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New Thrifty Gifty - Organised for Christmas and all ocassions 2010- Santas Challenges

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  • mum2one
    mum2one Posts: 16,279 Forumite
    Xmas Saver!
    Hi Nicky

    Can't take credit for these, as I pulled from the 2009 thread......

    Dry days

    1. Walk in the country or near some fields.Collect some leaves or twigs or anything else you find exciting.
    2.Lie on a blanket.. What shapes can you see in the clouds ?
    3. Take some pictures. ( This one is great, i let Ben borrow my digital camera and he took some fantastic photos..but a disposible one would work too)
    4.Have a picnic or a teddies tea party
    5. Go for a bike ride
    6. Draw a plant or a flower
    7. Plant some seeds

    Wet days ... Well as in UK we have nice wet summers

    1. Make a collage or picture from leaves
    2. Make clouds... These can be pictures using cotton wool or Meringues
    3. Make salt dough.. I will find a receipe for this for you all
    4. Watch a film then write about it
    5. Have a pamper day.. Do your hair,paint your nails and have a face mask ( not very good for boys
    6.Read a book then write about it
    7. Decorate a cake. This can be one you make or buy
    8. Family tree. These can be as little or as big as you want ( Great way to get the grandparents to watch the kids for a few hours )
    9. Coin rubbing... Really easy this one a piece of paper ontop of a coin then rub over it with a pencil or wax crayon.
    10. Make a paperbag puppet. This came be made into loads of different animals. I will see if i can find some templates
    11. Make a sock puppet. Again these can be made as weird or wonderful as you want
    12. Perform a puppet show, You can use your paper bag or sock puppets
    13. Star in a pop video... Wear your best party gear, do your hair. Pop on your favorite tune. Then magically you become youre favorite pop star !! Ask someone to eith camcorder it or record it on a phone.

    I found it worked well so i added a days out one too
    Such as visit local zoo or nature reserve. Trip to the cinema.. A game of bowling.

    We also scrapbook the summer holidays/ activities we do
    You can get a scrapbook for 99p from Wilco or other stores or even use white a4 paper.
    Everything goes in there. If we go into town on the bus we add bus tickets and i get the kids to write a little bit about what they did today
    Its a fantastic way of making those little memories that stay with a child for a lifetime
    xx rip dad... we had our ups and downs but we’re always be family xx
  • mum2one
    mum2one Posts: 16,279 Forumite
    Xmas Saver!
    • Treasure Map Challenge (follow the map to find some treats!)
    • One for the girls - collect flowers and dry them out along with some fruit (such as oranges) to make your own pot pouri
    • Scout around the local area and make your own wall map
    • Take out some nature books from the library and use the "keys" to try to identify the plants/flowers/trees in your local park.

    Wet Days
    • Use a big piece of cardboard to make your own board game. When I was around 12 years old I made one with my sister based on a "Lord of the Rings" theme (I loved the Hobbit at the time) and the end was a picture of the Dragon with lots of treasure.
    • Design and perform your own dance routine
    • Script and perform your own play (a huge fav of mine when I was a kid) I used to film my cousins performances using my uncle's video recorder
    • Design your own calendar (using photos/stickers and drawings) - great for Christmas presents!
    • Little kids can make their own musical instruments using seeds/dried rice and paper plates (taped together) , paper cups taped together, empty plastic bottles or tupperware bowls etc
    • Use a blank notebook or scrap book and various photos of children/family members/friends to let them write and illustrate their very own imaginative story
    Make modelling dough to create your own sculptures (or a bowl for your pot pourri - see above!).
    xx rip dad... we had our ups and downs but we’re always be family xx
  • mum2one
    mum2one Posts: 16,279 Forumite
    Xmas Saver!
    Inside Play
    Read a book
    Write & illustrate a story
    Salt dough models
    Paint salt dough models (after baked)
    Cook biscuits
    Bake a cake & decorate it
    Make sweets/truffles
    Make a sock puppet
    Put on a play with the puppets
    Make a collage picture
    Alter some clothing (fabric pens/paints/gems etc)
    Do some stamping with paint
    Make a sun catcher (black card frame and tissue paper)
    Make a scratch picture (colour paper in with wax crayon, cover in black paint, leave to dry then scratch picture in, revealing wax crayon below)
    Make some beads & jewelery (paper beads, fimo beads)
    Finger print pictures
    Make some bread & then make into shapes/animals etc

    Outside
    Body painting (paint with feet, hands etc)
    Bubble paint
    Picnic out with football, kite etc
    Plant some seeds
    Paddling pool out
    Go blackberry picking
    Library trip
    Breakfast in the park (it gets busy later on so early morning is perfect to have a play)
    Water play (bowls, water guns etc)
    Papermache bowl
    Papermache piggy bank (made from balloon, loo roll & papermache)
    Glass painting
    Take a walk to visit family
    Explore the town park/countryside
    xx rip dad... we had our ups and downs but we’re always be family xx
  • mum2one
    mum2one Posts: 16,279 Forumite
    Xmas Saver!
    [FONT=&quot]1.Write numbers from 1 to 100. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]2.Find an object in your house that begins with each letter of the alphabet. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]3.Write 10 sentences. Use a number word in each sentence. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]4.Make something in the kitchen involving the use of measuring cups. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]5.Go outside and find things for every colour of the rainbow. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]6.Write a story about your pet or a pet you would like to have. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]7.Write a letter to someone.[/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]8.Write the names of five friends, now make as many words using the letters of their names as you can. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]9.Make a scrapbook of animal pictures. You might want to choose an animal you like. See if you can find some old magazines or calendars to look for the pictures. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]10.Read a story to someone. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]11.Count the money in your wallet or ask mum or dad to give you some coins to count. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]12.Keep a journal of what you do during the Summer. Write in it at least 2 times each week.[/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]13.Write numbers from 101 to 300. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]14.Write the alphabet three times in your best cursive writing. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]15.Go outside. Find things for the sense of touch, things that are smooth, rough, prickly, sharp, hard, soft, dry, wet, etc. Make a log book of what you discover. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]16.Correctly spell as many colour words as you can, try some of the harder ones too like turquoise and burgundy. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]17.Write numbers by 5’s to 100 and then to 1000. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]18.Make little signs to name things in your room. Put them up in your room. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]19.Draw a picture of something outside. Write 5 or more sentences about it. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]20.Write all the number facts that will add to 10. (6 + 4 = 10, etc. ) [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]21.Go on a nature hike. Collect things and put them in a picture. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]22.Pretend you are a giant. Write a short story about it. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]23.Write numbers from 301 to 500. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]24.Cut out words from the newspaper - one for each letter of the alphabet [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]25.Use the letters in the word UNITED KINGDOM to write as many words as you can.
    .
    [/FONT]

    [FONT=&quot]26. Find a recipe that uses a colour word in it's title and help your mom or dad make it. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]27. Count out loud to 1000 [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]28.Write 10 sentences. Use a colour word in each sentence. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]29.Write numbers by 2’s to 100 (2, 4, 6...) [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]30.Write a fairy tale. Then read it to someone younger than you. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]31.Write a poem about the weather, an animal or a plant.. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]32.Plant something outside or help take care of a garden. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]33.Imagine that you have an alligator as a pet. Write a story about it. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]34.Cut apart the squares of a comic strip. Mix them up. Rearrange them in the correct order and then rearrange them into a funny mixed up story. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]35.Compare your bike with a friend’s bike. How are the alike? How are they different? Then do a safety check on both bikes.[/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]36.Make a sandwich. Cut it in half and then in fourths, see if you can cut it into eighths too.[/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]37.Make a list of everything you can find that is orange.[/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]38.Cut out words from a magazine. Make sentences out of them. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]39.With your parent's permission, find one person on your street who is elderly and offer to help them with their garden work one afternoon. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]40.Write any ten numbers between 1 to 100. Cut them out and mix them up. Arrange them again from smallest to largest. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]41.Cut out a picture from an old calendar. Cut it into puzzle pieces and then put it back together. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]42.Choose a flower out of your garden, learn everything you can about that flower. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]43.Make price tags for several objects in your room. Make some play money and use it to buy the things in your “play store.” [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]44.What would you do if you lived during the time of dinosaurs? Write a story about it. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]45.Write numbers from 501 to 700. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]46.Draw a map of your garden, put a treasure (a small box with a few treats) somewhere in your garden and mark it on your map. Invite your friends to try to find the treasure. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]47.Find objects around your home that begin with the sound SH . Draw a picture of each of them or have someone help you write them down. (sheets, shoe, etc.) [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]48.Write your name. Cut out each letter. Arrange the letters in A,B,C, order. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]49.Pick anywhere in the world and find out more about that place by going to the library or searching on the internet. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]50.Read 26 books, starting with a book in which the authors last name begins with A, and then B until you get to Z. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]51.Write numbers by 10’s to 500. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]52. Go to the library and check out some books about space. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]53.Go outside and find 3 different kinds of leaves. How are they alike and different? Try to find out what types of leaves they are. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]54.Write numbers from 701 to 1000. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]55.Go outside. Learn which direction is north, south, east, and west. Walk 10 steps north and then 5 steps west. Where are you? (Stay out of the street!) [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]56.Volunteer - ask your mom or dad to help you find someplace in your community where you can volunteer once or twice a week to help (places like the library, a veterinarian clinic, a senior's home). [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]57.Collect bottles from your neighborhood and donate the money to a local charity. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]58.Write all the names of animals you know and have a friend do the same thing. Who can write the most names in 5 minutes. Have your mom time you. .[/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]59.Find pictures of objects that when matched will make a compound word. Suggestions: a horse and a shoe: a nut and a shell; a tree and a house; a cow and a boy. etc.. Then have a younger relative try to match all the pictures. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]60.Look for rocks in your garden. See if you can find 10 unusual rocks. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]61.Visit 3 tourist spots in your hometown or area. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]62.Make a picture journal of your Summer. Each week take 3 or 4 pictures of some of the things you are doing and when you develop the film, put your photos into your journal and write a description about each picture. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]63.Find out if any of your local museums or libraries have any summer programs just for kids.[/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]64.Memorize a poem and recite it for your family, or have everyone in your family memorize a poem and have a family poetry night. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]65.Count out loud from 400 to 500. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]66.Have a game night each week with your family, try some indoor and outdoor games. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]67.Make a list of everything you can find that is the colour red. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]68.Make kites with your friends out of newspaper. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]69.Play the “What’s Missing?” game with someone. Find 5-10 objects inside your home. Arrange them on a tray. Have someone look at them for 5 seconds and then cover eyes while you take one of the items away. Can they guess what is missing? Then let your friend remove an item and you try to guess what is missing. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]70.Have a paper airplane contest, who can make a paper airplane that flies the furthest. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]71.Find a neat recipe for a dessert and have your mum or dad help you make it.. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]72.Write a thank you letter to someone who has done a great job or helped you in some way.[/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]73.Plan a picnic with your family, make up the list of items you want to take and games to play while on your picnic. Then help your mom and dad get things ready for the special day. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]74.Think about a job you might like to do when you grow up. Write a letter to someone who works in that job and ask them questions about their job. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]75.This is the year 2007. Write down 2007 words you can spell or read. You might want to work at this over a few days. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]76.Cut out food pictures from magazines. Make 4 category cards - Dairy Products, Meat, Fruit and Vegetable, and Bread and Cereal. Arrange the pictures under the correct category. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]77.Draw a map of your house and label all the exits you would use in case of a fire. Plan a meeting place with your family in case there ever was a fire and what talk about what you should do as well. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]78.Measure things in your house. Make up a chart. Measure the items by the length of your finger, hand and arm. Then try measuring using a ruler. Record the results. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]79.Play the “Direction Game.” Have someone tell you three directions and see if you can do them correctly and in the right order. Example: Clap your hands 5 times. Go look out the window. Write your name on a piece of paper. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]80.Make up some bubble solution and find some objects around the house to blow bubbles with, try some unique things using straws, string, and other objects. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]81.Practice the times table. Day 1 do the 1 times table, Day 2 do the 2 times table and go as many days as you can. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]82.Go to the library or look on the internet for a neat craft you could make. Ask your mum or dad to help you find all the materials. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]83.Sign up at your local library for their Summer Reading Program. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]84.Get a book about birds and spend one afternoon seeing how many birds you can identify that live in your backyard. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]85.With your mum or dad's help, go through your old books and donate them to a hospital for sick kids to be able to read. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]86.With your mum or dad's help find some "good" old toys and clothes and donate them to a shelter in your town. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]87.On a piece of paper write the dates for 20 days during the Summer months. Beside each date write the name of a fruit or vegetable you ate on that date. See if you can have 20 different fruits or vegetables on your list. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]88.Choose a sport you like. Either find a way you can play that sport or write a list of new things you have learned about it. [/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]89.Write a letter to your last teacher. Tell your teacher the best things about your class last year. Give your teacher one new idea you think next year's class would like to learn. Take the letter to school on your first day back to give to your "old" teacher. If they have moved away, ask the school's secretary if they could send the letter to your "old" teacher for you.[/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]90. Write all the number facts that will add to eighteen.[/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]91.Lay down a blanket in the backyard and go star gazing.[/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]92.Plant a sunflower seed and keep a journal about how it is growing.[/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]93.Create a sculpture using rubbish.[/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]94.Write a play and have family and friends perform it.[/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]95.Get a skipping rope and count how many times you can skip without missing. Try it again. Can you beat your record?[/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]96.Make a list of 10 things you could NEVER do in the summer.[/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]97.Make a list of 10 things you could NEVER do in the winter.[/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]98.Write a joke and tell your mum or dad the joke.[/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]99.Pretend to be a pirate and imagine an adventure.[/FONT]
    [FONT=&quot]100.Write an adventure story and read it to a younger child.[/FONT]
    xx rip dad... we had our ups and downs but we’re always be family xx
  • mum2one
    mum2one Posts: 16,279 Forumite
    Xmas Saver!
    Fingerprints poem

    Fingerprints poem

    There used to be so many
    Of my fingerprints to see
    On furniture and walls and things
    From sticky grubby me

    But if you stop and think a while
    You'll see i'm growing fast
    Those little handprints disappear
    They can't bring back whats passed

    So here's a small reminder
    To keep, not wipe away
    Of tiny hands and how they looked
    To make you smile some day

    xx rip dad... we had our ups and downs but we’re always be family xx
  • esmer
    esmer Posts: 1,444 Forumite
    mary-op wrote: »
    Hello all :j
    esmer - are you in scotland ? I've heard theres been snowfalls up there. We've still got snow laying fairly thick and its frozen solid. Heatings been on all day and I'm still cold :eek: Wish it would go away. I'm worried about getting to the hospital next week with OH for his appt. if its still like this:(

    yeah in Scotland...... in the central belt. And all the roads are just one HUGE carpark. poor people might be stuck overnight. and its going to be -12 tonight. I had to walk to wee-ones nursery to get her, as the road was jammed solid. :eek:
    Saving 2.00 coins
    Grocerys set to 40.00 pw
    Being Thrifty
  • mary-op
    mary-op Posts: 3,605 Forumite
    esmer - those poor people stuck like that. OH just told me it was -12 here last night..............I know it was blessed cold - I woke up wee small hours I was so cold. Oh I shall be glad when its all gone. I can cope with cold up to a point but freezing ice rinks I can't. Thank goodness OH can manage the short walk into town so anything I need he can get me. Not the same as being able to have a look round myself though.
    Least the schools are open and main roads are ok in and out of the town. It's the side roads like ours that are so dodgy.........I wouldn't dare chance it.
    Keep well wrapped up.:)
    I would be unstoppable if only I could get started !

    (previously known as mary43)
  • NickyBo_2
    NickyBo_2 Posts: 931 Forumite
    Thank you all SO much, what a load of different ideas! I'll definitely have enough to fill a jar now :T. I'm printing them out onto different colour paper, possibly organising it so that all the 'outdoor' ones are on one colour, all art/craft ones on another etc.

    I'm really excited about making it now, all those ideas have helped so much :D.
    Making money for Christmas 2012!
  • esmer
    esmer Posts: 1,444 Forumite
    Anybody watching Kirsty and Phils christmas on CH4 just now?
    Saving 2.00 coins
    Grocerys set to 40.00 pw
    Being Thrifty
  • diddly74
    diddly74 Posts: 821 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 500 Posts Name Dropper Combo Breaker
    I am not allowed control of the remote! :( The Footie is on and its his team
    Donna
    Economy; careful management; providence. Whether you call it thrifty or frugality it all comes down to getting more for your money.
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