Monday, 30 November 2015
Building Igloo with Snow after a Snow Storm
Danish Christmas Decoration
21 December 2015 (6Y8M16D): Christmas Decoration done at the group playdate all by himself
11 December 2011
It is one of the joy of Christmas in Denmark to make Christmas decoration from the Danish forest. If one doesn't have the time to gather these items from the Danish forests, they are sold in all Danish supermarkets.
Age: From 4 years old
Materials:
- Candle
- Snow berries, pine tree needles, pine tree cones, oat tree cones, etc. from the Danish forests
- Carpet of moss
- Clay (taken from my homemade playdough)
- Tray (Recycled from the plastic sushi tray)
- Ribbon
- White spray paint for fake snow (optional)
- Golden spray paint for glitter (optional)
Directions:
Place the clay below as base for inserting the candles, the pine tree needles and the carpet of moss.
Additional Information:
It is actually my first time making them. My Chinese friend, YL, the art teacher among us, who is new to Denmark, wanted to experience the Danish way of celebrating Christmas for the kids. I thought it was a very good idea. Wondered why I had never thought of it all these years!!! Yesterday, we went out together to gather the materials along the road and from the forests. Most of the materials can be bought from Netto Supermarket. The pebbles were bought from IKEA previously.
The children didn't show any interest making these decorations, as I think they are too young. I think it would be more suited for children above 4 years old. D (2.5 yeas old) was more interested with playing with Thomas the train. J (2Y9M6D) just woke up from his nap and was a little cranky and very hungry, and he was only interested in eating. A (3 years old) preferred to play with the playdough. Then the children played with LEGO. It ended up with just us three mothers making the decorations, but it was nice to chit-chat, while the children play by themselves.
These decorations are placed in the centre on the coffee table along with all the other Christmas goodies during the festive season.
One has to be careful with the candle though and make sure that it does not catch fire.
Hope we will get to do it with J's cousins next year. I have to remember to suggest it!
11 December 2011
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| 11 December 2011 (2Y9M6D): Impromptu Christmas decoration activity with our neighbours, Yang Li and Meixia |
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| Christmas cookies from farmor |
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J enjoying his Christmas cookie
30 November 2012 (4Y7M29D): J made this from his kindergarten and took it home :-)
6 December 2013 (4Y8M1D): J made this from his kindergarten and took it home :-)
16 December 2014 (5Y8M11D): J made this from his kindergarten and took it home :-)
At this age, J is more interested in making decoration. He made the decoration all by himself and wasn't distracted.         |
28 November 2015: Christmas decoration made completely by Our Little FECS (6Y7M23D)
21 December 2015 (6Y8M16D): Christmas Decoration done at the group playdate
Sunday, 29 November 2015
LEGO Advent Calendars
Re-post 30 November 2015
1 December 2013
This was J's first Advent Calendar. This is a Danish tradition, whereby the child gets to open a small gift every day until Christmas Eve. I was a little in doubt whether we should get J such a calendar, as I think it is a little too over-indulgence to open a small gift everyday. J did not ask for one himself, so we could have easily slipped it this Christmas. However, we subcumbed to it and bought the Lego Advent Calendar. Many of such calendars contains chocolate or sweets for each day, and the LEGO calendar is a healthier choice. So, each day, J will get to build a small LEGO figurine.
I intend to reuse the Calendar box for next year. I will put a Bible verse in each of the pocket that J will get to open each day in December until Christmas.
Playmobil Nativity Scene
While decorating your home for Christmas, why not decorate the nativity scene? Since we are not so creative in making the props ourselves, we made our nativity scene with Playmobil instead. J had fun building it together with me. We had a cozy time talking about the birth of Jesus, the characters in the playmobil and the animals.
This is a great toy to start a holiday tradition with. It is available from amazon:
Saturday, 28 November 2015
J Summary (6Y7M23D) - Making Danish Christmas Chocolate Confectionery
This is the season for doing Christmas activities with kids. We were at a friend's place. In just a few hours, the kids made the Christmas decoration as well as the Christmas chocolate confectionery, what an amazingly productive, efficient and yet fun evening!
The Danish confectionery consists of nougat, chocolate and almond paste (marcipan). I used to dislike marcipan, but after being here for almost 15 years, I have come to like it.
You can also melt the chocolate and the nougat in the microwave for 20 seconds.
Video Demonstration:
References:
All ingredients can be purchased from major Danish supermarkets like Føtex.
Making Danish Christmas Confectionery at Grandma's place :-):
Crunchy Brussels Sprouts Chips
Duration & Bake Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
1. 400g brussels sprouts washed, rinsed and pat dry, cut stem and pluck leaves
2. 1 TBS olive oil
3. Salt to taste
Directions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 170 degree C (350 degree F).
2. Wash and pat dry brussels sprouts, cut of stem and pluck out leaves.
3. In a mixing bowl, add kale, 1 TBS olive oil, massage and mix well.
4. Sprinkle a little salt and mix well.
5. Bake in oven for 8-9 minutes until the edges start to turn brown. Keep an eye and watch it, to make sure that it doesn't burn, as it burns easily. Do not wait for it to turn brown, remove immediately.
Nutritional Value:
Brussels sprouts are rich in many valuable nutrients. They are an excellent source of vitamin C and vitamin K. They are a very good source of numerous nutrients including folate, manganese, vitamin B6, dietary fiber, choline, copper, vitamin B1, potassium, phosphorus, and omega-3 fatty acids. They are also a good source of iron, vitamin B2, protein, magnesium, pantothenic acid, vitamin A, niacin, calcium, and zinc. In addition to these nutrients, Brussels sprouts contain numerous disease-fighting phytochemicals including sulforaphane, indoles, glucosinolates, isothiocynates, coumarins, dithiolthiones, and phenols.
Extra virgin olive oil is a particularly valuable of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory phytonutrients. Among these phytonutrients are many standout polyphenols. These polyphenols include tyrosols (oleuropein, tyrosol, hydroxytyrosol), flavones (apigenin, luteolin), secoiridoids (oleocanthal), anthocyanidins (cyanidins, peonidins), hydroxycinnamic acids (caffeic, cinnamic, ferulic, and coumaric acids), flavonols (quercetin, kaempferol), lignans (pinoresinol), and hydroxybenzoic acids (vanillic and syringic acids). Olive oil is a unique plant oil in terms of its fat composition, containing about three-fourths of its fat in the form of oleic acid (a monounsaturated, omega-9 fat). It is a good source of vitamin E and also provides valuable amounts of the antioxidant beta-caroteneas well as squalene, a much less common antioxidant that also plays a special role in skin health.
Additional Information:
Brussel sprouts are very healthy, but I always wonder how what other ways I can prepare it, as it tend to turn out soft and overcooked, or raw and undercooked for me. This way of preparing it is healthier than stir-frying and it double up as a delicious snack - no longer needs to feel guilty snacking :-)
http://nomnompaleo.com/post/15661311142/brussels-sprouts-chips
http://ohsheglows.com/2015/11/21/mouth-watering-crispy-brussels-sprouts-plus-7-ways-to-flavour-them/
hhttp://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=10
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=132
Ingredients: 400g Brussels sprouts, 1 TBS olive oil and salt
Wash and pat dry brussels sprouts, cut of stem and pluck out leaves. In a mixing bowl, add brussel sprouts leaves, add 1 TBS olive oil and massage well.
Spread out on baking tray laid with baking paper.
Bake at 170 degree celsius for 8-9 minutes or until the edges start to turn brown. Do not wait for it to turn brown, remove immediately.
Lightly sprinkle some salt to taste.
Enjoy :-)
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