Home

Holiday Crafts, Recipes, and Activities

Irish Wishing Rocks Game Is A Fun Family Game Kids Can Make & Play for St Patricks

Submitted by sharon on Sat, 2010-02-27 16:31
Posted in

At ZiggityZoom we love to play family games.  In fact, we like to play so much that we even invent our own games from time to time.  Our newest game that the whole family can play is called the Irish Wishing Rocks game that was created by our creative director.

The concept of play is simple yet fun and the game can be made quickly.  The whole family can help to make the game and then also play.  You only need 12 small, smooth stones about the same size or you can make them out of  craft clay, such as Sculpey, that you bake in the oven for a few minutes.  If you don't want to use stones, you can substitute 12 plastic discs or make them out of cardboard.  The important thing is to have 12 small obects, all the same, that can be marked on one side with marker or stick on letters.

The object of the game is to get all the letters that spell Irish.  I-R-I-S-H  The first person who can spell Irish, by "wishing" and choosing, wins the game.  Fun for kids of all ages.

RULES :

Fun Christmas Site For Kids Visit the North Pole with Santa and His Reindeer

Submitted by Staff on Fri, 2009-12-18 10:05
Posted in

Ho Ho Ho ... what a fun site to visit before Christmas ... Northpole.com !  Downloads, games, e-cards, and stories keep kids busy until the big night, when they can actually track Santa with NORAD. There’s even a huge area for parents, with printables perfect for homeschooling and a ton of recipes.

Kids can check out Santa's workshop, read stories about Santa, the elves and reindeer, chat with Santa's elves, and print out fun activities.

Tons of things for teachers too, including basic skills and printable flash cards.  It's a fun-filled site for preschool kids and kids in general.

Fun Marshmallow Igloo You Can Make for A Christmas Holiday Centerpiece

Submitted by Staff on Sun, 2009-12-06 15:06
Posted in

This is a fun food project that your whole family will have fun making.  It's an Igloo made from large marshmallows. Kids love to play with food, so this will be a favorite activity for the Christmas season.

Ours is put together with pretzel sticks, but you can also use white icing to "glue" the marshmallows together, like a gingerbread house. So break out those marshmallows and get started.  

See complete instructions in our Activity section.

Kids Can Make Fun SnowGlobes with This Fun Family Craft Activity for Christmas

Submitted by Staff on Sun, 2009-12-06 12:37
Posted in

Snowglobes ... who doesn't love them ... they are mesmerizing and fun to play with, even for adults.  So imagine the fun kids will have making and playing with these cute little snowglobes.

Ours are only made from plastic jars or bottles, including small mayonnaise jars and a new little round Coca Cola bottle that coke just introduced this holiday season.  We're actually very excited about this particular little bottle and we are hoping the Coca Cola people keep these going all year.  Really ... I have been keeping my eyes open for something like this for a SnowGlobe project for ages and I can think of other fun uses for during the year.

To make the snowglobes, the main thing is finding an appropriate little figure or ornament that will fit into your jar or bottle.  The mayonnaise jars are easy to find items, but the little round coke bottles are more difficult.  I suggest looking in craft stores and anywhere you might find mini-ornaments.

Also, let me clue you in ... some other sites will suggest that you use mineral oil or baby oil to fill your globe.  Don't bother even trying this or wasting your money.  My first attempt was with mineral oil and it wasn't pretty!  Not only do you have to find this items in the store, but it was so sloudy looking and the glitter seemed to stay suspended in the oil.  Water, which is free, worked really well and you get a very pretty snow swirling around.

For complete instructions, go to our SnowGlobe activity here on ZiggityZoom.

Make Christmas Ornaments with the Kids with This Easy Salt Dough Recipe

Submitted by Staff on Wed, 2009-12-02 14:34
Posted in

Salt dough is an easy dough that you can make with basic kitchen ingredients.  It is perfect for making Christmas ornaments with the kids.

There are two basic recipes, one uses only flour and salt, the other adds in vegetable oil.  There are a few differences, so read recipe through before starting.  Store your salt dough in a sealed container in the refrigerator, but usually not more than a couple of days.

Basic Salt Dough

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup of salt
  • 1 cup of flour
  • 1/2 cup of water

Instructions:

  • In a large bowl, combine the salt and the flour
  • Make a well in the salt/flour mixture and add the water
  • Knead until smooth and shape into a ball
  • When not in use, wrap in plastic or store in an airtight container

    To get a softer dough you can add more flour. Adding more salt will lend a more granulous affect. To add color to your dough, add food coloring or paint. Knead to get an even color. Paint your ornaments and sculptures after they dry.

Recipe with Oil

Ingredients:

  • 4 cups flour
  • 1 cup salt
  • 1 -1/2 cups hot tap water
  • 2 tsp vegetable oil

Instructions:

  • Combine salt and flour in a bowl
  • Gradually add water until dough becomes elastic
  • Add vegetable oil

    If dough is too sticky ... add more flour....too crumbly....add more water. For colored dough, add food coloring or paint into water before adding to dry ingredients. Or simply paint your ornaments after they dry (either air dry or bake at 200 degrees F). Painted ornaments will need to be sealed with clear varnish.

Thanksgiving Holiday Traditions-Sharing the Traditions We Love

Submitted by Staff on Wed, 2009-11-18 20:19
Posted in

 

I am fortunate to have a good size family (no those are not all my kids!). I have 3 brothers and a sister and every year we are close enough to be able to get everyone together with their families for a night to have a Thanksgiving Celebration. I wanted to share some of our Family Traditions in hopes it might inspire you to start a new family tradition or share one of your family traditions with us.

Thanksgiving

1.A newer family tradition we like to do is read stories about Thanksgiving for several days before Thanksgiving Day. I think that stretches out the Holiday longer and gives our kids a better sense of what Thanksgiving is all about.

We also read a Thanksgiving story the day of Thanksgiving.

2. We go Around the Table and Say what we are Thankful for.
Seriously, if someone has a problem with this maybe they should not come - they have a year of things to be thankful for, at the very least for the meal! And I love hearing the kids comments-probably worth writing down to pull out years later.

3. Let the Kids Help Make Placecard/Name Holders for the Thanksgiving Table.
I remember doing this when I was little and I loved helping putting the Name Spots where someone was going to sit. It is also great to let your kids help make a centerpiece or help set the table.

Kids in the Kitchen - the Little Chefs in Your House

Submitted by sharon on Mon, 2009-03-23 18:19
Posted in

I'm sure you've noticed that little kids love to bake.  They always want to help in the kitchen.  And at our house the favorite thing to bake is cookies!  Even though, at times, we just want to hurry and get done we can't forget to think back to what it's like to be a child.  Can you remember times helping your own mom in the kitchen?

Baking a cookie to a child is like making a gourmet meal to us.  They feel such a sense of accomplishment when those cookies come out of the oven, don't they?  We need to remember to feed their little egos and help build their self esteem, even with things as simple as baking cookies.

And when your child has an interest in cooking other things, try to encourage that interest.  Find a good cookbook for kids, like one of the ones we have listed below.  You may even want to go choose a cookbook with your child from the bookstore.  Then let them choose a recipe to make and buy the ingredients together, if you don't have all the necessary things at home.  You'd be surprised at how many grownup Chefs actually started cooking when they were very little.

Here are a few books that you might consider:

William-Sonoma: The Kid's Cookbook: A Great Book for Kids Who Love to Cook! (Williams-Sonoma Lifestyles)

Fun Things to Do During the Easter Holiday Vacation

Submitted by sharon on Tue, 2009-03-17 18:47
Posted in

Easter break is fast approaching and with many children having an entire week off for Easter now is the time to plan some fun activities.  We don't want to take away from the religious significance of Easter but, as parents, we all know that it is best to have some activities planned when the kids have off for a length of time.

Considering the current economy, trying to find activities that are inexpensive or free are on most parents minds this Easter.  But we all want to have fun and enjoy family time whenever possible. 

We have some fun suggestions that you might want to try this year and maybe even incorporate some of these activities into a new Easter holiday tradition. 

1.  Decorate Eggs to give to the neighbors.  We all usually have little gifts to give neighbors at Christmas, but why not at Easter?  Sharing a little basket of hand-decorated eggs is a great way to spread good cheer.

2.  Plan an Easter play.  Let the kids have an Easter play and they can decide how it plays out.  Maybe it will be a bunny theme or a duck theme or even a religious theme.  Let them pick a convenient time and the family can plan to "attend."

3.  Visit a Petting Zoo.  Most areas have a petting zoo close by and this is a fun time of the year to go see Easter lambs and Easter bunnies.

4.  Have an Easter Parade.  Are their kids in your neighborhood or some cousins that visit at Easter?  Plan a parade that the kids can dress up with fancy hats they make or as a bunny or duck, etc.  Serve some punch and cookies after the parade.

Get Frightfully Green This Halloween

Submitted by Staff on Fri, 2009-10-16 08:31
Posted in

eco-halloween Yes, Halloween is only weeks away. Perhaps you are all set with decor, candy and costumes. But if you are like me, there are still costumes to buy, pumpkins to carve and decorations to hang. My daughter is so excited that she wants to buy a pumpkin every she sees one on display. This year we will make our official trip to the organic pumpkin patch the weekend before Halloween. Carving will happen two days before the big night. Last year my daughter was old enough to enjoy the season and we carved our pumpkins way too early and they imploded by the time October 31st rolled around. This year I'm considering purchasing as many eco-friendly Halloween decorations as possible. And recycling things we have around the house for seasonal decor. I have a couple ornate Victorian looking candelabras which I'll spray paint black paint to make a centerpiece in the dining room. I'll be cutting out black construction paper silhouettes of black cats and spiderwebs from construction paper and then toss it in the recycling bin afterward. I've also found a few eco-friendly Halloween decor and party items that help to reduce waste and support fair trade labor. Solar Pumpkin Light, $9.45 at The Vermont Baby Store A sun powered light for your pumpkin. Forget the unsafe candles that contain nasty fumes. This solar pumpkin light is also more economical than battery-operated light too.

Earth Day- A Few Quick Ideas to Celebrate Earth Day with Your Kids this Evening

Submitted by Staff on Wed, 2009-04-22 08:43
Posted in

If you are like most families, just because it is a day to celebrate Protecting Our Planet and trying to make positive changes in our lives so we use less energy, water and create less waste, pollution and carbon does not mean you have extra time to do an Earth Day Activity with your kids.

Here are a few quick and easy ways you can celebrate or talk to your kids about Earth Day that you can fit into Dinner-time or at your house without extra supplies, or buying a planet or going anywhere.

We know the earlier we involve our kids and talk about being a responsible steward of the Planet and our house, kids will learn and want to help save money and help to Protect the Planet and natural resources.

Here are a few Easy ways to talk about Earth Day and a few simple things your family can do to help save money and save water, gas, energy or waste without spending a dime, or making much effort or big time commitment.

Pick a few items that you believe your family can do and let your kids be in charge one of the new ideas. Start Dinner off by telling your kids that today is Earth Day which is celebrated April 22nd every year around the world. Tell them about it, why is it important- things like by paying attention to how much water we use, the lights, and garbage we throw away makes a difference to how much money we spend every month and to our Planet.

Talk about how walking or biking places or using less chemicals, pesticides helps the Earth and animals. Discuss at Dinner ways your family can make a difference and plan to take 15 minutes after dinner to put an action into place.

Here are a few ideas:

Take a Walk or Bike Ride to a Nearby Park or Store- talk about how you cut down on gas use and money

Syndicate content