large piece of construction paper. Each evening at supper for about 10 days before Thanksgiving ask each family member to tell something they are thankful for and list each one on their own feather--kids can pick what color they want and then glue it on to the large turkey. Mount it on a bulletin board or with a magnet on the fridge to have a visual reminder of all the things your family is thankful for.

SONG -HALLOWEEN PARTY SONG

THE HALLOWEEN PARTY
(Tune of Mary had a Little Lamb)
Pump-kins have such happy grins, happy grins, happy grins
Pump-kins have such happy grins, It´s Halloween at last.

Cats have come with long black tails, long black tails, long black tails,
Cats have come with long black tails, It´s Halloween at last.

Witches have their witches brooms, witches brooms, witches brooms
Witches have their witches brooms, It´s Halloween At last!

ACTIVITY -SILLY DAY

April Fools Day is a perfect time to be silly. Try these simple activities to celebrate this day.

Upside down and backward, April Fool´s day
Celebrate April Fools Day with your children. Before they get up in the morning, arrange some of the furniture in your house differently, or turn a chair, picture, or clock upside down. While having breakfast see if they can identify the items that are moved or misplaced.

ALTERNATIVES TO SWEETS

1. Stickers
2. Cartoon-character stamps
3. Ponytail holders
4. Barrettes
5. Plastic spider rings
6. Neon shoelaces
7. Pumpkin-shaped erasers
8. Balloons
9. Raisin boxes
10. Sugarless chewing gum
11. Toothbrush

GHOULISH GRABBERS

Create two scary, icy, "from the grave" hands by freezing water-filled latex gloves. (Add food coloring to the water for special effects.) Fill the gloves with water and seal the open-end securely. When nearly frozen, shape into a position that could hold something. If you freeze two hands, they could grasp a bowl of snacks. When solidly frozen, extract the hand from the glove and place on a platter on the table, as they´ll start to melt. If the hands don´t slip out easily from the glove, run under gentle trickle of water to separate glove from hand.

VALENTINE HUGS CRAFT

Paint children´s hands with white paint.
Stamp this on red construction paper hearts.
Punch a hole in the bottom end of each heart.
Have children spread arms wide and measure this with a piece of ribbon and cut.
Attach this yarn to each heart.

Attach the following poem:

A Valentine Hug For You
Wrap these hands around you whenever I´m away,
So you can have a hug from me anytime of day!
This could be used any time of year, like Mother´s or Father´s Day. Just take out the word "valentine". How about leaving one of these for your small children when you have to go out of town on business. Divorced parents could send one to their children that don´t live with them. There are so many uses for this. Any time of year is a perfect time to tell someone you love them.

VALENTINE FISH

For each valentine fish you will need one very large heart, one medium heart and three smaller hearts and one tiny heart. Glue the largest heart to the medium heart at the bottom points. (The points are placed end to end; this makes the fish´s body and tail. The three smaller hearts are glued to the top of the fish for fins and the tiny heart is glued to the dip in the largest heart for lips! We make these fish when we read "Rainbow Fish" an excellent book!

TURKEY ON THE FARM -SONG

TURKEY ON THE FARM
(Sung to: The Wheels on the Bus)
The turkey on the farm says, "Gobble, gobble, gobble.
Gobble, gobble, gobble. Gobble, gobble, gobble."
The turkey on the farm says, "Gobble, gobble, gobble."
Thanksgiving Day is near.

The farmer on the farm goes chop, chop, chop.
Chop, chop, chop. Chop, chop, chop.
The farmer on the farm goes chop, chop, chop.
Thanksgiving Day is here.

The turkey on the farm says, "Please help me!
Please help me! Please help me!"
The turkey on the farm says, "Please help me!"
Thanksgiving Day is here.

The children on the farm say, "Come and hide.
Come and hide. Come and hide."
The children on the farm say, "Come and hide."
Thanksgiving Day is here.

The wife on the farm looks all around.
Looks all around. Looks all around.
The wife on the farm looks all around.
Thanksgiving Day is here.

The people on the farm eat Kentucky Fried Chicken.
Kentucky Fried Chicken. Kentucky Fried Chicken.
The people on the farm eat Kentucky Fried Chicken.
Thanksgiving Day is here.

The turkey on the farm says, "Gobble, gobble, gobble.
Gobble, gobble, gobble. Gobble, gobble, gobble."
The turkey on the farm says, "Gobble, gobble, gobble."
Thanksgiving Day has passed.

SONG -ON A DARK, DARK NIGHT

ON A DARK, DARK NIGHT

On a dark, dark, night,
In a dark, dark wood,
In a dark, dark house,
In a dark, dark room,
In a dark, dark cupboard,
On a dark, dark shelf,
In a dark, dark box,
There was a GHOST

ACTIVITY -MAGIC HEARTS

Magic hearts
Have your child brush white vinegar on a sheet of white construction paper. Then cover the paper with small hearts that have been cut form red tissue paper. As the vinegar dries, the tissue paper will fall off, leaving red heart prints. You can vary this craft by using different colors of tissue paper and shapes. The construction paper can be used to wrap a gift after it is decorated.

BUNNIES: MOVEMENT ACTIVITY: HOPPING!!!

This is sure to burn off some energy. Try making the bunny ears and painting their faces before you start.
Give kids a variety of "hopping" commands such as:
(Be sure kids are told to take their time hopping, hold a hand of younger ones, if necessary)
Hop in one place.
Hop and turn in circles at same time
Hop on left/right foot
Hop backwards, sideways, make a square or circle
Hop over a line
Hop with a partner
Hop to different rhythms (clap hands, use drum, music, etc..

STYROFOAM EGGS

A very easy project even for the smallest kids. Simply take styrofoam eggs you buy at the craft store and decorate with paint and glitter. The kids can then use pushpins to add sequins or beads. They can add bits of ribbon or bows. The pins that have a small colored ball at the top are good for this. 4 or 5 grouped together look like a flower.

EASTER PICTIONARY

Easter Pictionary
Supplies:
Chalkboard
Chalk
Eraser
Easter Basket
Papers with Easter objects written on them
Timer
How To Play: Put papers with Easter objects written on them into basket. Divide children into two groups. Flip a coin to see which team goes first. Invite a child from the playing team to approach the chalkboard, draw a slip of paper, and read it to themselves. On your mark, the child should then draw the object in hopes that his/her team members will guess the object on their paper. If the team guesses correctly, before time runs out, they score a point. If the playing team does not guess correctly the other team has five seconds to try to come up with the correct answer. If they guess correctly they score a point and it is their turn to play.
This game can be simplified for young players utilizing words such as: carrot, bunny, candy. Make more difficult for older players by using short phrases: chocolate bunnies taste good, marshmallow chicks are yellow, etc.

BUNNY DESERT

(makes 4)
2 C cold Milk
1 pkg. Instant pudding
2 Sticks black licorice
1/4 cup Vanilla frosting
Red food coloring
8 Vienna fingers
8 Green jelly beans
4 Pink jelly beans

1. Beat milk and pudding till thickened.
2. Pour into small dish. Refrigerate.
3. Cut licorice into in to 4 pieces. Set aside.
4. Color the frosting.
5. Frost top of cookies to within 1/2" of edge.
Just before serving add green jellybean eyes, pink nose and licorice whiskers!

WITCHES FINGERS

WITCHES FINGERS
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup icing
1 egg
1 tsp. almond extract
1 tsp. vanilla
2 ¾ cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
3/4 cup whole blanched almonds
1 tube red decorator gel
In bowl beat together butter, sugar, egg, almond extract and vanilla; beat in flour; baking powder and salt. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Working with one-quarter of the dough at a time and keeping remaining dough refrigerated, roll heaping teaspoons full of dough into finger shape for each cookie. Press almond firmly into one end for nail.
Squeeze in center to create knuckle shape. Using a paring knife make slashes in several places to form knuckle. Place on lightly greased cookie sheet in 325 degree over for 20-25 minutes or until pale or golden. Let cool for three minutes.
Lift up almond; squeeze red decorator gel onto nail bed and press almond back in place so gel oozes out from underneath.
Remove from cookie sheet and let cool. Repeat with remaining dough. Makes about 5 doz. fingers!

STAR ORNAMENTS

Glue two perfectly shaped triangles together to make a six pointed star. Cover with macaroni, glitter or colored rice.