Here are some festive activities and recipes for December 2023 to help you and your children celebrate the holiday season. Bring out the inner chef and artist in your child. Try your hand at these recipes and crafts with your children!
12/1-National Peppermint Bark Day– This holiday has been around since the 1970s and is a great way to bring in the winter season. It’s also an exciting time for those who love peppermint bark, as it is made from chocolate and crushed candy canes combined to create a sweet and minty flavor that will excite your taste buds!
12/4-National Cookie Day is a wonderful time to begin thinking about your holiday baking. Cookies first came to America in the 17th century, with macaroons and gingerbread being the most popular. Gingerbread is still a favorite Christmas cookie today. Here is an easy recipe to try with your little ones.
SUPER EASY GINGERBREAD COOKIES
Ingredients: ¾ cup butter, softened, 1 cup packed brown sugar, 1 large egg – room temperature, ¾ cup molasses, 4 cups all-purpose flour, 2 teaspoons ground ginger, 1 ½ teaspoons baking soda, 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon, ¾ teaspoon ground cloves, ¼ teaspoon salt, vanilla frosting of your choice, red and green paste food coloring.
Directions: In a large bowl, cream butter, and brown sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Add egg and molasses. Combine the flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves, and salt. Gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Cover and refrigerate until easy to handle, about 4 hours or overnight. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut with floured 2 ½ inch cookie cutters. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheets. Bake until edges are firm- 8 to 10 minutes. Remove to wire racks to cool completely. Tint some of the frosting red and some green. Leave remaining frosting plain. Decorate cookies and enjoy! http://keepinglifecreative.com/creative-projects/build-your-own-gingerbread-house-craftivity
Fun fact: The Cookie Monster proclaimed his own National Cookie Day in The Sesame Street Dictionary in 1980.
12/7 If National Cookie Day isn’t enough to satisfy your sweet tooth this month, Cotton Candy Day on December 7 definitely will. Believe it or not, a dentist created the sugary treat in 1897 and like popcorn, is a favorite treat at carnivals and circuses today. Here’s a way to enjoy both together while you watch the countdown to the New Year.
To make cotton candy popcorn, you will need 2 bags of popped microwavable popcorn, 1/4 cup butter, 1 large bag of miniature marshmallows, 2 packages of Duncan Hines Cotton Candy Frosting Creations. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Pop popcorn according to package directions and pour onto prepared cookie sheet. Pick out all un-popped corn kernels. In a large saucepan, melt butter on medium low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until all marshmallows are melted. Remove from heat and stir in the packages of Duncan Hines Cotton Candy Frosting Creations. Pour mixture over popcorn and stir to coat. Mixture will be very sticky so you might want to butter the back of your spoon to help spread it around. Once popcorn is well coated, place cookie sheet in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes. Remove pan and let cool. Store leftovers in an airtight container after enjoying.
12/7-12/15 Hanukkah is the Jewish Festival of Lights and lasts eight days. Candles are placed in a Menorah and one candle is lit each day to commemorate “The Miracle of the Oil”. Do you celebrate Hanukkah? Would you like to share your favorite Hanukkah traditions with your child’s class? Speak to your teachers about when you can come in, we’d love to have you share your traditions with us! Have fun at home with your child and make some Hanukkah Crafts.
Enjoy some delicious recipes for Hanukkah! An easy Hanukkah treat even the youngest can create Marshmallow Dreidels. Bring some in to share with your child’s class and maybe instruct them how to create them while you teach them a song about the Dreidel! https://www.hwtm.com/2012/12/diy-tutorial-marshmallow-dreidels-free-happy-hanukkah-printable/
12/8 Brownies! Their yummy chocolaty goodness with or without nuts (my favorite). Nearly everyone loves a warm brownie. Ever make brownie cookies? Me neither, but something tells me this easy recipe is delicious! https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/9599/quick-and-easy-brownies/ And if you want a healthy brownie try your hand at this recipe. https://weaningful.com/kid-friendly-brownie-from-6-months/
12/8 Please join Kangaroo Kids on Friday, December 8th at 5:00-6:30pm for our “Winter Wonderland”. Come take a picture with Santa and bring in your Gingerbread House for our Gingerbread House competition and take photos with our Winter Wonderland Displays.
Making gingerbread houses is a Christmas tradition in many families. They are typically made before Christmas using pieces of baked gingerbread dough assembled with melted sugar. The roof ’tiles’ can consist of frosting or candy. The gingerbread house yard is usually decorated with icing to represent snow. Check out how to make your very own gingerbread house recipe
12/15 Ugly Holiday Sweater Day is an excuse to dig into the back of the closet for that shirt, sweater, or other ugly holiday clothing item you would never wear any other day of the year. Just like eggnog and fruitcake, the ugly holiday sweater has become an annual staple that is here to stay whether we like it or not. Why not make the most of it by making an ugly sweater with your children this holiday season? Use the link to get a free sweater template and then decorate how you want. The uglier the better!
You will need: the template printed out from the link above, red or green cardstock paper, things to decorate the sweater with such as pompoms, stickers, glitter, sequins or buttons, glue, scissors and of course, your imagination! Simply print and cut the sweater from the cardstock paper and decorate! Ugly Sweater Template: https://www.cassiesmallwood.com/the-best-ugly-sweater-templates/
12/21 Crossword puzzles are simple yet challenging word games where letters are arranged to be read up or down. Created by a journalist in 1913, today it is recognized that crosswords puzzles are not just fun but have lots of benefits including sharpening your brains problem solving ability. National Crossword Puzzle Day is a fantastic way to start a new brain building activity!
12/21 What is Winter Solstice-first-day-winter? What Happens on the Winter Solstice? On the day of the winter solstice, we are tilted as far away from the Sun as possible, which means that the Sun’s path across the sky is as low in the sky as it can be. Think about the daily path of the Sun: It rises in the east and sets in the west, arcing across the sky overhead.
What can kids do on the winter solstice?
Gather ’round your own backyard bonfire or fire pit with friends and family. Spend the day living by candlelight (or at least dine by it) Craft upcycled tin can lanterns, paper lanterns, or ice lanterns with your kids to take along on an evening solstice stroll. Here are some more fun activities you can do with your children for winter-solstice. https://littlebinsforlittlehands.com/winter-solstice-activities-kids/
12/23-1/1-CLOSED-Winter Break for Kangaroo Kids
12/25 Christmas means something different to everyone. If there is joy in your heart, have the spirit of giving and sharing, come together with friends and family to enjoy your time together, you are spreading Christmas love everywhere you go. Enjoy the day! Merry Christmas!
12/25 When the hustle and bustle of Christmas begins to overwhelm your little ones, find a quiet spot and help them create this I Spy Bottle(Remember to glue the lid shut!)
12/26 National Candy Cane Day: Here are some fun facts about Candy Canes https://www.nationaldaystoday.com/national-candy-cane-day/
12/31 The Merriam Webster dictionary defines New Year’s Eve as: The last day of the year. Pretty dull definition although accurate. However, your family celebrates New Year’s Eve, the lyrics to Auld Lang Syne will be heard somewhere in the background! Happy New Year! https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/New%20Year%27s%20Eve
12/31 Do your kids try and stay up until midnight on New Year’s Eve? Create some different, New Year’s Eve traditions by creating these activities together! http://www.sohosonnet.com/crafts-and-diy/diy-holiday/new-years-eve-countdown-activities-for-kids/
Things to do:
These are great websites that details fun many times FREE things to do in New Jersey every month! Call ahead and make sure the activities are happening before you head out for your day!
https://hulafrog.com/bridgewater-nj
https://www.eventbrite.com/d/nj–bridgewater/holiday–events/
www.kangarookidschildcare.com
