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What is Christmas?

December 13, 2012 by Betty

As my kids are getting to be at an age where they are starting to understand and ask questions about Christmas, I find that I have to think through my answers before answering them. Why? Because I wanted it to be purposeful and pointing them to the real reason for the season, Jesus’ birth. With that in mind, here are 10 things that we did to give us a Christ-centered Christmas. Hopefully you’ll find some of these ideas helpful for your family as well.

1. Study some of the names of Jesus.

As part of our homeschool this week, we looked up some verses in the Bible to find some of the names of God. The boys were so excited to learn these names that they couldn’t wait to share what they learned with Bubba, their dad. After learning that God has a ton more names than what’s listed, Buddy asked if I could give him a list of all of God’s names. We then cut up those names into strips of different colors and made a garland for our Christmas tree. They got a chance to hang it and enjoy the decorations.

To get a printout of the names of Jesus, click on this link Names of Jesus.

2. Sing Christmas songs.

To get a list of some of our favorite Christmas songs, click my post 12 Classic Christian Christmas Songs.

These songs all reference Jesus. They are classics and a must have in your music library. At times it’s neat to see my kids sing or hum the songs with hand motions.

3. Talk about Santa.

We did not major on Santa Clause, but we did touch upon the potential historical St. Nicholas and what legend had to say about him. Afterwards, we made up our own version of Santa Clause delivering gifts on skates. We had a good laugh! Let your kids use their imagination and hear how Santa would deliver gifts. You can read up on The Legend of the Christmas Stocking by Rick Osborne to learn about Santa’s beginnings.

4. Bible memorization

Another activity that we did was to memorize Bible verses. I’ve listed five verses that you and your kids can memorize. We made up our own hand motions to them so that it’s easier to memorize. If you’re interested in a longer list of verses, check the reference section at the end of post. To get the whole account of the birth of Christ, read the books of Matthew and Luke. BibleGateway.com is a wonderful free Bible resources where you can read the Bible online or find Bible verses by theme.

• Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (NIV)

• John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. (NIV)

• Philippians 2:8-10 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth. (NIV)

• Luke 2:10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.

• 2 Corinthians 9:15 (KJV) Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.

5. Make some candy cane crafts

To see what we did, read my posts, Christmas Craft for Kids: Beaded Candy Canes and Chenille Stem Candy Canes.

6. Find teachable moments

Whether it’s about Santa at the mall or it’s the Christmas shoe boxes that your kids put together for needy children, be on a lookout for those times where you can teach some meaningful lessons.

7. Create memories and traditions together

I know that this is one of the busiest time of the year for people. There are gifts to purchase, cards to send out, Christmas parties to go to, etc. On top of all this, we all have our normal daily grind that we have to go through as well. It’s chaotic to say the least. That’s why a couple of years ago, I decided that I cannot do it all and still have energy and time for my family. So, I make it a point to focus more on my family time and create memories and traditions together. One Christmas tradition that we have is making a birthday cake for Jesus and our kids look forward to it every year.

8. Minimize holiday stress

This is easier said than done. If we all can minimize our stress, then we could sell millions of books and be well off. If you’re like me, you are a work in progress. You have not arrived, but you’re on the road there. One way that I do this is by recognizing that I will not be able to please everyone with gifts or attending their parties. It’s hard to say no to Christmas parties, but it’s a stress reliever.

9. Teach children generosity

Teaching your kids about being generous is a life-long lesson. Not that it takes a life-long time to teach them but the impact is life-long. Likewise being generous is not seasonal, but in every season of life. There are many benefits physically and physiologically to being generous. For example, by helping others, they are able to see that their needs and issues are minuet. Likewise, helping someone who you don’t expect anything in return builds character and pleases God.

10. Make a birthday cake for Jesus

We do this every year on Christmas Eve. Your kids will love making the cake together, singing happy birthday to Jesus, and eating it. This is a nice way to make Jesus more tangible to your kids. Need some ideas for Jesus’ birthday cake? click Happy Birthday, Jesus.

Resources:

For a longer list of Christmas Bible verses visit this site: 20 Great Bible Verses for Christmas Cards.

Online Bible resources: BibleGateway.com.

To Show Them Jesus

Filed Under: Winter Tagged With: activities to do this Christmas with kids

Sushi Bowl Recipe

December 11, 2012 by Betty

My family loves sushi. A couple of times out of the month I’d make California rolls and my kids just couldn’t have enough of it so I decided to change things up a little bit and convert regular sushi into a sushi bowl. This sushi bowl turns out to be a hit and now one of our favorite family meals. Here’s my version of the sushi bowl.

Ingredients:

2 cups short-grain brown rice
3 1/2 cups water
3 (4-inch) square sheets nori seaweed
6 ounces extra-firm tofu
2 avocado, peeled, pitted, and thinly sliced
3 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
4 green onions, chopped (optional)

Instructions:

Rinse and drain the rice two or three times. Combine the rice and water in a rice cooker or a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat, cover, and simmer gently until the water is absorbed, about 45 minutes.

Toast the nori in a preheated 300F degree oven or a medium-hot skillet for a few minutes. Crumble or chop coarsely.

Drain the tofu and pat it dry. Cut the block of tofu lengthwise through the middle to make four 1/4-to 1/2-inch thick sheets of tofu. Two at a time, cook in a dry skillet or well-seasoned skillet over medium-high for a few minutes until browned on one side. Flip gently, then continue cooking for another minute or so, until the tofu is firm, golden, and bouncy. Let cool, enough to handle, then cute crosswise into matchsticks. Repeat with the remaining sheets.

When the rice is done, scoop the rice into individual bowls and top with tofu and avocado slices following with some yummy homemade Ponzo sauce (see below). Lastly, toss in toasted nori and add a sprinkling of sesame seeds. Garnish with chopped up green onion. (optional) Served immediately with Orange-Ginger Dipping Sauce or Ponzo sauce. See Easy Homemade Ponza Sauce below for recipe. Enjoy!

Makes 4-6 servings.

Notes: Other substitutes for tofu are wild salmon filets, chicken or beef. To avoid GM foods (Genetically Modified foods or biotech foods) use organic tofu.

Easy Homemade Ponzo Sauce

3 tablespoons low-sodium tamari soy sauce
3 tablespoons rice vinegar (brown or white)
3 tablespoons mirin (Japanese seasoning wine)

Makes about 1/2 cup

Ponzo sauce from The Taste for Living World Cookbook by Beth Ginsberg and Mike Milken and sushi bowl recipe adapted from 101 Cookbooks.

To get a snippet of GM foods, watch Food Inc., a documentary. Your library might carry this.

Chenille Stem Candy Cane

December 6, 2012 by Betty

As I was looking through my Christmas stuff, I found some more read and white pipe cleaners and my kids wanted to make some chenille stem candy canes as they brought back memories of Christmas past. This is one memorable craft that your kids can do and be reminded of the reality of God’s love as He came to live as one of us.

Supplies:

1/2 Red Chenille Stem (or Pipe Cleaner)
½ White Chenille Stem (or Pipe Cleaner)
Scissors
1 Green Chenille Stem (or Pipe Cleaner) (Optional)
Bell (Optional)

Directions:

1. Twist the red and white chenille stems together.
2. Form into a candy cane, and trim the ends if needed.
3. To make a bow with green chenille stem, first make a loop on one end, then string the bell through. Make another loop. Adjust the bell so that it sits in the middle of the two loops. Using the remaining of the green chenille stem wrap the bow around the candy cane.
4. Candy canes could be used as a Christmas ornament.

To view the Candy Cane Poem and related children’s books see the post on Christmas Craft for Kids: Beaded Candy Cane.

Enjoy!

Filed Under: Crafts, Winter Tagged With: chenille stem candy canes

Edible Snowflakes

December 4, 2012 by Betty

In keeping with the season and continuing on our reading of Snip, Snip… Snow! and other snow books, I decided to do an edible snowflake activity with the kids. They had a fun time and the best part was eating it. Here’s how:

Ingredients:

Flour tortillas, any vegetable oil (I used grapeseed oil), powdered sugar, parchment paper.

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Microwave the tortillas for about 10-15 seconds until they are soft and warm. Fold each tortilla as if you were folding paper or coffee filter to make a snowflake. Read this post Snip, Snip… Snow! on how to cut snowflake instructions. Use kitchen scissors to cut shapes…just like you were using paper. Unfold the tortilla. Lay parchment paper on cookie sheet and brush oil on both sides of snowflake. Bake the snowflake on the cookie sheet for about 5 minutes or until it’s lightly browned and crisp. Remove from oven and sprinkle with powdered sugar or any other edible toppings you would like. Now, enjoy this yummy treat!

Note: In my quest for healthier options, I tried using whole wheat tortillas, but sadly they tasted like chewy cardboard, so you’re better off sticking with your white flour tortillas.

For instructions on making colorful snowflakes, read this post Colorful Snowflakes.

Recipe adapted from MamaJenn.

Filed Under: Books and Activities, Indoors Activities, Winter Tagged With: extension activities for children's snow books

Christmas Craft for Kids: Beaded Candy Cane

November 25, 2012 by Betty

One Christmas ornament that we enjoy making is candy canes. I first learned of this simple beaded candy cane from my friend Margaret when we were doing a winter Vacation Bible School (VBS) together. And since then, I’ve adapted this activity with my kids. Here is the story of the candy cane with its rich symbolisms to remind us of the true meaning of Christmas.

Look at the Candy Cane

What do you see?

Stripes that are red

Like the blood shed for me

White is for my Savior

Who’s sinless and pure!

“J” is for Jesus, My Lord, that’s for sure!

Turn it around

And a staff you will see

Jesus my shepherd

Was born for Me!

Materials:

Red Chenille Stem (or pipe cleaners)
Beads (Red and white)
Strings for hanging

Instructions:

1. Cut pipe cleaner into half.
2. String alternating red and white beads onto pipe cleaner or use RRW (red red white) pattern
3. Bend beaded pipe cleaner into candy cane.
4. Tie string onto candy cane for hanging.

As an extension, your kids might like these children’s books: