Making & Baking forChristmas The festive season is looming
but the good news is Christmas
doesn’t have to cost a small fortune! A child’s natural creativity can be a valuable
resource for making a number of unique and personalised gifts. There’s also the bonus of keeping children occupied during
the feverishly exciting days running up to Christmas. Primary Times takes a look at some of the more popular festive art and craft activities...
Pound-saving presents
The sky is the limit as to what you can create from a few simple art and craft items that cost virtually nothing! With a
plain piece of white card and an array of sparkly, glittery, colourful pens, children will be able to produce a range of stationery items for the festive season. Christmas cards, gift tags and boxes, advent and annual calendars can all be created by children, with a little assistance from an adult. And when the weather is bad it is a wonderful way for children to productively spend their time.
Paint a ceramic! Pottery and ceramic painting fully engages the attention of a child and an afternoon can fl oat by without distraction. Noise levels tend to be wonderfully low, which for many parents who are shopped out in the pre-Christmas frenzy, is truly treasured. Children are able to choose from a wide variety of ceramic pieces, from mugs to plates and ornamental shapes. Some companies also off er hand and foot impressions in clay, which leave a lasting record of a child’s development. Personalised messages can be inscribed onto clay too, which as with all ceramics are then fi red and glazed for preservation.
Hand crafted jewellery Original items of jewellery make treasured gifts, especially for female family members. Young children can create necklaces out of beads and a piece of necklace string bought from a specialist craft shop, or children may wish to produce an original pair of sparkly dangly earrings! If you want to create a gift that will capture a precious moment in time, imprinting a child’s tiny fi ngerprint onto a piece of jewellery hand-crafted in fi ne silver is likely to be a gift cherished for years to come. There are a number of companies that off er this type of service and who off er a wide range of items such as pendants, charms, cuffl inks and key-rings.
Sew, knit and decorate! Many primary-aged children can handle the more intricate handiwork needed for sewing or knitting. Cross-stitch patterns can be easy to follow and introduce children to the basic principles of sewing. Small tree decorations and personalised cushions make ideal Christmas gifts and plenty of kits are available from good craft suppliers. These kits provide the correct amount of fabric and thread, yet leave the chance to add personal fi nishing touches, such as decorative gems and sequins. Other gift ideas include: buying a plain t-shirt and customising it, decorating a plain canvas shopping bag using fabric paint; making a fun sock puppet using googly eyes and felt. Many craft suppliers such as Yellow Moon (
www.yellowmoon.org.uk) off er a wide range of Christmas craft kits. These can range from making angel peg dolls to making festive characters out of pom poms! Just look for a kit that will be both age and ability appropriate to your child.
BAKING... Create a simple yet delicious edible gift for that someone special
with one of these easy to follow recipes...
Mini Christmas Puddings INGREDIENTS: 150g digestive biscuits 150g plain chocolate 3 tablespoons golden syrup 50g butter 40g raisins FOR DECORATION: White, green and red ready-to-roll icing YOU WILL NEED: A rolling pin; a saucepan; 2 bowls; a wooden spoon; a strong plastic bag; a box.
INSTRUCTIONS: 1 Wash hands. Place the digestive biscuits into the plastic bag and bash them with the rolling pin until they break into fi ne crumbs. Sweep the crumbs into a bowl and place to one side.
2 Melt the chocolate, golden syrup and butter in a bowl over a pan of hot simmering water, with the help of an adult.
3 Pour the thick liquid chocolate mixture into the bowl of biscuit crumbs and stir together. Add the raisins.
4 Grab small handfuls of the mixture and roll into small ‘pudding style’ balls. Put them on a plate in the fridge for 45 minutes. 5 As the pudding mixture sets, roll out the coloured icing. Carve the white icing to look like fl at dollops of snow, the green icing to look like sprigs of holly and roll the red icing into tiny balls that look like holly berries. 6 Finish by adding the icing decoration to each mini pudding. 7 Place the puddings into a gift box.
Seasonal Cinnamon Sticks INGREDIENTS:
1 egg
2 tablespoons caster sugar ¾ tablespoon of ground cinnamon
1 sheet ready-rolled frozen butter puff pastry YOU WILL NEED: A baking tray; non-stick baking paper; a bowl; a knife; a wire rack; ribbon; a box.
INSTRUCTIONS: 1 Wash hands and preheat oven to 200°C. 2 Line a baking tray with non-stick baking paper. 3 Mix the sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl. Put aside. 4 5
Separate the egg white from the yolk. Lightly whisk the white.
Cut the freshly thawed pastry sheet into two. Brush the egg white over one piece of pastry. Cover the half with the sugar mixture. With help from an adult, slice the pastry into 1cm width diagonal strips. Twist the strips and place on the baking
tray.Repeat with the second piece of pastry.
6 Cook in the oven for 10 minutes. 7 Transfer the golden slices onto a wire rack so they can cool. 8
Once cool, create small bundles of 3 cinnamon sticks. Gently tie a piece of festive ribbon around each bundle. 9 Place in a box lined with thin paper
Art and craft activities also enable children to develop creative problem-solving skills and give them the chance to channel their thoughts and feelings in a variety of constructive ways. So, not only will you be savings pounds this winter, your child will benefi t from all the activity too!
FOR MORE IDEAS VISIT
WWW.PRIMARYTIMES.NET/SOUTH-WEST-WALES CHRISTMAS ISSUE 2017
Kirsty Woodgate 11
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