Ho Ho Ho for Christmas

 Christmas is celebrated around the world, both as a religious event and as a cultural or commercial time. The following activities offer lots of ways to celebrate the season in many ways.

 

CONNECT:

• Chris IS the reason for the season, and here is why Christmas is celebrated on December 25: https://www.whychristmas.com/customs/25th.shtml
• Read up on the history of Christmas at https://www.history.com/topics/christmas/history-of-christmas
• See how Christmas is celebrated around the world at https://www.countryliving.com/entertaining/g4933/christmas-traditions-around-the-world/
• Watch about poinsettias (including their history and pronunciation) at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymgdsWr326A

 

CREATE:

• Follow Santa around the world with NASA at https://www.noradsanta.org/en/ (available in 8 languages)
• Get crafty about Christmas at https://www.thebestideasforkids.com/christmas-crafts-for-kids/
• Get a taste of Australia by making these kid-friendly Christmas treats at https://www.bestrecipes.com.au/entertaining/galleries/christmas-recipes-fun-christmas-recipes-kids-cook/67u8212d
• OR go British with these yummy Christmas baking recipes for kids: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/christmas-projects-kids
• Ready to play Christmas games? There are 35 fun ones for the family to enjoy at https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/holidays/christmas-ideas/g2725/christmas-games/

 

CARE:

• Keep your holiday peaceful with these holiday safety reminders: https://saferide4kids.com/blog/holiday-safety-reminders/
• Candlelight is lovely but candle burns and uncontrolled fires are not, so here are candle safety tips for kids: https://smartkids101.com/blog/candle-safety/
• Cookie dough ice cream is fun to eat, but you shouldn’t eat raw cookie dough: here’s why: https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/communication/no-raw-dough.html

 

CAREERS:

Christmas is just one calendar day, but year-round careers are built around Christmas: not only the Christian religious life, but also tree farming, event planning, costuming and performance, designing and manufacturing Christmas items – and then selling and using them. Some jobs can make Christmas seem like every day. See samples here.

https://theundercoverrecruiter.com/top-christmas-jobs/https://www.careeraddict.com/christmas-jobs

https://www.coburgbanks.co.uk/blog/friday-funnies/10-weird-christmas-jobs/

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20141222-where-christmas-is-a-way-of-life

 

Pastries: Tasting the Sweet Side of Life

Most countries make special pastries, usually as sweet desserts. They also adapt other countries’ recipes. Put some icing on your cake of life with these pastry activities below. Yum!

CONNECT:

• Feast your eyes on these pastries from around the world: http://mentalfloss.com/article/89565/12-delectable-pastries-around-world
• Imagine a special day for pastries? Find out about fun and weird facts about pastries as you celebrate their special day: https://www.entitymag.com/national-pastry-day-5-facts/
• In Sweden they celebrate national Cinnamon Bun Day (Kanelbullar Dag). Discover its history at http://kanelbullensdag.se/en/
• Watch the chemistry of bread at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qylxpwNhFYI

CREATE:

• Make your own kanelbullar using this recipe: http://www.thekavanaughreport.com/2018/01/easy-cinnamon-roll-recipe-for-kids.html
• Pastry dough is very adaptable. Try at least one of these kid-friendly puff pastry dough recipes: https://www.epicurious.com/expert-advice/all-the-things-your-kids-can-make-with-puff-pastry-dough-article
• Watch this video of kids trying 100 years of pastries:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvPMFz_7jWM   DO try this at home!
• Sweet! Science experiments with pastry: https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/succulent-science-the-role-of-fats-in-making-a-perfect-pastry/

CARE:

• Kitchens are fun places to explore, but they ca also be dangerous. Here are tips for keeping safe in the kitchen: https://kidshealth.org/en/kids/safe-in-kitchen.html
• At some time you are likely to get burned. Here is how to treat burns: http://www.cyh.com/HealthTopics/HealthTopicDetailsKids.aspx?p=335&np=285&id=1796
• Lots of schools hold back sales; here’s one that targets puppies: https://www.tearfund.org/2017/04/The_Pastry_Project
• How do orphans and pastries mix? Find out at https://www.tearfund.org/2017/04/The_Pastry_Project

CAREERS:

Cook up a great career based on pastry. Here are some ideas:

https://www.theartcareerproject.com/careers/pastry-chef/

http://learningpath.org/articles/Baking_Pastry_Careers_Salary_Info_Job_Description.html

http://www.starting-a-bakery.com/