New Years Eve Fun ~for the little people in your life~

Happy New Years Eve dear readers. Whether your little ones will be in bed long before the 9pm fireworks for fighting every long blink until midnight, finding some magical activities for the special night can make it memorable evening for the whole family. 

Play At Home Mom have some fantastic ideas for adventures in the dark.

One of my favourites is this great idea of putting glow sticks inside balloons before blowing them up, turning off the lights and watching them come alive.

Play At Home Mom

If your little ones will be going to bed early, why not turn their regular bath time into a magical experience by adding glow sticks as bath time toys.

Play At Home Mom

Or make your own Glow Xylophone by filling glasses with different levels of water before adding glow stick bracelets.

Play At Home Mom

Note: If you store the glow sticks in the freezer after using them, they will last several nights.

What ever you find to do tonight, I hope it is a magical night for all.

Thanks to the wonderful ladies over at Play At Home Mom for their brilliant inspiration, and a bigger thank you to all of you who have supported From The Heart Up in 2011.

Wishing you all love, health, joy and prosperity for 2012!

Love, Lauren and Vanessa

Handmade Paper Stars

Get the kids involved in some messy play Christmas craft courtesy of Family Fun!

Materials

• 3 (9- by 12-inch) sheets of construction paper
• Blender
• Very hot water
• Folded cloth towel
• Plate
• 3-inch star-shaped cookie cutter

• Sieve
• Glitter
• Rag
• Baking sheet
• Ribbon loops

Instructions

1. Tear 3 (9- by 12-inch) sheets of construction paper into small pieces, about the size of a domino, and place them in a blender. Pour in about 1 1/2 cups of very hot water and let it sit for 5 minutes. Meanwhile put a folded cloth towel on a plate, add a paper towel and top with a 3-inch star-shaped cookie cutter.
2. Heat the oven to 200 degrees. Pulse the blender until the mix is pulpy, about 30 seconds. Ina sieve set over the sink, drain the pulp, then spoon some into the cookie cutter to the top, taking care to fill the points. Have the kids help with this part. They will love getting their hands dirty and you can work on some messy play describing words such as "squishy" "mushy" "yuck" "gooey". Sprinkle with glitter. Use a rag to press the pulp down into the cookie cutter until most of the water is gone, then gently push the star out onto a baking sheet. Repeat to make two more stars.
3. Bake them for 2 hours or until the moisture has evaporated (they should be firm and lightweight). Let the stars cool, the glue ribbon loops to the backs for hanging. Makes 3 stars.

Thanks to Family Fun for the wonderful inspiration.

Printable Christmas Cheer

Printable Christmas Cheer from Picklebums.

Love, 

Lauren x

Printable Christmas Writing Set

Head over to the delightful Picklebums blog and download this lovely Christmas Letter Writing Set for those last minute letters to Santa. 

Download Here

A big thanks to Picklebums for the lovely printables. 

Lauren x

Christmas Tree Sewing Activity

Christmas Tree Sewing Via Childhood 101

To Make: 

1. Cut a triangle from the plastic canvas.

2. Add a preschooler, relatively blunt needle, embroidery thread and sequins!

3. Target vocabulary words such as 'through' 'push' 'pull' 'thread' 'tie' as your child sews sequins onto their very own Christmas tree.

Thanks to Childhood 101 for the lovely inspiration.

Love Lauren x

Teaching Kids Gratitude + A note of thanks from STSP

By Woman's Day | Moments Of Motherhood – Wed, Dec 1, 2010 7:28 PM EST

By Lisa Jones

Teaching your children to say "thank you" is only half the battle. It's equally as important to teach them to be thankful. By helping kids recognize the positive aspects of life-like sharing their favorite things to appreciating a kind gesture-they will find deeper meaning in their day-to-day experiences. Read on for little activities you can do with your children to help them grow into grateful, satisfied and optimistic adults.

Ages 3-7
Every night before bedtime, ask your child: "What were your five favorite things today?" says Jeffrey Froh, PsyD, director of The Laboratory for Gratitude in Youth at Hofstra University. Though younger children don't fully grasp the concept of gratitude, simply starting a habit that helps them notice good things in their lives conditions them to become more positive.

Ages 8 to 10
Kids at this age are just beginning to understand feelings of appreciation, so it's important to explain a kind gesture to your child clearly, suggests Dr. Froh. "If a relative or friend does something kind for your kid, help him understand the thoughtful nature of the gesture and how it made his life better." For example, say, "That was nice of Grandma to take the time to bake you a cake for your birthday. And, look, it's chocolate-your favorite."

Read uplifting true stories about kind deeds done by strangers.
 
Ages 11 to 13
Give your child a camera and tell her to take photos of the things she's most grateful for over the course of a week. Print the pictures and make a collage on a poster or bulletin board. In Dr. Froh's 2007 two-week study of sixth- and seventh-graders, those who wrote a daily list of things they were thankful for showed increased optimism, life satisfaction and gratitude. The idea is the same here: Turning grateful thoughts into concrete actions of selfexpression- whether writing, drawing or taking a photo- helps make them more real to your child.

Ages 14 and up
Watch a film that has gratitude as its theme, like Field of Dreams or The Pursuit of Happyness, and talk about it afterward. "Mirror neurons are brain cells that help us experience similar emotions to those around us," says Dr. Froh. "At this age, kids begin to think abstractly and logically because of the development of these neurons." So watching someone experience intense gratitude, like the characters do in the films, will help your teen feel it too.
Photo: © Getty Images

Why not take a few minutes and write down a short list with your child/ren about the things and people they are grateful for this Christmas? For example -

"I am thankful for my mum because _________________eg. she takes care of me"
"I am thankful for my dad because __________________eg. he reads me stories"
"I am thankful for my pet because ___________________eg. she gives me cuddles"
"I am thankful for my siblings because _______________eg. they help me learn" 

And please let us take the opportunity to thank each and every one of our clients, friends & loved ones -

We are truly thankful for all the love and positive energy that you have sent our way during 2011!

Looking forward to a wonderful festive season and an even brighter new year in 2012!

Love,

Vanessa & Lauren

The Small Talk Speech Pathology Team

More Christmas Games for Kids

Simply print, cut up and store in a zip lock bag. Another twist on the old classical memory game!

Print at Essential Kids

At Be a fun mum there are many Christmas story games including:

Snap

Print a few of copies of the Christmas Story Games printout.  Deal the pack of cards out evenly between players.  Each player should place the cards face down in a pile in front of them.  Players take turns putting a card down in the middle.  As soon as a player puts down a corresponding card, whoever cries “SNAP” first, wins all the cards in the pack and adds them to their own pack.  The winner is the one who has the most cards at the end of the game.

Memory

Place all cards face down on a flat surface.  Turn two cards over at a time.  If the cards match, the player keeps them.  If the cards are different, they should be turned over again.  The winner is the player who has the most cards at the end of the game.  This can also be played alone.

Story Prompts

Tell the Christmas story to your child/ren using the cards in sequence.  Then, ask your child to replicate the story.

Keep calm and have fun!

Vanessa