Author: admin

Materials
3/4 cup applesauce
2 containers (2.37 oz. each) ground cinnamon
star cookie cutter
drinking straw
ribbon
plastic wrap
rolling pin

Directions
Preheat oven to 200 degrees.  Mix applesauce and cinnamon in a small bowl.  Using a rolling pin and about 1/3 of the dough at one time, roll dough between two pieces of plastic wrap. Peel the top sheet off and cut dough into star shapes.  Make a hole in the top using a straw and place the star shape onto a cookie sheet.  Continue until all dough is used.  Place cookie sheet in oven and bake for 2 1/2 hours.  Cool slightly and remove from cookie sheet.  Gently thread ribbon through the hole and hang on the Christmas tree.  

Materials
M&M’s in Christmas colors (red and green)
Small bowl
3 heart shaped cookie cutters
Die

Directions
Sorting Activity:
Place red and green M&M’s in one heart-shaped cookie cutter.  Invite your toddler to sort the M&M’s by placing the red ones in another heart cookie cutter and the green ones in the third cookie cutter.

Counting Activity:
Place M&M’s in a small bowl.  Invite your preschooler to roll the die.  Count the number of dots on the die and place that many M&M’s into one of the heart cookie cutters.  Roll two more times, adding M&M’s to the other two cookie cutters.  Which one has more? Which one has less?  

For an added challenge, roll two dice.  Ask your child to add together the number of dots on the dice and place the same number of M&M’s into a heart-shaped cookie cutter.

Additional math activities:

• Encourage your child to copy a pattern made with red and green M&M’s by you.
• Encourage your child to xtend the pattern
• Invite your child to make her own repeating pattern using the M&M’s 

Materials
Cone-shape Styrofoam
Green Tape
Thumbtack
Small pompoms, foam pieces, sequins, tissue paper, etc.

Directions
Using the green tape, wrap it around the Styrofoam cone, sticky side out.  Use a thumb tack to secure it at the top.  Continue wrapping the tape around the cone until the cone is completely covered.  Place the cone on a plate or tray.  Invite your child to stick various pompoms, sequins, small pieces of tissue paper, foam pieces, etc. onto the tree. Once the tree is deorated, display for all to enjoy.

Materials
10 Green construction paper Christmas tree shapes
Avery Dot stickers in various colors
10 Clothes pins

Directions
Place from 1 to 10 dots on each of the paper Christmas trees. Write numerals 1-10 on each of the clothes pins.  Invite your child to count the dots on a Christmas tree and find the corresponding numeral writtn on the clothes pin.  Have him clip the clothes pin to the bottom of the tree to look like the trunk. Match all clothes pins to the Christmas trees.  Encourage your child to line the trees up in correct numerical sequence.

Materials
Green Tempera Paint
Red Tempera Paint
Dish Brushes
Large White Paper

Directions
With a pencil, lightly draw a large circle on the white paper.  Invite your child to dip a dish brush into green tempera paint and dab it on the pencil line, making a green circle. Ecourage your child to gently dip her index finger into the red paint and make fingerprints on the wreath to look like holly berries. Allow wreath to dry.  Cut out and hang.

Materials
1 sponge cut into shape of a Christmas tree
Small bowl of grass seed
Tray or shallow pan
Spray water bottle

Directions
Soak tree cut sponge in water and place on a tray or shallow pan. Invite your child to place grass seed on top of the wet sponge.  Gently press into sponge.  Using the spray water bottle, ask child to spray the sponge.  Place tray near window.  Water daily using the spray water bottle and keep a small amount of water in the the bottom of the pan or tray.  Grass should grow within two weeks.  As grass grows longer, invite your child to trim the grass with scissors.

Materials
Pony beads 
Sparkly pipe cleaners – cut in half
Pencil or marker
Thread

Directions
Place pony beads in a small container.  Invite your child to thread pony beads onto a pipe cleaner.  They can be close together or spread apart.  Once the desired number of pony beads are on the pipe cleaner, have your child wrap the pipe cleaner around a pencil of marker to give it a spiral effect.  Tie a thread to the top of the pipe cleaner and hang on the Christmas tree.  Observe how the sparkly pipe cleaner twinkles as the lights shine upon it making it look like an icicle.  

Lesson Extension:

• Encourage 2-3 year olds to count the number of beads on the pipe cleaner.
• 4-6 year olds can be encouraged to make a pattern as the beads are placed onto the pipe cleaner.
• Children may also enjoy making wreaths, candy canes, or other creative shapes by bending the pipe cleaners.

Have fun decorating your tree and packages with these colorful ornaments.

Materials
Red construction paper
White construction paper cut into wide strips
Glue sticks
Scissors
Candy cane shape pattern

Directions
Trace around the candy cane pattern onto red construction paper.  Cut strips of white construction paper to fit proportionally onto the candy cane shape.  The strips do not need to be the exact length to fit the width of the candy cane. Invite your child to glue the white strips onto the candy cane shape. Once the glue has dried, cut out the candy cane shape. Preschool age children can be encouraged to cut on the lines of the candy cane.

Ingredients
7 cups of flour
1/2 cup of green or red powdered tempera paint
1 cup vegetable oil
Peppermint extract

Directions
Combine the powdered tempera paint and flour.  Add a few drops of peppermint extract.  Pour in the oil and mix well.  Mixing will take a few minutes.  When done you will have an amazing substance known as cloud dough! Cloud dough feels very silky and is moldable. It’s a wonderful sensory experience!

For fun creative play, add Christmas cookie cutters and sequins.

Storage: Cloud dough lasts indefinitely.  Once play time is over you can store the dough in a covered bin for future play.  Cloud dough is messy but vacuums up easily. 

Materials
12×18 White Construction Paper
Green Tempera Paint
Paper Plate
Sharpie Marker
Scissors
Small Sponge Paint Roller
Colorful Foam Sticker Shapes
Elmer’s Glue
Gold Glitter

Directions
Using a Sharpie marker, draw a simple Christmas tree shape on the white construction. Pour a small amount of green tempera paint onto the paper plate.  Invite your child to use a sponge paint roller to paint the Christmas tree green. Allow the paint to dry and then cut out the tree. Add colorful foam shapes to the Christmas tree. Use gold glitter and Elmer’s glue to add sparkly garland. Display.