GEM Parenting: Parents building strong Children and Families

Here are enough things to help you have a really fun vacation at home.  Nothing is expensive!!

It is important to remember that expensive vacations do not emphasize lots of electronics.  And some down right don’t have time for them.  So when you are doing your home vacation remember to stop electronic

The other important thing to remember is that expensive vacations are not about the product, but the experience.  So when you do some of these activities (and others that you think of yourself), do the activity for the fun of doing it.  The product, the result, does not matter. 

Food Related

Jell-O fish tank

What you need:

• Jell-O mix
• Gummy fish and other candies that can be used in fish tanks
• Clear plastic cups that can hold boiling water

What you do:

• Make Jell-O mix.
• Put it in cups
• Let cool
• Add gummy fish and candies to look like aquarium

Even after Christmas, cookies or brownies are always fun to make Home made pizza:

What you need:

• Pizza dough form the freezer section
• Shredded Mozzarella cheese
• Other yummy toppings

Fun Ideas for Children: 

• Have a restaurant
• Let your children wear an apron
• Set the table specially
• Make a menu
• Seat you
• Take orders
• Serve the food
• Clear the table
• Usually the restaurant stops being fun here,
• But if you can, let them do the dishes.

Make a Lasagna: 
It takes about an hour or two.  The result is delicious and can take a good bit of vacation time to make.  The thing about lasagna is not just how good it tastes, but that you actually have a great time making it. So remember that it is as much about the process as the product.

• Lasagna noodles
• Ground beef
• Pint ricotta cheese
• Pint shredded mozzarella cheese
• Cup Parmesan cheese
• Three eggs
• Chopped fresh parsley
• Salt and pepper taste
• Two jars tomato sauce
• Olive oil

Boil water to cook lasagna
Lay flat on waxed paper, or tin foil to keep separated.

While noodles are cooking,
Brown the meat in olive oil.
Put in a bowl

In large bowl mix
Cheeses, eggs, and parsley

In lasagna pan spread thin layer of sauce
Place layer of noodles
Spread cheese mixture over that
Sprinkle ground beef
Spoon sauce

Repeat till there is nothing left.

Try to have noodles with sauce for the top layer

If things don’t get put in the right order it won’t matter
It tastes good anyway.

Cover with tin foil
Bake at 350 for 40 minutes
You can take off the tin foil for the last five minutes and sprinkle more parmesan cheese on top if you like.
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Crafts

Painted T-shirts/Boxers

• What you need:
• T-Shirt or boxers
• Fabric pens
• Puffy fabric pens
• Fabric glue
• Sequins
• Cardboard

What you do:

Cut the cardboard to fit inside the T-shirt or boxers
This keeps the paint and glue form going through to the other side.
Paint and color one side of the clothing.
Add sequins with glue.

Let dry completely-hairdryer can speed up drying

Do the backside.
Wear and enjoy
Wash-usually in machine
Dry- Hang dry

Paper Snowflake

What you need:

• Pieces of paper
• Scissors
• Tape

What you do for Snow Flakes:

• Cut paper to be square or round
• Fold the paper in half
• Three times so you have a triangle.
• Cut small pieces out.
• Unfold to see beautiful snowflakes all different from each other.

This is traditionally done in white, but you can use different colored paper .  Or scribble on the white paper before cutting out

Paper Christmas-Tree Chain:  Paper Doll Chain

What you need:

• Paper
• Scissors
• Pencil

What you do:

• Fold paper in accordion fashion
• Draw a tree or child with some part
• On each side attached.

With trees use bottom branches
With girls use skirt bottoms and hands
With boys use hands and toes

Cut out.
Color faces or ornaments  
Christmas Collage Village

What you need:

• Old wrapping paper
• Christmas Cards
• Anything that is small and is Christmassy
• Glue
• Tape
• Boxes from presents
• Markers, Crayons, Paint
• Optional book to get in the mood -Henry and Mudge and the Long Weekend by Stevenson

Use all your stuff to make a Christmas Village.  Do not hurry.  Take a day or so to set it up.  Leave it set up for a few days.  Have as much fun making it as playing in it.  And add to as you go along.  You can make this for dolls or action figures or for yourselves to play in.

Art work Weaving

What you need:

• One piece of poster board per child
• Two pieces of firm white paper OR- two pieces of old artwork that can be cut up
• Crayons or makers
• Masking tape
• Scissors Ruler

What you do:

• Make designs or pictures on the two pieces of firm paper.  Be sure to explain that these will be cut up. 
• Label them piece A and Piece B or choose two pieces of artwork, piece A and piece B, which you are going to cut. They should be the same size, and they should be on paper and in paint, marker, or crayon (pencil could smear).

Measure equal increments along the length (the top) of piece A, and draw lines forming strips on the back of the piece. Number each piece in numerical order on the back.

Measure equal increments along the width (the side) of piece B, and draw lines forming strips on the back of the piece. Letter each piece in alphabetical order on the back.

Cut along the lines of pieces A and B — forming two sets of strips.

Using masking tape, tape the ends of the strips of piece A onto a piece of poster board — reassembling the artwork. Use the numbers to help keep the strips in order.

Carefully weave the strips from piece B into piece A — tightly. Use the letters to help keep the strips in order.
When finished you can either laminate the finished piece or wash over the painting with some watered down white glue.
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Outdoors

This is a list of activities that you can use as a starting point.  Be creative and remember one of the places kids love to be no matter what the weather is outdoors

Make a snow fort/house

When playing in the snow bring out some old scarves, or other used clothing items.  Your kids can find great ways to embellish the house.
Use drops of food coloring to have colored snow as well.

Add neighbors

Set up a store outside

This is great if you are in a warmer climate-
Collect some old cartons and cans-carefully taped with duct tape along the top to avoid any cuts.  Let your children figure out how to create the shelves, the check out, the freezer.  Again, there is the possibility of adding dress ups, dolls and neighbors to this game 

Go sledding

Take a nature walk-on your walk, try to find the alphabet. 
Look for birds and count how many birds you see
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Silly fun

1. Use face paints
2. Do finger painting
3. Twister
4. Dance time
5. Play tickle monster

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