With Thanksgiving around the corner, you’ll have your hands full with guests and preparations.  The last thing you need are little ones running around under your feet. Get your self prepped, your home trimmed, and the table set with grace by giving your kids projects of their own.

Giving kids a project to do, such as arts and crafts, gives them a sense of purpose and keeps them busy while you plan your feast.  Plus using any of their crafts as part of the holiday décor will give them an extra sense of pride and ownership.

Get started early. Give kids a project a week or so before Thanksgiving, keeping them focused, busy, and happy. Try the ideas here or come up with your own…

Buttoned Napkin Holders

These cute and creative napkin holders are cheap to make but will take time and focus from your little ones.  Kids from ages 5 and up can have hours of fun making napkin holders that will play a big eye-popping role on your Thanksgiving dinner table.

To make: Take a 4 by 5.5 inch piece of felt and glue 12 popsicle sticks on one side only.  After you’re finished, you’ll end up with an uncovered margin.

Once the glue does dry, form a ring by gluing the overlapped/uncovered piece to itself.  Then, take an assortment of buttons (available for pennies at any fabric store) and have kids glue the buttons onto the popsicle sticks.

If you’ve got younger children working on this project, then get all the materials prepped and ready to go. Cut out the felt rectangles and if needed, guide them through one ring to get them comfortable with the project.

Paper Cup Turkeys

These adorable turkeys are easy to make and great for ages 6 and up.

To make: You’ll need a paper cup, construction paper to make the feathers, sets of wiggly eyes, pom poms for the head, and a bit of felt for the beak and feet.

Begin with cutting out feathers, and have kids draw or paint on both sides.  Encourage them to be creative, using patterns, dots, stripes, etc.  For extra effect, try using real or synthetic feathers, mixing them in with the paper ones. Then have them glue the bottom of the feathers to an upside down cup, holding it in place till the glue dries. Then use the rest of the materials to finish assembling the turkey – adding the feet, head and facial features.

Cup Turkeys can be used as either table décor or as place cards for your dinner table.   To turn it into a game for guests with folded place cards hidden under every cup. Requiring guests to lift up the paper cups to figure out where they’re sitting will be an extra little game your kids will delight in.

Leafy Door Hanger

Extremely easy to make for kids 5 and up, leafy door hangers are great fall ornaments for your home.  Hang them off the front door as an instant invite and as an alternative to wreathes. Kids will relish seeing their artwork in front of the house for everyone to see.

To make:  Have kids cut out paper leaves and paint them with finger paints.  Inspire them to get creative by mixing colors and straying from traditional leaf shades. For older children, have them draw and paint on the leaves, creating intricate designs and doodles.

Glue the completed leaves on a cord/string (a jewelry cord works well). Then tie 3-5 strings of leaves onto a sturdy stick that kids can find in their yard.  A cord or yarn tied to each end of the stick can serve as a hanger.

In addition to giving you some free time, holiday arts and crafts help nurture children and develop a sense of belonging.  And since fall brings colder weather and less daylight hours, kids need something to keep them occupied since this means less playtime outdoors.

With so much indoor time, try leaving an air purifier switched on, so that when they are indoors, they have as much clean air (if not more) than if they were outdoors.  And with all your holiday cooking, having an extra room air cleaner in your home or kitchen to filter the food odors, especially if you expect to be frying.  This ensures your family is not only having a happy holiday, but a healthy one too.  A great air purifier to try is the BlueAir Air Cleaner, which is not only discreet but quiet and effective.

“Fun Thanksgiving Activities for Kids” is brought to you by Shireen Qudosi and http://www.air-purifier-home.com

Holiday crafts are a great method of getting into the season.  These projects provide a beautiful opportunity to spend some creative and sharing time with your children or grandchildren. Making gift tags can be a fun project that doesn’t have to take too much time or involve too many materials or tools. Since these tags will be attached to presents, there is a built-in level of excitement for this family project.

To begin,  collect bits and pieces of cloth, felt, yarn, buttons, old holiday cards, cotton balls, threads and anything else that may have some potential.

Then get your craft tools– glue, scissors, stapler etc.  Have the kids contribute items of their own for the project such materials they have left over from another project or an original painting that can be cut up.   Now the real creativity begins. Snowmen, Christmas trees, Santa Claus, Mistletoe–the list of possible designs is limited only by the kids’ imaginations, so probably there is no limit at all. 

Handmade holiday tags are sure to enhance even the most modest gift. Another idea for a project is to make personal place cards for your family Christmas dinner.  You could include an individual blessing on each of the place cards.

It takes little space or time to collect an array of project material.  Save those old holiday cards, trinkets, and bits of material. They very well may contribute to a magical day with your children.

Blessing to your family during this Holiday Season,

Elaine

Grandmother to three

Two to three weeks  of school vacation for the holidays. What’s a mom to do? There are some great videos available on the internet that promote the spirit of love and giving that is the essence of this holiday season. Here are a few of our favorites and can inspire meaningful conversations with your children. 

The Girl Who Silenced the World at the UN is the story of Severn Suzuki who has been working on environmental and social justice issues since kindergarten. At age 9, she and some friends started the Environmental Children’s Organization (ECO), a small group of children committed to learning and teaching other kids about environmental issues. They traveled to 1992’s UN Earth Summit, where 12 year-old Severn gave this powerful speech that deeply affected (and silenced) some of the most prominent world leaders. 

Doctor with a Big Heart    is the story of Ingida Asfaw who came to America in a cargo ship at age 16 from Ethopia. He made a promise to himself that he would give back to his homeland when he was able. Now a world-renowned surgeon, Dr. Asfaw has created an international  coalition to address Ethopia’s medical crisis.

Dance Like No One is Watching  is a video of some guy named Matt doing the Gratitude Dance in 42 different countries. Guaranteed to make you happy. Matt dances with people all over the world and he is clearly quite a character and a beautiful fellow.. For a lot more information about his journey, see Matt’s blog.  

Christian the Lion  In 1969, two Australians living in London purchased a 35-pound lion cub from the exotic animal division of Harrod’s department store. For a full year, John Rendall and Ace Bourke raised the cub as their pet, permitting him to lounge freely in the furniture shop they co-owned and even join them for an occasional meal at a local restaurant. In 1972, after the lion had grown too large to properly be cared for, he was taken to Kenya and reintroduced to the wild. Two years later, Rendall and Bourke paid a visit to Kenya to see their old friend. They were told the lion would never remember them. Watch what happened.

If you woke up this morning with more health than illness…you are more blessed than the million who will not survive this week. If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation … you are ahead of 500 million people in the world. If you can attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest,torture, or death…you are more blessed than three billion people in the world. If you have food in the refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof overhead and a place to sleep…you are richer than 75% of this world. If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish someplace … you are among the top 8% of the world’s wealthy.If your parents are still alive and still married … you are very rare, even in the United States and Canada. 

50% of the world’s population are malnourished. 

80% live in substandard housing.

67% cannot read.

24% have no access to electricity

7% have access to the internet

1% has a college education

If you hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly thankful…you are blessed because the majority can, but most do not.

Gratefulness is the key to a happy life that we hold in our hands, because if we are not grateful, then no matter how much we have we will not be happy — because we will always want to have something else or something more. –Brother David Steindl-Rast

For a history of Thanksgiving, click here.