Merry Christmas!

Spreading Christmas Cheer...

We have been thoroughly enjoying our visits to the local nursing home.  The girls loved passing out candy on Halloween and homemade cards for Thanksgiving.  For our Christmas visit, the girls made these adorable candy cane ornaments to pass out along with the Legend of the Candy Candy poem.  

 

We visited and sang Christmas Carols for many of the residents. 

This was our third visit to this particular nursing home.  Not only are our visits a valuable experience for the girls, but they brighten up the day for the elderly, who often feel isolated and excluded from the community.  Our goal this year is to maintain an ongoing visitation program with this community of elders.

Merry Christmas!

Digital Scrapbooking

Every year, I make the girls several homemade Christmas gifts.  I just completed Izzie's photo book tonight...how I love digital scrapbooking!  Technically, it isn't completely "homemade", but it was created with a lot of love and time!

Click here to view this photo book larger

Shutterfly offers exclusive photobook layouts so you can make your book just the way you want.

Home Depot Kids Workshop!

My girls love going to our local Home Depot on the first Saturday of each month for their FREE Kids Workshop!

We headed there back in October and made a Rescue Plane!  

 

In addition, there were many community workers there!  The girls loved walking around and meeting our local heroes and seeing their cool gadgets!

 

This semester, I'm teaching a Community Helpers preschool class at our weekly co-op.  While at Home Depot, I asked if their "Workshop Team" traveled and they do!  The lady in charge was thrilled and more than willing to come out to our local co-op for a workshop!  She was extremely organized and brought all materials with her and she was so good with the kids! 

At our local co-op, she discussed all the tools and safety rules with the children. 

Then, it was on to building the rescue plans.  We arranged for several high schoolers to come in and help the preschoolers with the building of the planes.

Lastly, it was time to paint! 

  

The kids LOVED the Home Depot rescue plane workshop!  And, they loved their aprons, workshop pins and certificates, and balloons! 

There's a FREE Home Depot Kids Workshop this weekend!  Everyone will be building a Tic-Tac-Toe game.  Be sure to check it out at your local Home Depot.