The
Best Gifts Two years ago, I was visiting a restaurant around Christmastime and saw a tree with four unique gifts wrapped beneath. On the shiny boxes, someone had used a marker to write the words "peace, hope, joy and forgiveness." I had one of those “I should have thought of that” moments.
Each year, we spend hours contacting family and friends for their wish lists and more hours trying to find those gifts to express our love. That’s not a bad thing, but often the underlying motive is to give that person joy or to express a desire for forgiveness – or to let them know that they are forgiven. As I held up the waitress, I grabbed my phone and snapped a picture to remind myself of the moment and the inspiration I felt that day. I was awestruck that someone had captured the best gifts on simple packages that were all about the same size. I kept the photo on my phone and looked at it last Christmas season. Today, I remembered it again and decided to share it with all the parents in the 501 region in this holiday issue.
When I interviewed Haley Wilcox to write the cover story, I was inspired again. She and her husband, hold onto hope in a way only parents who have nearly lost a child can. Only hours after the birth of their first son, he went into open-heart surgery. Fortunately, Brody is a thriving teen, but each time he faces another heart surgery, Haley and Stewart grab the gift of hope from under the tree and share that gift with their son. What gifts do the children in your life need? Hope, joy, forgiveness, patience … or perhaps it’s the gift of time. As you read their story and enjoy our other contributors, I hope you will be inspired by those same four shiny boxes that caught my eye two years ago.
Holidays
2020 On the Cover (story page 6)
Wilcox family celebrates Holiday with Heart
4-5 Events
Holiday Happenings througout Faulkner Co.
10 Being Creative
Activities bring out the kid in all of us
12 Year of the Grinch
Don't let 2020 steal your holiday spirit
13 Traditions
Create a Christmas ornament exchange
14 Crafty Christmas
Classic ideas that kids will love
EDITOR Stefanie Brazile PUBLISHER Jeremy Higginbotham FOUNDERS Donna Spears, Sonja J. Keith ASSOCIATE EDITOR Levi Gilbert BRAND AMBASSADOR Don Brazile PHOTO DIRECTOR Mike Kemp FINANCE DIRECTOR Debbie Flowers ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Donna Spears
CONTRIBUTORS
Brittany Gilbert Kellie Bishop Meagan Lowry
501 KIDS EDITORIAL BOARD
Dr. Angie Betancourt Leslie Burrows Dr. Sher Craig Stephanie Crockett Brittany Gilbert Gloria Massey Nicole Rappold Lanette Rogers Amy Routt Stephanie Worthey
To subscribe or order back issues, visit 501lifemag.com The subscription rate is $20 for one year (12 issues).
Make the Jump Media, LLC 920 Locust Ave., Suite 104 Conway, AR. 72034 501.327.1501 info@501lifemag.com
501 LIFE Kids is published by Make the Jump Media, LLC - 920 Locust Ave., Suite 104, Conway, AR 72034, 501.327.1501 owned by Jeremy L. Higginbotham and Stefanie W. Brazile. The contents of 501 LIFE Kids are copyrighted and materials presented may not be copied or reproduced in any manner without the written permission of the publishers. Articles should not be considered specific advice, as individual circumstances vary. Products and services advertised are not necessarily endorsed by 501 LIFE Kids.
Front Cover Family: Haley (from left), Brody, Lilly, Stewart and Sawyer Wilcox
Holiday Events November
December
The Christmas Boot Drive will provide boots to area businesses the first week of November to collect donations. On Black Friday, and the following three Saturdays, firefighters will be standing with boots at Conway Towne Center and Conway Commons. Donations are used to provide Christmas gifts and essentials to children. Donations can also be mailed to: P.O. Box 2546, Conway, AR 72032. Two events are planned in Downtown Conway: Saturday, Nov. 28 - Small Business Saturday Saturday, Dec. 12 - Downtown Conway Mistletoe Madness The Conway Regional Women’s Council will present a virtual presentation of Dazzle Daze from Thursday, Nov. 19, through Saturday, Nov. 21. Shoppers will have an opportunity to check out vendors and their merchandise from the comfort of home! To purchase tickets and for more information, visit dazzledaze.com. Searcy: A Double Steak Cookoff fundraiser will be held Saturday, Nov. 21. The public is invited to enter in the steak, slider (or both) categories for a fee. First prize in the steak category pays $1,000. Learn more on Facebook at Jesse Dylan James Foundation or by calling Slade Douglas at 501.230.3190. All proceeds support bringing awareness to bullying and teenage suicide.
The Searcy First Assembly of God will present “The Living Nativity” Friday, Dec. 4, through Sunday, Dec. 6, and Dec. 11-13. The church is located at 101 S. Benton St. For more information, visit the church's page on Facebook or searcyfirstassembly.com.
The Conway Regional Health Foundation will host its annual Tribute Tree Lighting from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 3, at Conway Regional Medical Center. This year, a drive-thru lighting is planned, with refreshments, entertainment, life-size gingerbread houses and Santa.
Central Baptist Church in Conway will host its drive-thru nativity from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 9, through Friday, Dec. 11. The event features an interactive Christmas experience that travels along the road of Bethlehem to the manger. This is a free event for families. The Conway Symphony Orchestra will present “A Mad Russian’s Christmas” during three special concerts paying tribute to the music of the Trans-Siberian Orchestra.
For more information, visit ConwayRegional.org
Concerts are planned 7:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 18, and Saturday, Dec. 19, and 4 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 20, in Reynolds Performance Hall at the University of Central Arkansas. All performances are scheduled to adhere to COVID-19 distancing guidelines. “Each show will be full-length, TSO-style music,” said organizer Gunnar Bartlett. “Last year, the TSO-style portion was only half of the show and the other half was Tchaikovsky’s ‘The Nutcracker.’ We have foregone Nutcracker this year due to COVID, and went with a full TSO-style show. We are adding more vocals, more musicians and more theatrics. It’s going to be huge!” All tickets must be purchased through the Reynolds Performance Hall Box Office, in person or over the phone at 501.450.3265, to ensure adequate physical distancing between patrons according to the Arkansas Department of Health. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Friday, Oct. 16. For more, visit conwaysymphony.org.
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FAULKNER COUNTY LIBRARY ANNOUNCES TWO SPECIAL CHILDREN’S EVENTS ComiConway 2020 will have virtual children’s programming and an event at the library called Back Lawn Mini-Con. The Virtual Mini-Heroes Events can be found at ComicConway's facebook
6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 19, Bedtime Stories with a Princess Friday, Nov. 20, the Virtual Cosplay Winner will be announced. Virtual Cosplay Contests for Kids
Virtual Entries will be accepted until Nov. 14. Any entry submitted after this will not be eligible for the contest. Visit comiconway.com for entry details. Back Lawn Mini-Con
This event will begin at 10 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 14, at the Faulkner County Library in the garden and building. Masks/ face coverings are required. The Cosplay contest will be held at 4 p.m. and the concert will be at 5 p.m.
Winter Candy Land
The library will host a Winter Candy Land from 5 to 9 p.m., on Sat., Dec. 12 in the library garden. Santa will be here, along with a Christmas lights StoryWalk, crafts, a Brian and Terri Kinder concert, a riddle hunt, hot chocolate, warm food from the Urban Farm Project, and more! For more information on this and other Children’s programs, please call the library at 501-327-7482
TOGETHER FOR Better. Arkansans appreciate community. We work and raise families. Care for our neighbors. And come together in good times and bad. At First Security, that local strength is what we love best about our home state. There is commitment here. And heart. And hope. Thank you to everyone who is standing together, learning from one another, and making Arkansas a place we all love to call home.
Member FDIC
We’re proud to be your community bank. Holidays 2020 501lifemag.com | 5
A HOLIDAY HEART Overcoming cardiac surgery, Greenbrier middle schooler looks forward to the season. by Stefanie W. Brazile
This Christmas season, the Wilcox family will watch classic movies like “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” “Frosty the Snowman” and “How the Grinch Stole Christmas!” The five of them will build a gingerbread house, decorate cookies and attend their church’s candlelight service. They will also celebrate another successful heart surgery for their oldest son, Brody. Stewart and Haley Wilcox are Central Arkansas natives who grew up in rival towns, Greenbrier and Vilonia, respectively. When they married 15 years ago, they built a home on his family’s farmland and, two years later, had their first of three children. Both of them have chosen careers in public service. Stewart is a captain with the Conway Fire Department and Haley is an RN at Conway Regional Hospital. “All five of us are proud members of Springhill Baptist Church (SBC),” Haley said. “We take great pride in our community, and being involved is another opportunity for us to give back and lead our children by example.” She and Stewart coach peewee sports and serve in their church. He is also the co-founder of the Conway Firefighters Pipes and Drums and plays the bagpipes for numerous events, including SBC’s Christmas Candlelight Service. Along with Brody, 13, they also have an 11-year-old son named Sawyer and a 9-yearold daughter named Lilly. On the surface, the Wilcoxes appear to be a typical, happy family that values faith, fun and friends; however, Stewart and Haley have faced the most serious moments a parent can endure—and it began only hours after the routine birth of an 8-pound, 10-ounce baby boy. Continued on Page 7
Brody received the zippered teddy bear seven years ago and named it HeartLove. It came from BooBoo Buddies, a social media group that teaches parents how to educate and support children with congenital heart defects. The zipper represents the physical scar left from open heart surgery. The teddy bear brought comfort to him as he was allowed to take HeartLove into the operating room through the years.
6 | 501 LIFE KIDS Holidays 2020
'We learned quickly what a brave fighter our precious infant was! Our Superman! Warrior!' - Haley Wilcox
In late September when Brody Wilcox, 13, arrived home from open-heart surgery, cheerful signage greeted him. #TeamBro is used on social media posts to update friends. Jeremiah 29:11 is the verse that his parents have always held onto for hope and comfort.
“At 1 a.m., our RN slowly pushed the door open and cautiously walked in the room empty-handed,” Haley said. “With a hesitant voice and odd facial expression, she told us that after they got him to the nursery and unwrapped him, they noticed his hands and feet looked a little dusky.”
Only hours into this life, Brody endured surgery on his heart, which was about the size of a walnut, according to his mom.
The nurse told them that they had put Brody on oxygen, but his blood-oxygen saturation levels never improved. An X-ray revealed that his heart looked enlarged and misshapen, and a neonatal cardiologist was running tests.
Throughout the numerous procedures and surgeries that he has gone through in 13 years — including his third open-heart surgery in September— Brody has shown himself to be strong, positive and brave.
“Stewart and I were in shock, disbelief and were fearful,” Haley said. “We wondered if our baby was dying.”
His mother describes him as a loving, respectful Christian teenager who thrives on video games, junk food and simply hanging with his best buddies. As the oldest, he is a peacekeeper among his siblings and takes pre-AP classes in school. Brody was voted class president of the sixth grade last year at Greenbrier Middle School, and some of his friends still refer to him as “Mr. President.”
Two agonizing hours later, the doctor came in and sat down on the bed, which caused her heart to sink. As a nurse, she knew that he had serious news to share because he sat down. According to Haley, his first words were, “Well guys, we have a problem. Brody is sick … he is stable, but I honestly do not know what his future will be.” Brody was born with a congenital heart defect (CHD), a problem that isn’t in either of his parent’s families or a problem that his siblings have. He was diagnosed with tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) with pulmonary atresia (a more severe form of TOF). This means he was born with complex malformations of his heart including a hole in his heart, lack of a functioning pulmonary valve and needed more vessels from his heart to his lungs to ensure growth and a good blood supply to his lungs.
“We learned quickly what a brave fighter our precious infant was! Our Superman! Warrior!” Haley said.
Like his mom and grandfather, he enjoys playing golf any chance he gets and also loves to help work their cows, giving them vaccines. Brody has spent time at Camp Aldersgate, a camp where he is around other children facing similar heart defects. Throughout Brody’s journey, Jeremiah 29:11, which says that God has plans for each life and offers hope and a future, has been the verse his family has meditated upon. Continued on Page 8 Holidays 2020 501lifemag.com | 7
The young man will have more procedures and more open-heart surgeries as he grows, but he doesn’t let it limit his activities or his love for life and community. The Wilcox family has been encouraged by the outpouring of support from friends and strangers from Greenbrier to Vilonia and beyond. On the day of his recent surgery, students at both schools donned red and blue shirts (signifying CHD awareness) and posted photos online showing support. Because Brody’s parents had to take off work during his recent open-heart surgery, a store in Greenbrier has stepped up to help support the family’s expenses. Bleacher Bling, which is owned by Ladona Simone and Heather Aich, is currently selling t-shirts which display the Jer. 29:11 reference. “These ladies love our community and it is evident in their daily actions,” Haley said. “The T-shirts signify, in a physical sense, another means of support for our Brody and helping to spread our family’s message of hope through Jesus. Every shirt worn is another opportunity to share God’s message. We love that!” As the family puts up their Christmas tree and pulls out their favorite movies this holiday season, they will be celebrating the birth of a Savior and the health of their firstborn son, wrapped in the love of his family and community.
Enjoying Christmas 2019 -Lilly, Sawyer, Brody and their dog, Clover.
The words ‘thank you’ are an understatement to God, to our family, to our friends, church, schools, and local communities, to ACH and their staff for joining us on this journey. Our family is like every other family, we each have our own life struggles and obstacles along the way. We truly are no different. Having this magnitude of support for our Brody is purely divine intervention. Each of your outpouring of love in the form of texts, calls, Facebook posts, meals, gift cards, donations to a bank account set up by my sister-in-law Sheila, buying a T-shirt from Bleacher Bling, wearing red/blue #TeamBro silicone bracelets, very special personal gifts to Brody, but mostly and absolutely all of the PRAYERS, have impacted our family in a way that a ‘thank you’ is simply not powerful enough. The love shown is palpable, and has helped us endure every single day.
--Merry Christmas from the Wilcox family to yours!
As parents of a child with a congenital heart defect, Haley and Stewart try to encourage younger couples facing what they did 13 years ago. During Brody's recent hospital stay, they met Hope Fulton (from left), who is holding her baby. 8 | 501 LIFE KIDS Holidays 2020
Brody went home from the hospital on Sept. 23 and was glad to begin traditional school for half days on Oct. 12.
Christmas traditions for the Wilcox family: Visiting Dad at the Conway Fire Station, where he is a Captain, since he will be on duty Christmas day. We love to pick out a real Christmas tree and decorate it together while we listen to Christmas songs mixed with some Lauren Daigle tunes. We attend our church’s candlelight service, where Stewart also plays a set on the bagpipes. It is a service we look forward to all year long. One evening we put on our pjs and drive around looking at Christmas lights in Conway and Greenbrier. Our 3 elves (Elf on a Shelf) will come to visit for their daily shenanigans. We read aloud the story of Jesus’ birth in the Bible, according to the books of Luke and Matthew. We enjoy shopping together for an angel tree kid/family. Also, our three kiddos draw one another’s name from a hat and will take some of their own money to buy a gift for their sibling and wrap it themselves. Over the years, the boys have participated in the local “Fill the Boot” through the Fire Department to help raise money to buy Christmas for Faulkner County families in need; but we are unsure how COVID-19 will affect that process this year.
Baking Christmas cookies, decorating them and building a gingerbread house are must do’s for the Wilcox's.
Writing letters to Santa and saying goodbye to their elves on Christmas Eve is a favorite. Having our traditional family get-togethers where we love to eat, open gifts and play `minute to win it’ style games is a fun time. Setting out Santa’s milk and cookies and sprinkling magic reindeer dust on the yard is a must on Christmas Eve.
Because
We are...
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Holidays 2020 501lifemag.com | 9
Being creative brings out
the kid in all of us! The holiday season inspires creativity in kids of all ages as we head to the attic, garage and closets for decorations. We open lids to find a world of memories and glitter that is sure to cover every surface in the home. Even during a pandemic, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years are a time that friends and family reach out to one another in a unique way. This year, perhaps more than any other in their lifetime, kids need positive distractions. School holidays are scheduled and children will have a lot more time on their hands. If you want to curb their video game playing, you should grab some craft kits from local stores. Another option is to search online for ideas. You may have a lot of usable items in your home, including scissors, glue, stickers, markers, fabric and ribbon scraps, spare buttons and paint. If not, many stores offer inexpensive craft kits containing most, if not all, of the items needed to captivate your child’s attention for an hour. And, while you’re buying, grab one for the adults in the house because nothing is more meaningful to a child than having their parent, grandparent or older cousin spend time doing a project with them.
Here are some simple and fun craft ideas that can be purchased locally: Make your own ornaments:
A wonderful invention (that has mom’s smiling across the county) is the plastic, unbreakable ornament. Grab a bag of these with an opening large enough to slipin small characters, sequins or candy. If desired, glue can be used to secure the characters and icons to the inside, or outside, of the ornament. Allow extra time for it to dry. With paint pens or brushes, you can add names or words to the outside. Once the top is replaced, the ornament can be gifted or hung on the tree. Kits containing all the “ingredients” are available at most craft stores.
Paint wooden cutouts:
Anytime the word paint is mentioned, parents know there is the possibility of a mess. So, begin by having everyone change into an old shirt and tape some paper on the surface where you’ll paint. Now for the fun. For about $1 per color, you can buy a variety of paints that will encourage creativity. Many stores offer small wooden or cardboard animals and shapes that are just waiting to be brought to life. In fact, if you look around your home, you may find items that you don’t mind donating to be painted. Remind children to ask for permission before assuming that grandma wants her coffee table to look like a rainbow! It’s easiest if you have enough paint brushes to place one by each color so brushes won’t have to be washed until everyone is finished. And when you are finished, have kids help clean up the mess.
Decorate your stocking:
Some stores sell unfinished stockings which provide a blank canvas for kids to express their changing personalities from year to year. It’s fun to provide paints, markers, glue, scraps of fabric or ribbons, scissors, buttons, sequins, etc. for the artist to work with. Even if you don’t want to create a new stocking, sit with the child and offer to cut fabric shapes or just talk with them as they work. Spending time together will be meaningful to both of you.
10 | 501 LIFE KIDS Holidays 2020
19th Annual
November 19-21, 2020
w. d
l z az
Friday, November 20 9:00am to 5:00pm and Saturday, November 21 9:00am to 3:00pm
Dazzle Daze Full Page
ed
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a z e. c o m
For more details and to purchase tickets, visit:
Santa Meet and Greet VIP Package - $50/Family1
Space is limited, reserve your time today!
Private Photo Session with Santa and Digital Copy of Photo, Family story time with Santa, wrapped refreshments for each family member and ONE Child swag package2 that has a Storybook, a month of holiday crafts and a trial subscription to Natural State Parent’s Monthly Craft Box.
Photo Only Package - $25/Family1 Space is limited, reserve your time today!
Private Photo Session with Santa and Digital Copy of Photo and refreshments
Santa wants to wish your children the best this season and remind them to stay on the Nice List. We will stay on the Nice List too, and all COVID-19 guidelines will be enforced. For a complete list of guidelines, visit www.dazzledaze.com 2
1 A family is considered those living in one household Additional photos, books, and craft boxes are available for purchase when you purchase your tickets online at www.dazzledaze.com
Holidays 2020 501lifemag.com | 11
PARENTING
Don’t let 2020 steal your
h liday spirit Canceled. Postponed. Disappointed.
Three words we’ve had to accept at just about every turn this year. Any activity that we’ve grown accustomed to during the holiday season isn’t happening or at least isn’t taking place in the normal way it would. And that can leave us all feeling just a little less tuned into that infamous holiday spirit.
Meagan Lowry Meagan Lowry is a Texas native who has lived in the Natural State since 2009. She’s been married to her 501 born and bred husband, Zak, since 2012. Meagan owns her own business and works from home as a social media consultant for multiple companies.
It’s easy to let this year inch its way closer to an ending and write off the entire thing as a loss, but what if we decided not to do that? What if we decided that we were going to lean into the differences and find ways to make them feel closer to what we’re used to?
Lennox Lowry illustr ates
how many of us feel about 2020.
'What if we decided that the grinch we refer to as 2020 wasn’t going to steal the holiday spirit from us? ' - Meagan Lowry
Instead of feeling loss because our favorite events are being canceled or requiring advanced reservations, we can embrace the way things are. Being disappointed that nothing this year has turned out how we thought it would be is natural. In fact, I’d be surprised if a single person could honestly say they weren’t disappointed in this year in some form or fashion.
It’s been a hard year, one that none of us thought would look this way come time for the holidays. But here we are. And we have a choice: Sit in the sadness of the things we’ve lost or find a way to rally and enjoy what we can do. The holidays aren’t canceled. They’ll just look different. And I’m going to lean into that. Different doesn’t always mean worse. That’s a hard lesson I’ve had to accept this year because, like many of you, I am a creature of habit, especially when it comes to the traditions that surround this time of year. I love the holiday season, it is hands down the absolute best time of the year. And even though we may be spending less time with the people we love this year, we can still connect. Host a gift exchange through the mail, set up FaceTime calls with loved ones, put Zoom to use for something other than meetings and work. Though it won’t be the same, it can still be a really exciting time. Grab your kids and whip up some goodies. Drive by friends’ and neighbors’ homes and do porch drop-offs with treats! We have to embrace that “life is what you make it” this year. So, let’s see that spirit, friends. Good things can still come out of this year!
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With a little encouragement from Mom, Lennox Lowry turns her frown upside down!
ACTIVITIES
Unwrapping a new idea:
THE CHRISTMAS ORNAMENT EXCHANGE
Last year, I pulled together an ornament exchange with 20 friends. Some were close friends, and some were friends Brittany Gilbert from social media Brittany Gilbert is a former who liked the FACS teacher at Maumelle High School. She and her idea and wanted husband, Levi, have three to participate. children and live in Conway. My idea was Brittany can be reached at specific. I wanted b.gilbert37@gmail.com. to create Jesse Tree ornaments to symbolize each day leading up to Christmas starting on Dec. 1. Because I only gathered 20 friends, some of us created more than one design. This was special because each of us wanted a set of ornaments to tell the story that meant so much to us, but the expense of both time and money was just too great to do it on our own. This is a great idea for a year when extended family and friend time has been limited. A personal holiday ornament from someone you love is so special. It doesn’t have to be as specific as mine, but here are some ideas to help you if you wanted to organize something for yourself or a group. For my exchange, everyone unwrapped an ornament every day for 25 days. Because there were 20 families participating, each person had to make 20 ornaments with their one design. This helps with cost so that you are
only purchasing the materials you need for one design (In our case, some did two designs). So, keep in mind that each person will make one design and will duplicate for however many people participate. Maybe you don’t want to do something specific like Advent or a Jesse Tree. You could do the 12 days of Christmas or a design for your favorite Christmas carol or movie. However, an ornament exchange doesn’t need a theme. You could give your participants free reign to create whatever they want. For my exchange, uniformity was important to me, so we all purchased the same wooden ornaments as our base. They were ordered from Amazon, and most of the participants went in on a bulk order and saved money. Outside of the base, families could do whatever they wanted for the design of their ornament. There were families who did everything by hand and some who used modern technology. I personally love having a mix of both because I can see each person’s personality in their design.
the ornament that day, we could pray for that family or talk about how special they are to us. It was a sweet moment with our children to see the effort our friends put into a special treasure. We even have a special tree just for these ornaments. Ornament exchanges are nothing new, but consider getting your hands a little dirtier this time by creating your own. There’s something so special about putting in the time and effort to make something homemade. Whether you decide to make it a family ornament exchange where your larger family creates something to exchange at your Christmas party or you organize a system with a larger amount of people (acquaintances, friends, family, etc.), there are so many options to make this really special and something you’ll remember forever.
Don’t forget to get the children involved! Give them jobs so they feel some ownership in this project. No job is too small and no child too young or old. I had to use a sharp knife in my ornament making, but my kids helped with gluing, counting, cutting string and even spray painting. On the back of the ornament, each family put their name, so that when we unwrapped
The Gilberts joined 20 other families to create homemade Jesse Tree ornaments. The ornaments will now be used every year. Holidays 2020 501lifemag.com | 13
A Very Crafty
Christmas Kellie Bishop Kellie Bishop is a pediatric nurse practitioner at Central Arkansas pediatrics in Conway. She lives in Plumerville with her husband, Greg, their son and two dogs. She obtained her bachelor’s degree in nursing at the University of Central Arkansas and her master’s and doctorate degrees in pediatric primary care at UAMS.
It is the most wonderful time of the year, but it may look quite a bit different in 2020. There may not be as many large holiday gatherings or community events to attend. However, there are many activities you can do at home to enjoy time as a family. Children of all ages like creating things while also spending time with family. Here are some ideas of crafts that your family can create together this holiday season. Adults: If you’re comfortable with a hot glue gun, this would be useful when applying the pipe cleaners in these crafts. Always warn children about hot glue guns and don’t leave them within reach of young children.
How to make a reindeer or Santa jar Reindeer: You’ll need a small jar with lid, craft glue, brown/gold glitter, red pom poms, brown pipe cleaners. Take a small glass jar with a lid and coat it in craft glue or Mod Podge. • Roll the jar in brown/gold glitter and allow the glitter to dry. Use the glue to apply googly eyes to the front of the jar and to attach a small red pom pom as a nose. Use glue to apply brown pipe cleaners shaped to look like antlers to the sides of the jar’s lid. Santa: You’ll need a small jar with lid, craft glue, scissors, red glitter, white and black construction paper. • Roll the jar in red glitter and allow it to dry. Use glue to apply a rectangular strip of black construction paper around the jar as Santa’s belt and to apply a square with the center cut out from white construction paper as the belt buckle.
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Holiday character candy pots To create two pots, you’ll need two, small terra cotta flower pots, glue, medium to large googly eyes, two red pom poms, brown pipe cleaners, scissors and red and black construction paper. • Take a small brown flowerpot and use glue to apply googly eyes and a small red pom pom as a nose. Or, you can make a Santa flowerpot by using the items listed above. • Use glue to apply brown pipe cleaners shaped to look like antlers to the inside of the flowerpot, rising from the top as the reindeer’s antlers. • Fill the pot with your favorite holiday candy, such as chocolates or seasonal candies. Your child can give this as a gift.
Tea light snowmen You’ll need battery-operated tea lights, black paint and small brushes (or a Sharpie black marker which is permanent), a small piece of ribbon, glue, scissors and black construction paper. • Take a battery-operated tea light and use black paint on a small paintbrush to put black dots onto the top of the tea light. The flame in the center of the light is going to be the nose. Paint 2 dots just above and on either side of the flame as the eyes. Paint 4 to 5 dots in a rounded shape under the flame as the mouth. If you don’t have paint, a permanent black marker would also work. • Use glue to apply a small piece of ribbon to the bottom of the light as a scarf. • Cut out a black top hat from construction paper and use glue to apply it to the top of the tea light. • Turn the light on and see the snowman with an illuminated nose.
Pinecone Christmas trees You’ll need a pinecone, green paint and brush, scissors, a small cork, glue and
yellow construction paper. • Take a pinecone from the yard or park. • Paint the ends of each pinecone wing green. • Use glue to apply a small cork to the bottom of the pinecone as the tree stump. • Cut out a small star from construction paper and use glue to apply it to the top of the pinecone.
These are just a few ideas of simple crafts your family can do together this holiday season to help stimulate your child’s creativity while also following recommended health guidelines and making memories with your family. I hope everyone has a great holiday season filled with quality time with those you love!
2020 children’s gift ideas: Arts and craft supplies • Books/Joke book • Blocks and other building toys Board games • Dress-up costumes • Educational toys Outdoor items, like balls, hula hoops, bubbles Puzzles • Personalized items A tent - and teach them how to set it up!
Gift certificates for experiences: • Music or art lessons • Personal training in specific areas of sports • Tickets to a play/movie gift card • A day at the museum • A subscription to a magazine for kids
Holidays 2020 501lifemag.com | 15
We hope you ““nd” all you are looking for this Holiday Season... WE WISH YOU ALL A