Time together as a family I feel is really important, by day 10 of the Christmas TRH Book Advent, by doing some of the more simple crafts should have allowed a bit more flexibility to make this possible. Don’t forget you do not have to do these in the order that I have shared them with you – pick which best fits the needs and requirements of your family – and adapt them, let them inspire you.
I think reading is also beneficial for writing. The more you read the more you will be able to write. I mean how would you know how to write a word if you had never written it. I love all the fun ways you can practise writing and learning words – cutting up magazines, writing in sand/shaving foam, sticking together bits of tissue paper and stamping are a few ways. Therefore, it seemed a good idea to put in a book which also helped with putting words together. It really is a simple idea in that the Christmas Cookie book comes with a Stamp set. This is good for my youngest as he is just learning his phonetics, good for my 6 year old as he is really getting to grips with his spelling, and good for my 10 year old as he can confidently read it and help the others make the recipes.
The book is filled with all manner of short, simple, easy to follow Christmas cookie ideas for hand-baked gifts, to hang on the tree or leave out for Father Christmas. All accompanied by gorgeous photographs of the finished article. All the recipes have both metric and imperial measurements – so it doesn’t matter which you use, as long as you don’t mix the two. I liked the variety in the taste and still of the cookie recipes.
The book does tell you how to use the stamps at the star, and then pages are marked “stamp me” where they could be used. There are, however, no further instructions on that page as to when to do it, so you do have to refer back. I was also disappointed to find that many of the recipes I was drawn to involved using specific cutters (e.g. snowflake, reindeer, Santa), which were not provided with the kit, and nor did I have one.
Parragon have a vibrant and varied range of books and gift sets which will make perfect presents this Christmas. The brochure includes cookbooks, children’s books and other fun products perfect for filling stockings. These are suitable for all the family, from Grandparents to new-borns and even dogs!
So this all lead me to thinking about Snowflakes. I used to love making paper ones as a child. So for the Christmas TRH Book Advent I thought we would have a snowflake. Simply fold a square in half and then keep folding – then cut out your pattern (making sure not to completely cut through the fold which holds it all together).
It is a real simple activity that helps with fine motor skills and the manipulation of scissors (our youngest has special scissors at school, whereby the child and adult can both hold them at the same time). Then simply stick it to your painted toilet roll holder. I tried this on white and you could not see it. Then I thought it could be snowing at night, so tried black. It didn’t really feel right – for me red was the most appealing. Maybe you could make them different sizes or make lots of small ones. Or add some glitter to them.
Somehow we managed to make one that looks a bit like a Cracker, or a Mask or a lizard – what do you think it looks most like? Or something else?
I was gifted the Christmas Cookie Stamp Set in order to review it, all thoughts and opinions are my own,