Christmas Crafting

Another one of the fun things about the holiday season is all of the opportunities to craft...whether it be preschool snacks, gifts for friends or our gingerbread house, I am always on the look out for creative things to do with (or for) the kids.  I've recently discovered pinterest and it is a fabulous resource for all things crafty!  I found several cute, and mostly simple, ideas there this year.

Snowman snacks for Kennedy's preschool class 

My first attempt at homemade play dough - FAIL!  I had found a great idea for candy cane play dough and wanted to make it for Kennedy's preschool friends.  My first batch was horrible, but I learned from my mistakes and ended up making two more decent batches.  The end result wasn't quite what I had hoped, but I think the kids probably enjoyed them, which is what's important. 

I give myself an "A" for effort.   Kennedy helped me choose the fabric and cut out the circles, so I felt like she contributed to the making of her gifts, as well.

We put off making our gingerbread house for a couple of weeks, so that we could make it as a family.  It's always a fun activity for the kids and this year they got very creative and the finished product was quite lovely.

Constructing our house 

 Phelan Gingerbread House 2011

Another fun little craft kit that I picked up was this Nativity set which the kids got to put together.  Carter constructed most of it, but we all helped.  It sat on a side table and provided lots of entertainment for Kennedy throughout the month.  She loved telling the story of Jesus' birth and moving the people around as she did.  Very sweet.