• Business and Finance
• Family
• Computers and Internet
• Auto and Trucks
• Education
• Health
• Hobbies
• Home Improvement
• Legal
• Marketing

• Home
• Arthur's Articles Home
• Browse Categories
• Browse Authors
• Submit an Article
• Search for Articles

Home » Family Articles » Teach Youngsters The Meaning Of Christmas With 5 Sensory Activities

Teach Youngsters the Meaning of Christmas With 5 Sensory Activities

Christmas is about family. Here is a collection of five crafts that you can make as a family to teach the true meaning and symbols of Christmas. Children will learn to identify Christmas using their five senses: sight, sound, smell, taste and touch. Pick and choose the activities you think your family will best enjoy, and spread them throughout the season. Start new traditions. Most importantly, use the activities to talk as a family.

Sight Activities

Take a Christmas Lights Drive: Pile everyone in the van after dark and tour your city or a nicely decorated neighborhood. Some cities will have a town center that will be lit up. Ask your children which decorations are their favorites and why. Talk about how the twinkling lights resemble the stars. Remind them that on the night Jesus was born a new star shone in the sky, announcing his birth to the whole world. Even people in different countries knew the Christ-child was born, and some wise men traveled to find him.

Sound Activities

Christmas Caroling: Delight your neighbors by singing on their doorsteps, or just gather around the piano and sing as a family. You may even attend a community "sing-in," or another recital, or watch one on TV. Christmas carols and caroling have a somewhat obscure history. Indeed, in many countries any jovial celebrating of the holiday was outlawed until the 1700s! Caroling can be traced back to England around this period, and it was a community event. Groups would go house to house, singing in exchange for eggnog or wassail. Caroling fosters a feeling of community as we reach out to others and spread joy. Some of the most popular carols to sing are Silent Night, Jingle Bells, and We Wish you a Merry Christmas.

Smell Activities

Trim the tree: Like holly, the evergreen reminds us that life will come again. The pine aroma fills our heart and mind with hopes of the year to come. If you use an artificial tree in your home, you can take your children on a walk through a Christmas tree lot. You can hang a swag, or even a branch with a fragrant pinecone.

Taste Activities

Peppermint Candy Canes: As you enjoy a candy cane with your family, point out the symbols of the shepherd's crook, and the colors. Red represents Jesus' sacrifice, and white is for his purity. When turned upside-down, the shape also becomes a "J," which can also be a reminder that Christmas is a time to remember Jesus. The mint flavoring also has seasonal significance. Hyssop, a plant in the mint family, was used in Old Testament times to purify (or cleanse) oneself. Peppermint might now remind us of Jesus' purity.

Touch Activities

Snow Angels: After a good snowfall, bundle everyone up and walk to the park or your own backyard. Demonstrate how to make snow angels by falling backward into a fresh bank. Sweep straightened arms and legs back and forth to create the wings and gown of the angel. Stand up carefully and admire everyone's work. When the family is back indoors talk about the angel Gabriel's visit to Mary, when she found out she would soon give birth to the baby Jesus. Also talk about the angel who visited the shepherds on the night Jesus was born. He said to them, "Fear not, for I bring good tidings of great joy!" Although Christ was not really born in December, it is the time chosen to celebrate his birth. During the winter all the plants seem dead, but after Christmas the world gets closer to spring when all the flowers come back to life. Jesus' birth was a promise that everyone who followed him would also live after death.

And here is another random article you might be interested in...

Turning Away From The Basics

"The basics" are what turn:

• A baby into a toddler
• A young man or woman into an adult
• Minor leaguers into major leaguers
• Amateurs into professionals in every walk of life

Babies see everyone around them walking and talking. They want to be just like the rest, so they try and try until they learn how to walk and talk Young men & women are taught that it's the "right thing to do" to keep their hair neat, wear clean clothes, don't swear (at least in public) and write thank you notes when they are given gifts. It's these basics like that help them mature into adults. Athletes know they must work out every single day refining the basics, before they can truly become a professional.

So why do we turn away from basics when it comes to our investment portfolio?

We watch a stock go up week after week and only THEN do we decide we "gotta have that!" Or, "I lost money the last few months, so I'm going to sit this out for a while."

Or, we watch a stock in our account drop and drop and drop and think to ourselves, "it'll come back...someday" or "the market will bail us out of this one" or the worst of all "well, I'm a long term investor." Yeah, right!

So, here are two basic steps to help you:

1. Write It Down!

We usually write down why we initially purchased a stock. We like to ask new clients why they bought a particular stock. Many simply cannot tell us why. Whether the reason is fundamental, technical or simply a "special situation," it's important to keep that reason in front of you while you are in a stock. If that reason changes, then you are better off, in almost all cases to sell the stock and move into another investment.

So write it down. Just jot down the reason you decided to buy that stock. Do it! Because when it comes time to decide whether to hang in there or sell, you'll have the reason you bought right in front of you. If the story has changed, then it may be time to sell. Like sending thank you notes and saying "please," it's a basic thing, yet very few do it today!

Why don't you write down your reasons? We can think of a few:

• Many of us today are usually in a hurry
• Many get tips from a friend (who doesn't give you a reason why to buy, except they said "it was the greatest thing since sliced bread"?)
• Their broker or advisor told them to do it, and they've done pretty well (except for that "belly lint.com" stock a few years back)

So you don't ask for the reason. YOU NEED TO FIND OUT THAT REASON!

So write down why you bought a stock. This will give you a better chance of not losing money. Write It Down!

2. Sell On The Way Up!

Doesn't it just absolutely kill you to see the stock you bought at $50 go up to $72 (a 44% gain), and you didn't sell? And today it is $41...and you are wondering what to do? ("Gee, only 8 more points and I'm even!" By the way, 8 points in this example means 16%, which can be a long lonely way to go.)

When we buy a stock, often we will set stop orders...at the time we buy...to sell a portion of the stock when it is 25% higher. For example, when we buy 300 shares a stock, we will place an order to sell 100 shares, or 1/3rd of the position, when the stock gets 25% above what we paid for it. And then we will likely discuss placing another order to sell some more shares when we are 50% above the original purchase price. You have to have a game plan in place...or prepare to be swung around by the market.

Likewise, we also have our system alert us when we are down 10% in a stock. At that point, we discuss the original REASONS WHY WE BOUGHT THE STOCK. If the situation has changed, we need our exit strategy. If the story is intact, we still consider what our actions will be if the stock continues to drop and what to do.

Funny how we never seem to get away from basics. Remember your momma telling you to stand up straight, eat your vegetables, wash your hands, and say "please" and "thank you?" Keep in mind that basics can make or break your portfolio!

To learn more of the basics we utilize when monitoring YOUR investments, call us, toll free at 877-223-7300. Or visit our website at www.mullooly.net.