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6th December 2007 - No. 70
THIS ISSUE: Chocolate and Christmas goes well together. Recycle - KIDS craft activities. Avoid the crowds: on-line alternatives to last-minute shopping. Christmas cooking ideas – a delicious dessert. Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas! Christmas is always a busy time as we all feel the need to finalise every and any project before the big day. We have a few great ideas to share with you to perhaps reduce the panic and highlight the fact that Christmas is a happy, caring and sharing time with family and friends. A Christmas Poem My Christmas Wish For You
by Ruth Kephart Click here
Quote me: “There's nothing sadder in this world than to awake Christmas morning and not be a child.” Erma Bombeck I Lost Everything in the Post-Natal Depression
Gifts KIDS can make In the lead up to Christmas it‟s a great idea to involve the family in the gift giving process. Of course there are plenty of things to make and do at home and here is something really fun. This is both easy to make and a meaningful gift: the CD drink coaster. Using an old CD, a computer print out of a family photo or one of their own drawings, KIDS can make this gift for a family member or friend simply by cutting out the image to fit the CD and pasting it on with PVA glue. To protect the coaster from spills, paint an extra layer of the glue over the picture. Is your local activity provider listed with Activities4KIDS, if not tell them about us! Gift ideas that give back What to give the person who has everything? Hmm, how about … cattle manure? No, not „cos you‟re jealous! This crap present is the gift that keeps on giving – the manure goes to Sri Lankan farmers and helps them fertilize their rice paddies in an environmentally friendly way. Oxfam Unwrapped has gifts ranging from the truly unusual to the deeply delightful. The online gift shop has a wide selection of toys and games for children, as well as hand crafted home wares; all made according to Fair Trade requirements.
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KIDS make Christmas It‟s true, KIDS make Christmas fun, but with a bit of creativity they can make your Christmas decorations as well. This is an activity that all members of the family – even TEENS - can be persuaded to participate in. Everyone will get satisfaction from seeing their decoration on the tree, and they can be re-used in future Christmases. It could even become a family tradition. Good materials for this craft project include: construction paper in a variety of colours, large needle and thick coloured thread, old newspapers, gold and silver pens, sticky-tape, glitter, sequins, ribbons, and paste. Cut out 2 star shapes and decorate with the pens, glitter and whatever else you like! Using the needle, punch holes around the edges. Stuff with newspaper and stitch them together. Make sure your KIDS sign their work (and date it, too). At the top of the star, tie a loop of thread to hang it on the tree. Have an Aussie Christmas meal! The traditional Christmas fare of roasted turkey, stuffing, baked potatoes and Christmas pud is a wonderfully indulgent meal – for August! In the height of the Australian summer, other, lighter options are more appealing. The next few issues of A4K news we‟ll be highlighting our favourite Aussie Christmas recipes, starting with the best bit – dessert. Get into this classic Summer Christmas Pudding – it‟s easy to make, cool and delicious, and it‟s full of fruity goodness. It‟s best made the night before Christmas! Serves 10 You will need: about 16 punnets berries (redcurrants, blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries), 400g caster sugar, 1½ cups water, 1 loaf stale white bread, crusts removed and thinly sliced. Put most of the berries and all sugar and water in a pan. Heat gently until sugar has dissolved. Add remaining fruit and stir. Strain, and reserve juice. Cut bread to fit the base of a large pudding bowl. Cut the remaining bread in triangular pieces to line sides of bowl. Don‟t leave any gaps! Pour the berries into the bowl, adding enough juice to stain the bread. Cover the top with more overlapping bread, and add a little more juice to give the bread colour. Weight the top with a plate and a can on top and refrigerate overnight to set. To serve, turn the bowl over onto a plate. Decorate with extra berries and serve with double cream, vanilla ice-cream or yoghurt. For more good eating ideas, check out Marketfresh, your complete guide to fresh produce. KIDS WIN! Build a Merry Christmas Bear Build-A-Bear have 6 shops across NSW and Victoria, but their fame has spread far and wide. KIDS love to have something unique, and at Build-A-Bear they can have just that. KIDS choose from a variety of bears and bunnies ranging from $15 - $35. This Christmas give a gift that will be loved forever. Make it extra special this Christmas with a Build-a-sound message that you record yourself!
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More Xmas Ideas Here are a few fun Christmas gift ideas, click here Christmas Craft Project Kit – Order Today Create your own home made foiled Christmas chocolates. A fun and easy craft project for family, KIDS and TEENS. You and your family can create your own homemade Christmas chocolates, molded in brilliant multi coloured pre-shaped foil molds. Have fun and make your own: * Tree Ornaments Special Offer for * Table Decorations December * Bottle Tags $15.95 (save $2.80) * Gift Cards Order NOW * Stocking Stuffers Click Here
This Christmas craft project kit has everything you need to make 18 unique foiled Christmas treats; you just add some chocolate and your time. Clear easy to follow instructions. Save money and have fun making your own beautiful Christmas chocolates.
Profiterole Christmas Tree
Serves 12-14 You will need: * 30 small profiteroles * Vanilla Icing – soft and peaky * Red and Green Jellybeans. * 1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese * 250g sugar * 1/2 tsp. vanilla * 2 tbs chocolate chips Directions: 1. Combine ricotta, sugar and vanilla. Beat until fluffy. 2. Fold in chocolate chips. Cut profiteroles in half and spoon in the filling. Replace tops. 3. Prepare vanilla icing 4. Dip bottom of profiteroles into icing. Place on serving tray. 5. Arrange 10 to 12 cream puffs in a circle. Continue to dip profiteroles in icing and add the second layer of 6-8 profiteroles. Work up to the top keeping the tree in shape and topping with one profiterole. 6. Allow some of the icing to drip over the tree. Finish tree with Jellybeans poked into the tree. If needed, add a small dab of frosting to jellybean to attach to tree. Serve immediately. More KIDS’ gift ideas You probably already know what your family want for Christmas – but what are they going to give you? KIDS love to give gifts, and relatives and friends love to receive their hand-made work. We‟ve already suggested some crafty possibilities - now for a culinary Christmas delight that KIDS can make (with a little help from Mum and Dad, of course). Package in cellophane packs and tie with ribbon.
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KIDS’ Christmas Stars You will need: 3/4 cup softened butter, 1 cup white sugar, 2 eggs, 1 tsp vanilla extract, 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 1/4 tsp salt KIDS can mix butter and sugar thoroughly with a wooden spoon, slowly adding eggs, vanilla and finally the dry ingredients. When combined, pop dough in fridge for a few hours, then preheat oven to a moderate temperature. Sprinkle flour on the bench and roll out the dough. KIDS can cut out the biscuits using a star-shaped cutter. Put onto greased baking trays, decorate with hundreds and thousands or silver sugar balls, and cook for about 10 minutes. Allow biscuits to cool. Store in airtight container if you keep for family consumption! To jazz up for school gifts, when straight out of oven, poke a paddle pop stick into the biscuit. When cool, slide out and dip in icing and slide back. Package in a small bag and tie – great as a gift for the whole class. Not-cute Christmas books and films for KIDS This classic dates back to 1975, but as we all know Father Christmas is ageless and so is this beautifully illustrated book. Wryly funny, Raymond Briggs‟ comicbook style story-telling reveals to young readers the human cost of flying all around the world in one night, cramming into chimneys and unsatisfying snacks.
Tim Burton‟s Nightmare before Christmas is spooky, but it‟s not at all scary. Rated G, this whimsical animation has lots of endearing characters, a quirky animation style and a message that just being yourself is perfectly ok. This book by Dr Seuss introduces the only Seuss word to enter common usage – ‘Grinch’, to describe someone mean and grumpy or „with a heart two sizes too small‟. With fun rhymes and zany illustrations, this book is even better when read aloud. Looking for a romantic dinner? Take your KIDS to Otford Farm. It‟s wonderful to know the KIDS will be home for the holidays, but don‟t you sometimes long for a week to yourselves? As Tim from Otford Farm explains, some parents just need to finish some work, and might even be able to squeeze in a romantic dinner when their KIDS stay at Otford Farm on a 5 day horse-riding camp. Otford Family Farm is a picturesque 300 acre property in Helensburgh, near Wollongong. This spectacular setting of rainforest, mountains, and ocean views is a wonderful place for KIDS to reconnect with nature. With comfortable bunk house accommodation, tasty, healthy meals and best of all, guided horse-riding trips every morning and afternoon, KIDS have the time of their lives. Tim says that the camp is so enjoyable that many of the experienced and professional staff were once KIDS on camp too – they liked it so much they stayed! If your children are horse-mad, book them in to one of the organised camps from 17 – 21 December, 7 – 11 January or 14 – 18 January; or at any time for a group of 10 or more. Contact Tim at Otford Farm for more information. Age 8 – 16. All levels of experience welcome!
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