Family fun for December. Below are a few ideas with links to crafts and recipes you can create with your children this month!
Gingerbread Contest 
Create with your children
12/1 An apple a day keeps the doctor away! On National Eat a Red Apple Day, it’s time to grab a healthy snack. Apples are one of the oldest fruits grown and consumed by people!
https://www.timeanddate.com/holidays/fun/eat-a-red-apple-day
12/8 While there is no factual information on where National Brownie Day came from, a warm brownie with a glass of milk seems like a great snack to eat anytime! How do you like your brownies? Do you prefer the edges or the center, with nuts or with frosting? Whatever your preference, enjoy 1 (or 2) today on National Brownie Day!
http://www.holidayinsights.com/moreholidays/December/brownieday.htm
12/12 National Gingerbread House Day is a great day to start a new family tradition! Have you ever made a Gingerbread House…from SCRATCH? It is very easy to make; the hardest part is shaping out the pieces you need for the house. If building one from scratch is not your forte, you can pick up a kit at the store! Kangaroo Kids Gingerbread contest is tomorrow! Call 908-231-7800 for more information about Kangaroo Kids Winter Wonderland
12/13 Happy Birthday to the National Guard. Its history began with the Massachusetts Bay Colony and came into existence on December 13, 1636. The National Guard still consists of citizens providing protection from National disasters and train regularly to benefit our communities.
https://www.army.mil/article/92912/National_Guard_celebrates_376th_birthday/
12/17 Despite their lack of high school diplomas, both Wilbur and Orville Wright earned honorary graduate and post graduate college degrees and numerous awards. Originally, bicycle builders, we celebrate the Wright Brothers for their first successful flight of a mechanically propelled aircraft today! They are a testament of putting their minds to something and not giving up despite having many odds against them!
http://daysofyear.com/wright-brothers-day/
12/21 Crossword puzzles are simple yet challenging word games where letters are arranged to be read up or down. Created by a journalist in 1913, today it is recognized that crosswords puzzles are not just fun but have lots of benefits including sharpening your brains problem solving ability. National Crossword Puzzle day is a fantastic way to start a new brain building activity!
https://roodepoortrecord.co.za/2017/12/21/national-crossword-puzzle-day-2/
12/22 Hanukkah (Chanukah) is the Jewish Festival of Lights and lasts eight days. Candles are placed in a Menorah and one candle is lit each day to commemorate The Miracle of the Oil. Do you celebrate Hanukkah? Would you like to share your favorite Hanukkah traditions with your child’s class? Speak to your teachers about when you can come in, we’d love to have you share your traditions with us!
https://www.activityvillage.co.uk/hanukkah
12/25 Christmas means something different to everyone. If there is joy in your heart, have the spirit of giving and sharing, come together with friends and family to enjoy your time together, you are spreading Christmas love everywhere you go. Enjoy the day! Merry Christmas!
http://www.kidsgen.com/events/christmas/history.htm
12/31 The Merriam Webster dictionary defines New Year’s Eve as: The last day of the year. Pretty dull definition although accurate. However your family celebrates New Year’s Eve, the lyrics to Auld Lang Syne will be heard somewhere in the background! Happy New Years!
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/New%20Year%27s%20Eve
http://www.metrolyrics.com/auld-lang-syne-lyrics-burns-robert.html
December Snacks & Crafts
Bring out the inner chef and artist in your child. Try your hand at these recipes and crafts with your children!
12/8 Brownies! Their yummy chocolatey goodness with or without nuts (my favorite). Nearly everyone loves a warm brownie. Ever make brownie cookies? Me neither, but something tells me this easy recipe is delicious!
12/12 While waiting for your gingerbread house pieces to bake, have your kiddos hone their fine motor skills by cutting, coloring and gluing these paper gingerbread house pieces together.
http://keepinglifecreative.com/creative-projects/build-your-own-gingerbread-house-craftivity
12/22 An easy Hanukkah treat even the youngest can create, Marshmallow Dreidels. Bring some in to share with your child’s class and maybe instruct them how to create them while you teach them a song about the Dreidel!
12/25 When the hustle and bustle of Christmas begins to overwhelm your little ones, find a quiet spot and help them create this I Spy Holiday Calm Down bottle. (Remember to glue the lid shut!)
12/31 Do your kids try and stay up until midnight on New Year’s Eve? Create some new, New Year’s Eve traditions by creating these activities together!
Things to do:
These are great websites that details fun FREE things to do in New Jersey every month! Call ahead and make sure the activities are happening before you head out for your day!
https://hulafrog.com/bridgewater-nj
https://www.eventbrite.com/d/nj–bridgewater/holiday–events/
Please join us on December 13th for our Winter Wonderland! Visit our cookie room for cookie tasting, take a picture with Santa, bring in your Gingerbread House for our Gingerbread House competition and join in with some caroling at the end of the event!
https://www.kangarookidschildcare.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Winter-Wonderland-2019.pdf
Each year during the holiday season, Immaculata High School in Somerville, NJ leads a community service initiative in support of the West Virginia Children’s project. These families do not have the resources to celebrate the holidays. For over 10 years, our tradition has been to put up a ‘Giving Tree’ filled with mitten tags that have been decorated by children here at Kangaroo Kids! Feel Free to stop by and choose a mitten! Gifts for our Giving Tree are due back under the tree by the morning of December 18th.
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