Archives for November 2014

Celebrating November

November 15, 2014 By: amyswanderingcomment

Celebrating November

2016 Update: The calendar is out of date, but everything else is ready to be enjoyed!

November is such a beautiful month! Crisp air, colorful leaves, and counting blessings. Use this printable Celebrating November set to add a litle extra joy to your school days.

The Contents:

Pecan Pie Muffins – an easy but delicious recipe to make with your kids
~~November Nature Observation Calendar~~ – write or draw observations each day & keep as a record to compare with next year (this can also be used for a regular calendar)
Doxology Printable
Count Your Blessings Printable
A Thanksgiving to God, for his House Prayer

November Contents 1

A Good Thanksgiving Poem & Writing Page
Thanksgiving Time Poem and Writing Page
A Thanksgiving Basket Story

November Content 2

Vintage Prints:

November Content 3

The Celebrating November set can be downloaded by clicking on the pics below. Note: For best results, make sure your printer is set to borderless or whole page. I recommend printing on cardstock.

You might also like:

Gift Ideas for a Pretend Play Home

November 13, 2014 By: amyswanderingcomment

This post contains affiliate links.

Gifts Ideas for a Pretend Play Home

Pretend Play Home gifts have really withstood the test of time in our family. The “must have” toys of the season seem to amuse my kiddos for a few weeks, and then they are right back to cooking dinner in the play kitchen.

I’ve created a Room-by-Room Pretend Play Home Gift Guide to help you pick some items that will be played with for years to come. I am highlighting a few of my favorites, and then linking to a more comprehensive toy list for each category.

Kitchen

KidKraft gets my vote for all-around best play kitchens. They have several styles, but this cranberry retro kitchen is my favorite.

The Little Tikes Splish Splash Sink & Stove is a great option for a small budget or small space. The sink really holds water.

The Fisher-Price Servin’ Surprises Kitchen & Table does double duty.

The Little Tikes Cook N Grow Kitchen can be reconfigured as your child gets taller.

Want a full kitchen? Go with the KidKraft Corner Kitchen.

See the complete Pretend Play Kitchen Gift Guide

Laundry Room

Tackle that laundry pile with the KidKraft Laundry Set.

Get the wrinkles out with an Olden Days Wood Toy Iron.

You can really put the kids to work with this Dust, Sweep & Mop Set.

Our little ones loved pretend vacuuming with their Dirt Devil Vacuum Cleaner.

See the complete Pretend Play Laundry Room Gift Guide

Nursery

This Rose Doll Bed is fit for a Princess.

You can store the doll clothes underneath this Canopied Doll Crib.

Take all the dolls for a walk with a Triple Doll Stroller.

See the complete Pretend Play Nursery Gift Guide

Workshop

The Step2 Deluxe Workshop has a working shop light.

The Melissa & Doug Wooden Project Workbench comes with blueprints & parts to make a robot and several vehicles.

The Wonderworld Little Tool Box is a classic that is sure to be played with for years.

This Wooden Toolbox Trolley Set has magnets on the side to keep you tools in place.

See the complete Workshop Gift Guide

Outdoors

A Mud Pie Kitchen!

Pot up some plants at the Little Tikes Garden Table.

Keep your plants healthy in a little Greenthumb Greenhouse.

After a hard day of yard work, cook up a burger on your Get Out ‘n Grill Set.

See the complete Outdoors Gift Guide

I would love to know if your kiddos have as much fun with pretend play sets as mine have over the years. Do you have a set that has stood the test of time?

I’m not going to post pictures for them, but I have some more Play Home gift guides that you might like:

This guide is part of the Holiday Gift Guides for Kids. Need more gift ideas? Over 75 moms are sharing their favorites.

{Gift Guides for Kids Pinterest Board}

Free Snowflake Patterns & Templates

November 12, 2014 By: amyswanderingcomment

Free Snowflake Patterns and Templates

Our family has a little snowflake party every year around the first of December. The supplies are simple: white copy paper and scissors. We fold and snip, then ooooooh and aaaaaah at the beautiful creations. The floor looks like we had a blizzard!

The easiest way to display the snowflakes is to gluestick them to the windows. They come off easily and cleanup just requires a towel and some warm water. Last year we used our snowflakes to create a Winter Wonderland. It was so pretty!!

This post contains affiliate links.

We like to use these free templates for our snowflakes, because they tend to all start looking the same if we just freehand it. Decorative edge scissors also add a beautiful touch. Have fun crafting a snowstorm with your family!

Page & pages of Paper Snowflake Patterns

Snowflake Templates

Elaborate Snowflake Pattern Ideas

Simple Snowflake Patterns for younger kids

Dr Whoflakes

Star Wars Snowflakes

Snowflake Ballerinas

Frozen Snowflakes

3D Spiral Snowflakes

Felt Snowflake Banner

Do a little Snowflake Funschool this Christmas:

These Festive Family Bloggers are sharing Festive Activities for Kids:

FREE Printable Thanksgiving Day Cards and Gifts Kids Can Make @ Happy and Blessed Home

7 Christmas Toddler Play Activities @ Adventures of Adam

DIY Snowflakes Garland @ La Cite’ des Vents

Lego Christmas Activities @ Gypsy Road School

Create Time Capsule Christmas Ornaments with Kids @ Bare Feet on the Dashboard

Outdoor Christmas Tree @ Peace But Not Quiet

Snowflake Template Roundup @ Are We There Yet?

Christmas Light Family Scavenger Hunt and Bingo @ ALLterNATIVElearning

{Follow Festive Family Holiday on Pinterest}

Heirloom Advent Calendars

November 10, 2014 By: amyswanderingcomment

This post contains affiliate links.

Heirloom Advent Calendars

There is a beautiful Advent House in the Christmas Vacation movie that has captivated me for years. (Note: It is NOT a family-friendly movie!) I love the way the warm lights shine through all the little windows as they are opened in the countdown to Christmas.

That house is crazy expensive, but an advent calendar doesn’t have to cost a fortune to be considered an heirloom. It just has to have value to YOUR family. Something that gets your kids all excited as it is pulled out of the box year after year.

For my family, that item is a hanging fabric Christmas tree with 24 pockets and a little stuffed Santa. I think I got it at the thrift store for $2. They take turns moving the Santa each day. My teenagers are just as eager to participate as the younger kids because it is tradition. They know that the Advent tree will be there every year, and they enjoy the shared memories.

I’ve put together a list of Heirloom Advent Calendar ideas. At the end of the list is a FREE option, and a link to several more advent calendars. If you don’t already have one, consider starting this new tradition with your family. Build the anticipation and wonder as it gets closer and closer to celebrating the day that a little baby came into the world and changed everything!

Nativity Advent Wall Calendar

Magnetic Nativity Advent Calendar

White Tree Advent Calendar

Christmas House Advent Calendar

Little People Advent Wall Calendar

Christmas Tree Advent Calendar

Skating Party Advent Calendar

O Little Town of Bethlehem Foldout Advent Calendar

{Make Your Own}

Must Be Santa Felt Applique KIT

Santa Felt Applique KIT

Unfinished Advent Tree

3D Countdown Drawers

Square Boxes Advent Calendar

See my entire list of Christmas Advent Countdown Calendars

{FREE Nativity Advent Calendar}

If purchasing an advent calendar is not an option, I have a Free Printable Nativity Set that includes a countdown. You could also bring out one new piece a day as you tell the story all the way to Christmas Day.

{Follow My Advent Pinterest Board}

These Festive Family Bloggers are sharing Gifts for the Season:

Festive Family Holiday Gift Guide Favorites ~ Gifts for Everyone on Your List

DIY Toddler Play Activity Gift Box @Adventures of Adam

Ten Things from Germany as Christmas Presents @ La Cite’ des Vents

Ten Things from France as Christmas Presents @ La Cite’ des Vents

Easy Gifts Kids Can Make @ Hand Made Kids Art

Stocking Stuffer Ideas @ Crystal’s Tiny Treasures

Green Gifts for Crunchy Mamas @ All Done Monkey

Gift Guide for Montessori Homeschoolers @ Living Montessori Now

Gift Guide – Birth to 18 Months @ ALLterNATIVElearning

The Ultimate Yoga for Kids Gift Guide @ Kids Yoga Stories

Simple Stocking Stuffers @ Peace But Not Quiet

Gift Guide for Promoting Healthy Development @ The Inspired Treehouse

Tips for Sustainable Gift Giving @ Multicultural Kid Blogs

ALEX Toys Holiday Gift Guide @ Still Playing School

Best Gifts for a One-Year-Old @ Adventure in a Box

Gifts that Help Kids with Independence @ Sugar Aunts

Grandparent Gifts Kids Can Make @ The Chaos and the Clutter

25 Heartwarming Christmas Books @ Fireflies and Mudpies

Heirloom Advent Calendars @ Are We There Yet?

{Follow Festive Family Holiday on Pinterest}

{Enter the Festive Family Giveaway}

The Festive Family Holiday Hop Schedule

November 3: Sharing the Joy of the Season
November 5th: Thankful Traditions
November 7th: Creative Christmas
November 10th:Gifts for the Season
November 12th: Festive Activities for Kids
November 14th: DIY Holiday
November 17th: Festive Family Fun

Creative Christmas Pinterest Boards

November 7, 2014 By: amyswandering4 Comments

Pinterest is the first place I go to look for crafts ideas, recipes to try, and gifts to make. I put a call out to some blogging buddies for their Creative Christmas Boards, and want to share a few of them here with you!

{This is one of my Christmas Pinterest Boards}

{The Best Christmas Crafts, Food & Activities}

{Christmas Joy}

{Christmas Ideas}

{Christmas – Crafts}

{Christmas Theme}

{Christmas – Kid Activites & Traditions}

{Christmas – Homemade Gifts}

{More Than A Holiday}

{Christmas – Festive Food}

{Melk, The Christmsa Monkey – Elf on the Shelf Alternative}

{Holiday :: Christmas – Around the World}