By: Ashley Sorce
Create:
Fun Things to Make and Do Together
Deck the Halls with Tabletop Christmas Trees
Turn your already read newspapers and magazines into modern holiday art with just a few simple folds. Kids will have fun making something from scratch and picking out fun holiday colors to decorate your family’s home.
What you’ll need:
Old magazines or newspapers of
any size
Gold, silver, or clear spray paint
Glitter in desired colors
Steps:
1: Open magazine and bend to
break spine.
2: Fold individual page from top right corner to inside seam. Fold same page from bottom right edge to gutter.
3: Fold bottom triangle of each additional magazine page up, making the bottom of the tree flat. Then, fold top of all pages down to form tree shape.
4: Spray-paint folded tree desired color. Immediately sprinkle glitter over wet paint. Let dry.
Bright Idea – Create a memorable keepsake
This fun craft will not only help you make a memory with your child while creating it, but preserve a memory using a family photo. This candle votive will be proof your child’s smile can literally light up a room!
Steps:
1. Choose a digital photo that is horizontal, not vertical.
2. Print it in black-and-white on an 8 ½ – by 11-inch sheet of plain velum paper, available at craft and office supply stores.
3. Wrap the vellum around a tall, cylindrical glass vase and adhere the overlapping edges with double sided tape. Trim and excess paper.
4. Put a battery-operated tea light inside the vase.
Kids in the Kitchen
Rather than buying holiday candy from the store this year, encourage your kids to make their own festive treats. Here is a fun fall idea perfect for your family’s Thanksgiving gathering. They also make great party favors!
What you’ll need:
1 bag of Hershey Kisses
1 bag of semi sweet chocolate chips
1 package Nutter Butter Bites (make sure you get the ‘bites’ size!)
Steps:
1. Melt 1/2 cup (depending on how many you want to make you can up the ante on this!) chocolate morsels in microwave or on stove top.
2. Dip flat side of Hershey Kiss in melted morsels and immediately attach to Nutter Butter.
3. Dip one non-melted morsel on the flat side into the
melted morsels, immediately attach to the other side of the Nutter Butter.
Play:
Simple Ways to Have More Fun This Season
Snow Days
It’s hard to believe fall is coming to an end and snow will soon be falling over Owensboro. If the snow is too cold for your little ones, try this idea for inside snow day fun!
Snowball Scramble
Bring the fun of snowy weather indoors with a zany (and energetic!) game fit for the whole family. Clear a large open area for play and lay down a length of string or rope to create a center line. Gather small sponge or Ping-Pong balls (balls used in a child’s ball pit would work perfectly!) and distribute them evenly between two teams, which take positions on either side of the line. Set a timer for two minutes (an iPhone works great!). On “GO,” players start tossing balls into the opposing team’s side, gathering and returning any balls tossed into their own. When the timer sounds, play stops, and balls are counted. The teams with the fewest balls wins!
Giving Thanks
It can be difficult for kids to understand the tradition behind Thanksgiving and why we celebrate it every year. Rather than talk turkey, why not reinforce to your children what Thanksgiving really means. Here are three unique ways to celebrate Thanksgiving with your kids:
1. Get Online—Plymouth Plantation has a great website dedicated to the “First” Thanksgiving. Some of the education materials are to prepare the kids for visiting the plantation, but they have a ton of resources for educators and children. Kids may especially enjoy the section that teaches them how to “Talk like a Pilgrim.” Or they may prefer to play the awesome Thanksgiving Interactive, an award-winning online activity that allows children to act as “history detectives” and investigate what actually happened at the first feast between the Wampanoag tribe and the Pilgrims.
2. Make a Thankful Tree—In recent years, creating a Thankful Tree at home has become a very popular idea. The best thing about it? You can make it any way you want! I have collected branches and arranged them in a pot, and even made a winter tree out of brown mailing paper and taped it to the wall. You can print colored leaves on your computer, or have the kids make their own using colored cardstock or construction paper. Need some ideas? Just search for “Thankful Trees” on Pinterest for inspiration!
3. Sail the Mayflower—Who knew there were so many different ways to build a ship? Dig through your recycling bin if you have one, and ask your kids to create their own mini version of the Mayflower. Your family can study more about the real story behind this famous ship at MayflowerHistory.com.
Explore:
Holiday Events Around Owensboro
Downtown Fall Fest
Saturday, November 8 | McConnell Plaza, Dowtown Owensboro
Hosted by Puzzle Pieces, this is sure to be a day of fun for families! All proceeds from the day’s events will benefit Puzzle Pieces, a non-profit activity day center for individuals with intellectual disabilities. The days events include:
Scavenger Hunt – Starts at 11:30 a.m.; $5 per team (2 or more make a team); Will be held in the Plaza; Meet at the Gazebo at 11:00 a.m.
Corn-Hole Tournament – $20.00 per team; Must sign up your team by emailing [email protected]; Start time 11 a.m.
Games/Booths – 10 tickets for $3.00/Armband for $10.00; Enjoy bowling, face painting, inflatables, cake walk, tattoos, wagon/hay ride, pumpkin painting, train ride and much more.
Chili Cook Off –- Owensboro businesses and schools compete for the title of best chili in Owensboro. You can participate in the taste testing starting at 11:00am; $2 per taste test, up to 4 samples or $8 to taste test all vendors; Begins at 11 a.m. and judging starts at 12p.m.
Walk for All – Downtown disAbility Walk in Their Shoes – Puzzle Pieces annual Puzzle Walk to honor those with disabilities! Check in 12:30 – 1:30 p.m. Gather a Team in Honor or Memory of someone with a disability. Top three teams who raise the most money will win 1st – 3rd awards. All teams will be recognized!
Enjoy apple cider and sundaes, food, live entertainment and more! For more information, visit puzzle-pieces.org.
Veterans Day Parade
November 8 | Downtown Owensboro
Come honor our veterans for the Annual Veterans Day Parade beginning and ending on Veterans Memorial Blvd. This is the longest running Veterans Day Parade in the country. The parade will begin at East 2nd and Clay Streets, will travel west on 2nd Street, north on Daviess Street, and west on Veterans Memorial Blvd. ending at Frederica Street.
78th Annual Owensboro Christmas Parade
November 22 | Downtown Owensboro
The Owensboro-Daviess County Christmas Parade Association, Inc. is presenting the 78th Annual Christmas parade themed “Christmas Miracles.” Each year the parade committee spends countless hours sifting through nominations and suggestions for its Honorary Grand Marshal. This year the committee announced that two of Owensboro’s very own, Bayli Boling and Alexandra Watts have been named Honorary Grand Marshal. Bayli earned the title of Miss Teen Kentucky United States and Alexandra earned the title of Miss Jr. Teen Kentucky United States. Both are from right here in Owensboro and will spend their time travelling and representing our great city very well. Join us on the Saturday before Thanksgiving in Downtown Owensboro, “where Kentucky starts Christmas,” to congratulate Bayli and Alexandra and wish them the best in the years to come.
Holiday Stroll
Saturday, December 6; 4 – 8 p.m. | Second and Third Streets from Daviess to St. Ann in Downtown Owensboro
Stroll the downtown streets to get in the holiday spirit. Strolling carolers, storefront decorations, and indoor performers will make this evening a reminder of the good old days of being downtown at Christmas.