Fence Post Santa

Santa HO, HO, HO!

      I realize that it is a little early to think about Christmas decorations,  but some people like to get an early start in planning their crafts for each season.  This Santa is on my front porch today.  Believe it or not,  Santas like this one  were  made by my 5th graders.   An easy painting project for a child to do.     This Santa was made from a picket fence post many years ago. 

      The design was drawn with pencil to section off the different colors.   The the painting of the red, white, and black colors was quite easy.   After the white paint dried glitter glue was applied to made the beard sparkle.  The nose was made from a large red wooden bead cut in half and glued.    To top off Santa's hat, red, white, and green pipe cleaners were braided with a bell attached.   This was attached this a large headed nail.

     Santa stands faithfully by my front door each year to welcome everyone at Christmas.

      Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

Beti 

Advent Calendar

       A Family Tradition

       Many years ago my  children received an Advent calendar from my husband's aunt.  She had made felt ornaments to attach to a felt tree.   All of the cousins used these Advent calendars as they waited patiently for Christmas to come each year for about 30 years. Aunt Marian had made four Advent calendars, one for each family.    Each ornament had its own little pocket, 24 in all.

       Two years ago, my two sister-in-laws and I decided that we would make an Advent calendar for our children now that they were grown and living on their own.    Some were married and having children.    We wanted this tradition to carry on for the next generation. 

       We divided up the 24 ornaments.   Each of us would make 8.    We had to make 12 of each ornament for our combined 12 children.  

       From the top we made sleighs, angels, train engines, drums, piggy banks, houses, stockings, candles, holly leaves, wrapped gifts, horses, snowmen, bells, gingerbread men, hearts, ornaments, tin soldiers, fish, birds, wreaths, candy canes, apples, mittens, and puppy dogs.   The stars at the top were made by our Aunt Marian. 

      Here is the tree before trimming at the beginning of Advent.   All the ornaments are tucked into a numbered pocket.

         And the tree on Christmas Eve all decorated.    The little ones love to choose an ornament and snap it on the tree.   This is great for eye hand coordination.     Children can talk about the colors and shapes of each ornament while placing them on the tree. 

         We added a Nativity scene under our Advent trees.    My sister-in-law found the darling set of buttons and had to purchase them.    They add a beautiful reminder of the true meaning of Advent and Christmas.

      
     
Beti
 

Turkey Finger Puppets

Gobble, Gobble!

       Thanksgiving will be here before you know it,   but a cute little turkey can be fun to play with any time.  Now is the time to make these cute turkey finger puppets for your kids in time for Thanksgiving!
    

       I know this guy has a frightened or startled look on his face.   You would to if you or one of your friends were on the menu for Thanksgiving dinner.

       I like to create felt finger puppets for my granddaughters, nieces, and nephews.  Having a large scrap box of felt comes in very handy when these little friends need to be made.    As you can see, the smallest scrap of felt can be used for feathers, a beak, or eyes when making a felt finger puppet.

      These little finger puppets are only about 2 1/2 inches tall.  They are appliqued and then stitched together with embroidery floss.    I don't use any glue.   They are very soft and lovable. Each turkey has a little yellow beak that opens.   Gobble,  Gobble!


     

        These turkeys were a lot of fun to make. They would make a great addition to my Old MacDonald felt set. Here is the link if you would like to see the rest of the farm animals.

http://betikempa1.blogspot.com/2017/01/felt-old-macdonald-had-farm.html

Here is the horse.

   If you like finger puppets, give these a try.

Beti

The Detroit Zoo during the Winter

  Detroit Zoo

in the winter!

                  We took a ride to the Detroit Zoo.   Our zoo is great any time of the year.   There are wide paths to walk on between the exhibits.   Perfect for Social distancing!  Not many animals were out frolicking in the cold.   Not even the Polar Bears!   But, we had a great time!

           The Detroit Zoo opened the new Polk Penguin Conservation Center that was perfect on a cold winter day in Michigan.   When you first walk in you can view the little rock hopper penguins swimming around and diving under the water.   The guide instructed us to walk down the ramp to view the penguins swimming under water.   The ramp is surrounded by a 360 degree video of Shackleton's  ship and icebergs.  Very interesting and gives you the feeling of going deep into the ocean.

           These penguins at the end of the tour were having a great time walking around on the ice and diving into the cold water.    My granddaughter really enjoyed watching these Black and white very entertaining birds.

            There were many beautifully colored peacocks was strolling around the grounds of the zoo even thought it was about 30 degrees and windy that day.    This fellow just wanted to show off his lovely tail feathers.    He followed us around as we walked the zoo paths.

  
           We also found a nice warn place to visit with the giraffe family.   Here are three of the four family members.   The baby giraffe is up front with mother giraffe peering over the baby's head.   The father giraffe, the tallest on the right, was in a separate area but could visit anytime he wanted.

           As you can see the sign on the right says "QUIET".  The giraffes don't like a lot of noise.  Shhhh!

           The Detroit Zoo is a great place to take "children of any age".

Enjoy the winter season wherever you live. 

Beti

The Book Nook is set for Christmas

    Christmas in the Book Nook

      The 5th graders have decorated the Book Nook in our corner of the hallway for Christmas.   Comfy chairs are a perfect place to sit, curl up,  and read a good book.   Last year I was in the local grocery store.    I saw a display of candy canes in cardboard cartons.    I love to find free things that I can use in school.     The cartons were designed to look like a red brick fireplace.    BINGO!    A ready made fireplace for our Book Nook! I added a little glitter to the flames of the fire for a extra sparkle.

          Of course all the 5th graders made their own stocking to "hang by the chimney with care in hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there".

   Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Beti

Felt Nativity with Finger Puppets

Nativity Play Scene
and Finger Puppets

     It is never too early to start planning for Christmas!

      I decided to make felt Nativity scenes for my granddaughters to play with.   They needed something unbreakable and quiet to interact with for a quiet play activity.   The Bible story of Mary and Joseph coming to a simple stable for the birth of Jesus was the perfect setting for this felt play set.    Nothing too fancy, just the basics.

      Making the finger puppets a was  the beginning of the project.   Mary, Joseph, and Baby Jesus were the first to be made.    Two of each were stitched from small scraps of felt and embroidery floss.     Mary is about 3 1/4 inches tall and Joseph is about 3 3/4 inches. Each is about 1 3/4 inches wide.

       A small brown manger with hay has a pocket for the Baby Jesus to sleep peacefully. The manger is attached to a pocket in the stable.   With this pocket,  Mary and Joseph are able stand in front of or behind the manger to watch over their new born child.

     The Three Kings are different heights in the same range as Mary and Joseph.  They are each carrying a different shiny gift.   As I said before,  nothing fancy but durable for many hours of play by little ones.

        This Nativity scene would not be complete without a donkey.    Mary rode on  the donkey's back on the long journey to Bethlehem.   We all remember the "Little Drummer Boy" song during the Christmas holidays.      A little drummer boy finger puppet was added so the girls could sing a song when they play.

          A smiling angel is always around to protect and watch over the Christ Child.   You can see the angel standing behind the manger.    The angel is able to watch over the Holy Family in a small pocket near the star on the top of the stable.    The star will guide the Three Kings or Wise men to see the New Born King.



        The play scene has plastic canvas in between the inside and outside.   This plastic sheet gives the felt strength and helps the Nativity play scene to stand up on its own.   Felt pockets are secured to the insides of each panel.    The pockets are designed to hold the finger puppets in place when the scene is closed after play. 

          As you can see, the " tan colored ground" folds up into the play scene.    The two sides fold in and are secured with velcro.    A handle made of green grow grain ribbon was stitched on so that this play set can be easily carried by a young child.

           I hope this Nativity Play Scene will give you the incentive to make something like this for a young child that you know and love. 

    

Happy Sewing!

Beti

Christmas Wreath

            Since Christmas is right around the corner, a hand print wreath would be a good project on a cold day for an 18 month old.    As you can see, some green hand prints are distinguishable, but  most are more of sliding hands across the paper.      We worked on those little red berries for a finishing touch.

        I did not want it to be perfect because this is the art work of a toddler.
When she gets to preschool, kindergarten, or 1st grade her teacher can tell her
to make beautiful hand prints.    Good luck with that!     I didn't want to upset my granddaughter. 

        To make this look more like a wreath, I did cutting.

       The bow hand prints were left over from the candy canes we worked on the day before.     "Waste not, want not" when working with a toddler or any child on an art project.

       This wreath is being sent overseas to her DADA who has been deployed.  So make sure your package gets sent out early enough to get to its destination in time.
I hope this wreath will  make his time away a little easier.

            Merry Christmas 
 to all our service men and women who are spending the holidays apart from their families.


Beti