6 minute read
Your Kids
BY MINDY SPRADLIN
It’s Christmas break and the kids are home! Well, in some cases, your kids have been home for quite a while! But at least during the holidays, no zoom and asynchronous learning is on the agenda so now is the time to try your hand at some DIY fun activities for you and the kiddos to do together. What could be better than hot cocoa bombs?!
You’ve probably already noticed that these are ALL THE RAGE this holiday season! Try making them with the kids, and I think you’ll have a blast! Below is a basic recipe, but you can add all sorts of fun into the mix by adding rainbow marshmallows, sprinkles, peppermint pieces, or just about anything that would be delicious in hot cocoa!
Enjoy this special time off where everyone can enjoy getting into the holiday spirit at home!
SUPPLIES • Sphere Mold (can be found on Amazon or locally at a craft or baking store) • Plate (that can be heated) • Spoon
INGREDIENTS • Milk Chocolate Melting Wafers or
Sweetened Baking Chocolate or even
Chocolate Chips • Mini Marshmallows • Hot Chocolate Mix (Store-bought such as
Swiss Miss or homemade)
INSTRUCTIONS Melt Chocolate - Melt chocolate in a microwave safe bowl in short, fifteen second, increments, stirring in between, until fully melted. Fill Molds - Add a heaping tablespoon of melted chocolate into each cavity of the sphere mold. Use the back of a teaspoon to spread the chocolate evenly until the sides of each cavity are completely covered. Turn upside down over parchment paper to shake out excess if needed. Freeze - Place mold in the freezer for seven-eight minutes to set. Remove - Turn over the molds and gently press the center of each cavity to release the chocolate from the mold. Place, cavity side up, on a baking sheet. Fill - Fill ½ of the spheres with one tbsp of hot chocolate mix along with one-two tbsp of mini marshmallows. Seal - Place a microwave-safe plate in the microwave just long enough to warm. Take an empty sphere, edge side down, and place on the warm plate to lightly melt the edge. Place the melted edge on top of one of the filled spheres and press together to seal to form a full ball. Remember to handle the chocolate as little as possible so your hands do not begin to melt it. Adorn - If you desire to decorate the top of the ball with drizzled chocolate or sprinkles or anything else, go for it! Set - Freeze for five minutes, and then store at room temperature. Make these for yourself or to give to others. They are great gifts! Watch your children light up with delight as you pour hot milk over the top of them, and they slowly begin to melt away, revealing the delicious surprises inside!
MINDY SPRADLIN Your Kids
Mindy Hyatt Spradlin is a native of Williamson County, a mom of four, and an outspoken advocate for children. She is an entrepreneur, owning and running Little Sprouts Upscale Consignment Sale, as well as a top leader with doTERRA Essential Oils. #1
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Community Youth to Perform in Televised Premiere of Nashville’s Nutcracker
The televised premiere of Nashville’s Nutcracker, presented by Nashville Ballet and in partnership with Nashville’s CBS affiliate NewsChannel 5, will feature youth cast members from middle Tennessee alongside Nashville Ballet’s company dancers. The fulllength, televised performance sponsored by the Tennessee Titans, will feature an introduction and narration by former Tennessee Titan Eddie George, and will replace the previously scheduled in-theater production at TPAC’s Jackson Hall out of an abundance of caution amid COVID-19.
Each year, the youth cast for Nashville’s Nutcracker includes over 200 members ages eight and up from both the School of Nashville Ballet and the surrounding community. Due to COVID-19, this year’s cast was selected from the Academy division at School of Nashville Ballet in place of open auditions.
“This was a big opportunity for our Academy students this year,” said School of Nashville Ballet Academy Principal Kate Linsley. “Our students are used to performing in Nashville’s Nutcracker at TPAC every December but preparing for a performance during the pandemic required immense commitment from our students, our faculty, and their families. I am so proud of how our School of Nashville Ballet community has adapted over the last several months and we are thrilled that our students will be featured in the film.”
This year’s youth cast from Williamson County includes: • William Barton as a Party Boy, Kai Carter-Sullivan as a Party Boy, Mariana Dominguez as a Party Girl, Emerson Rose Duke as a Baby Mouse, Carly Graham as a Party Girl, Catherine Graves as a Commodore Cavalry, Anna Caroline Henry as a Frontier Soldier, Amelia Johnson as a Commodore Cavalry, Victoria “Winnie” Jones as a Lamb, Alyssa Shave as a Russian Nesting Doll, Anna Sloan as a Frontier Soldier and Madeleine Stillwell as a Lamb.
Nashville Nutcracker’s two-hour performance will feature new and creative ways to engage audiences (such as George’s introduction and narration), as they take a sparkling—and safe, socially distant— journey through the Land of the Sweets 60 HOLIDAY 2020 and Music City’s past. In the midst of these unprecedented times, Nashville Ballet hopes that viewers will find comfort in enjoying this classic holiday tradition in a new and safe way.
Nashville Ballet completed filming for the televised premiere within its 12,000-square-foot warehouse in early October on a sound stage that was specifically constructed for this event. Under continued consultation with a team of trusted medical advisors, close collaboration with the Metro Nashville Public Health Department, and guidance from the CDC and Tennessee Department of Health, Nashville Ballet instituted numerous policies to ensure the process was completed in the safest way possible.
Nashville Ballet is the largest professional ballet company in Tennessee. Nashville Ballet and the second company, NB2 (a pre-professional training company), provide more than 55,000 arts experiences to adults and children annually through season performances and its Community Engagement programming. Curriculum-based Community Engagement programs bring dance education to community centers, colleges, public libraries, and public elementary, middle, and high schools across the state. School of Nashville Ballet brings world-class dance instruction to students age two and up. To learn more about Nashville Ballet, please visit nashvilleballet.com.
Nashville Ballet receives public funding from Metro Arts, Tennessee Arts Commission, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Contributions from local, regional, and national institutional funders and community partners, as well as hundreds of generous individuals, provide ongoing support of Nashville Ballet’s mission-critical programs.
