December
Doings
By Sandy Fleming
December is a busy time
for most families in our culture. There are
holiday preparations, cards, parties and shopping, in addition
to the
usual bustle of work, school, extra-curricular activities and
life in
general. However, there are always corners of time (especially
over
school vacations!) when the children announce, "I'm bored!
There's
nothing to do!" Here are some quick, inexpensive and easy
diversions
to ease everyone through the quiet times of the holiday season.
Early in December, help your child make
a "book" from
folded
construction paper. Decorate the front and back covers. The blank
pages in between can serve as a memory book for holiday fun.
Write or
draw on pages as exciting or important events occur during the
coming
weeks. Pictures cut from magazines, photographs, souvenirs such
as
placemats from restaurant outings, Christmas cards, party invitations,
and ticket stubs can join writing or pictures about these happy
times,
and a list of gifts received can serve as a reminder to write
thank-
you notes.
Winter is arriving in
earnest in most parts of the United States, so
this is a good time of the year to develop a routine for feeding
the
birds. Children often enjoy making simple bird feeders by spreading
peanut butter on a pine cone or toilet tissue roll and rolling
it in
bird seed. It's a messy project, so be sure your child is well-
supervised and working in a washable area. Add a yarn or string
loop,
and the creation is ready to hang outdoors where it can be watched
from a window. Check your local library for a field guide to
help your
child recognize the different visitors to the feeder, and a new
hobby
might be born!
Watch your local paper,
check community bulletin boards and displays,
or call your city's Chamber of Commerce or Visitors' Bureau for
special events in and around your community. Many zoos open their
gates for the Christmas season and offer a chance to see decorations
as well as a rare opportunity to see northern animals happily
romping
instead of sleeping in the warm summer sun. Some towns have Christmas
parades, and many libraries, colleges and museums offer special
events as well. School choirs and bands sometimes give free concerts
in malls and other gathering places. Most of these types of events
are
under-publicized, but well worth the effort to seek out. They
are
usually either free or very inexpensive, and perfect for family
fun.
Clement C. Moore's The
Night Before Christmas is popular with most
children. Your youngster may enjoy preparing a dramatic presentation
of this poem or other favorite story. Costumes, props and sound
effects can be planned. The kids can present the story as a skit,
read
it into a tape recorder with sound effects, or pose scenes from
the
story and snap pictures to illustrate a book of their own.
Use encyclopedias, the
Internet and library to learn about December customs in other
cultures. Try new foods that others use in
traditional celebrations and learn about games and other happenings
for these events. Start the search off with the Feast of St.
Nicholas
on December 6 from Europe, Los Posadas from Mexico, and Boxing
Day on
December 26 from Great Britain. How are these events celebrated?
How
do other places traditionally celebrate the New Year? What other
events can your children discover on this cultural treasure hunt?
Orville Wright took his
first flight in an airplane on December 17,
1903. Celebrate with a paper airplane festival. What designs
for paper
airplanes have been popular over the years? There are resources
at
your local library and on the Internet that contain designs for
different types of paper aircraft. Have your older child try
out a
few. Which ones fly the farthest? The curviest? The fastest?
What
kinds of experiments can your children design to get the answers
to
these questions? Another variation on this theme is for young
people
to design their own paper aircraft. Compare their performance
to store-
bought gliders to decide which flies better.
Happy holidays!
Sandy Fleming
is an educator, author and workshop facilitator. She resides
in southern Michigan with her husband and three daughters.
Sandy leads workshops for daycare providers and parents
in the region, tutors students, volunteers for Girl Scouts
and her church, and teaches online classes for adults and
children. She loves to make new friends, so please drop
her an e-mail at kids@busyparentsonline.com
