Mother Hubbards Newsletter December 2010
Happy Birthday to;
Ike who will be 2
Emma who will be 2
Closing Times over Christmas
The Montessori and Pre Montessori sessions will close on Wednesday the 22nd of December at 12.00/12.30 and re open January 10th at 9.00am. The centre will close for all children on Thursday the 23rd December at 6.00pm and re open Tuesday the 4th at 7.30 am.
The Montessori sessional children will have their Christmas Party on Wednesday the 22nd of December from 11.00-12.00am.
The Montessori children will have a small Christmas Concert on Tuesday the 21st December at 11.45am-12.00am; they will be singing all the Christmas songs they have learned over the past few weeks! All parents are welcome but we do ask that only two family members attend for each child as we don’t have much space in the room! Also if possible can parents provide a Santa hat for each child for that day and dress them in festive colours red and green. Thank You!
Toddlers, Pre Montessori, fulltime Montessori and after school will have their Christmas party on Thursday the 23rd of December at 2.30pm.
This Christmas instead of giving the children presents Mother Hubbards will be donating money to worthy charities that really need our support this time of the year! Thank You!
The Montessori children will be having a Christmas Movie Day to raise money for Special Olympics Ireland on Monday the 20th of December. They will be looking at a Christmas Movie and having popcorn and rice krispies! We ask all parents to make a donation of €2 each for this special cause! Thank You!
The photographer came to the centre on Thursday the 9th of December. Please note that the pictures are on spec so if you don’t like your child’s picture you are under no obligation to buy. The price is €30 for 1 (10X8) and 2 (5X4).
What we are doing in the rooms this month;
It’s all about Christmas this month! Toddlers are busy making lots of decorations and learning their Christmas songs. Also this month they have been learning about the circus and had great fun making their circus animals!
Playschool have been learning their Christmas songs too and have been making lots of Christmas artwork like Christmas socks, Santa faces, Rudolph masks and lots of other things! Together they are going to make a huge Christmas tree and decorate it with their decorations.
Montessori have been learning about Christmas they have also been making Christmas crafts, learning about the robin and how we should look after our birds in Winter. They are also busy practicing for their Christmas concert!
Afterschool have been making Christmas crafts and recently made some rice krispies on their snow day off from school!
It’s Christmas!
Here are a few ideas for some yummy Christmas recipes you can cook with your children over Christmas;
Decorating cookies is such a fun family project. Turn on some holiday music, turn off the TV and spread the sprinkles, candies and sugars out for this fun event.
Christmas iced cookies
Ingredients
· 3-3/4 cups all purpose flour
· 1 tsp baking powder
· 1/2 tsp salt
· 1 cup butter or margarine, softened (not melted!)
· 1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
· 2 eggs
· 2 tsp vanilla extract
Cooking Instructions
- Sift flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium sized bowl. Set aside.
- Beat butter or margarine, sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl with electric mixer until fluffy. Gradually add flour mixture and stir with wooden spoon until thoroughly mixed. Cover dough with plastic wrap and chill in the refrigerator for two hours.
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4 inch thick. Cut out circles with a cookie cutter or other round object, such as a glass or round plastic container. Place circles 2” apart on ungreased cookie sheet.
- Bake for 6-8 minutes, checking after 6 minutes. Cookies will be done when edges are lightly browned. Do not allow cookies to get too brown. Remove from oven and allow cookies to cool on cookie sheets for 5 minutes. Remove from cookies sheets to aluminum foil on a flat surface and allow to cool completely.
- What You Do
- Bake your favorite sugar cookie recipe (try Amanda’s Sugar Cookies, above), or purchase a package from the store.
- Using a butter knife, spread white frosting on top of each cookie.
- Let children decorate the cookies with sprinkles, sugar, and candies.
- To make holly berry cookies, place two red candies or jelly beans toward the top of the cookie and draw on leaves with green decorator gel.
- For sugar stars, trees and other shapes, gently place a miniature cookie cutter on top of the cookie after it’s frosted. Carefully sprinkle a small amount of sugar into the cookie cutter with your fingers, being careful not to let the sugar fall outside. Gently remove cookie cutter.
- You can completely cover a cookie with decorative sugar by holding the frosted cookie upside down and dipping the frosted end into the sugar to coat.
- Use red decorator gel to write “Ho Ho Ho!” on your cookies.
- A snowman can be made from candies and fruit roll ups. Cut a strip of fruit roll up, about ½ thick, and twist it into a rope. Place the fruit roll up around the top of the cookie as ear muffs and add jelly beans for the muffs themselves. Decorate face with colored candies.
Merry Christmas Everyone!
Mother Hubbards, 56 Blackcastle Demesne, Slane Road, Navan.
046- -9059967
