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Tuesday, December 9, 2025

Free paint by number Christmas worksheet

Monday, December 8, 2025

How to Make Salt Dough Ornaments (AKA the Easiest Christmas Craft Ever)

If you’re stuck inside on a snowy day and want something fun, creative, and actually Instagram-worthy, salt dough ornaments are where it’s at.

They’re super cheap to make, easy to customize, and they last forever — like, “find them in a Christmas bin 10 years later and still smile” forever.

Let’s get into it. 👇

🌟 What You Need (You Probably Already Have This Stuff)

2 cups flour
1 cup salt
1 cup warm water
A mixing bowl
Rolling pin
Cookie cutters (or just cut shapes with a knife)
Straw or toothpick (to poke the hole for hanging)
Baking sheet
Paint, markers, glitter, ribbon — whatever you want to decorate with

That’s literally it. No fancy ingredients. No running to the store in a blizzard.

🌀 Step 1: Make the Dough

Mix the flour and salt in a bowl.
Slowly add the warm water while stirring.

When it starts coming together, switch to using your hands and knead it like you're making bread.
You want the dough to be smooth and not sticky.

If it’s too sticky → add a little flour.
If it’s too dry → add a tiny splash of water.

Boom. Dough done.

🍪 Step 2: Roll It Out & Cut Your Shapes

Sprinkle some flour on your table or counter so it doesn’t stick.

Roll the dough to about ¼ inch thick — not too thin, not too chunky.

Use cookie cutters to make shapes like:

stars
trees
snowmen
gingerbread people
hearts
dinosaur shapes (because why not?)

No cookie cutters? Use a knife or trace around a cup to make circles.

IMPORTANT: Use a straw or toothpick to poke a little hole at the top so you can hang it later.

🔥 Step 3: Bake Them

Place your shapes on a baking sheet.

Bake at:

250°F (120°C) for 2–3 hours

Low and slow works best so they dry out evenly.

They’re done when they feel hard and dry.
Let them cool completely before painting.

🎨 Step 4: Decorate Like a Pro

This is the fun part — make them YOUR style.

You can decorate with:

Acrylic paint
Permanent markers
Glitter glue
Puffy paint
Nail polish (yep, teens use it all the time)
Stickers
Fake snow spray

Once everything is dry, tie a ribbon or string through the hole and hang it on your tree.

💡 Cool Ideas for What to Do With Them

Salt dough ornaments aren’t just for your tree. Try these:

1. Make Personalized Gifts

Put someone’s name or the year on it. Boom — instant meaningful gift.

2. Handprint or Footprint Keepsakes

Perfect for little kids or pets. It’s adorable AND hilarious.

3. Turn Them Into Gift Tags

Write a name on the ornament and tie it onto a wrapped present.

4. Make a Christmas Garland

String a bunch together and hang it across a doorway or fireplace.

5. Paint Them Like Your Favorite Characters

Think:

Grinch
Olaf
Santa
Baby Yoda
Sonic (for Lex & Julian 😉)

6. Use Them as Room Decor

Hang them on door knobs, bulletin boards, or around your window.

🎁 Final Thoughts

Salt dough ornaments are one of those crafts that look fancy but are secretly super easy.
They’re perfect for snow days, family time, or just something creative to do when you need a break from screens.

Plus — every ornament you make becomes a little memory you’ll keep year after year.

Sunday, December 7, 2025

How to Make a Gingerbread House at Home (Easy Guide for Beginners!)

Making a gingerbread house at home is way easier than it looks — seriously. You don’t need to be a pro baker, and you don’t need fancy tools. If you can follow a recipe and have a little patience, you can build something awesome (and tasty!) from scratch.

Here’s your step-by-step guide to making a gingerbread house at home, from mixing the dough all the way to decorating like a holiday champ.

⭐ What You Need (Ingredients)

Gingerbread Dough

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground ginger
1 tablespoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
½ teaspoon cloves
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
½ cup brown sugar
1 cup molasses
1 egg

Homemade Royal Icing (the glue!)

3 cups powdered sugar
2 egg whites or 4 tablespoons meringue powder + 6 tablespoons water
½ teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

Optional Decorations

Use whatever you love:

Gumdrops
Mini candy canes
M&Ms
Sprinkles
Chocolate chips
Pretzels
Marshmallows
Cereal (like Cheerios or Rice Krispies)

🏠 Step 1: Make the Gingerbread Dough

In a medium bowl, mix all the dry ingredients (flour, spices, salt, baking soda).
In a second bowl, beat the butter and brown sugar until it’s creamy.
Add the molasses and egg and mix again.
Slowly add the dry ingredients into your wet mixture.
When the dough comes together, form it into a ball, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate it for at least 1 hour (this makes it easier to roll).

🍪 Step 2: Roll Out the Dough & Cut Your House Pieces

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
Roll the dough on parchment paper until it’s about ¼ inch thick.
Cut out your house pieces (2 walls, 2 roof pieces, and 2 end pieces).
- Free Templates Online: Search “free printable gingerbread house template” — hundreds of free ones exist and you can download, print, and lay the paper shapes on your dough.
Carefully move the parchment (with the dough cutouts still on it) onto a baking sheet.

🔥 Step 3: Bake the Gingerbread

Bake each tray for 12–15 minutes.
You want the pieces to be firm — not soft like cookies. They harden more as they cool.

Let everything cool completely before assembling (trust me, warm gingerbread collapses like Jenga!).

🍬 Step 4: Make Your Homemade Icing (Super Glue for Candy!)

This icing hardens like cement — exactly what you want.

Use a mixer to whip the egg whites (or water + meringue powder) until frothy.
Add powdered sugar slowly.
Add vanilla if you want flavor.
Beat until the icing is thick, glossy, and holds a peak when you lift the spoon.

Put the icing into:

A piping bag
Or a zip-top bag with a tiny corner snipped off

🛠️ Step 5: Build Your Gingerbread House

Start with the two walls and the back piece. Pipe icing along the edges and hold them together for about 20–30 seconds until they stick.
Add the front piece.
Let the whole frame sit for 10 minutes before adding the roof.
Add icing along the top edges and place the roof panels on.
Support them with cans or cups while they dry if needed.

Once it’s stable, you’re ready for the fun part…

🎄 Step 6: Decorate! Go Crazy With It

Use icing to glue candy anywhere you want:

Make gumdrop pathways
Use pretzels for a log-cabin vibe
Add cereal for shingles
Dust powdered sugar over everything like snow
Pipe icing icicles from the roof

There are no rules. If it looks fun, it’s perfect.

🙌 Final Tips

If a wall breaks, don’t panic — icing is literally edible glue. Patch it!
Let pieces dry longer if you want a super sturdy house.
Make extra dough so you can cut out gingerbread people or trees.

Saturday, December 6, 2025

Christmas Scavenger Hunt

Create a list of Christmas objects like different types of ornaments around the house and have your children search for them. A scavenger hunt will keep them occupied for hours, while working on problem-solving and language skills!

Ideas:

1. A red ornament

2. Something that jingles

3. A candy cane -or something shaped like one

4. A christmas movie DVD or streaming image on a screen

5. Something that smells like Christmas (Cinnamon,Candle, ect)

6. A stocking

7. A santa hat

8. A wrapped gift (real or empty box wrapped for decor)

9. Christmas lights (Plugged in or not)

10. A snowflake decoration

11. Something Green and fuzzy (A sweater, lanket ect)

12. A Christmas story book or story

13. A Holiday cookie or treat

14. A reindeer (toy, decoration, picture, ect)

15. A bell (Handbell, ornament, ect)

16. A mug with a winter or holiday design

17. A bow or a ribbon

18. A wreath (Front door or decorative)

19. A gift tag with someone's name on it)

20. A star (Tree topper or any star object)

Tuesday, January 8, 2019

Free art classes

Art for kids
Fun for kids

There is a YouTube channel called Art for Kids Hub that is a fantastic resource for kids to learn to draw.

They do several lessons each and every week

If you have a kid or kids who love to doodle or maybe you love to draw but could use some help getting pointed in the right direction check out this YouTube channel (It's free & fun)

Monday, April 29, 2013

Pre k worksheets

A a father of a beautiful little girl who is now a toddler my wife & I are overwhelmed with the responsibility of teaching her everything she needs to know to be ready for school in a few years.

This is where prekworksheets.org come into play.

They have printable worksheets for colors, numbers, animals, flashcards, tracing, 5 senses, and lots more.

Best of all it is totally free!

Friday, April 12, 2013

Money 101, Free financial classes

I am self employed so budgeting my cash is always a hassle. Every budgeting plan I have ever looked into has stumped me on the first question "What is your weekly income" well being self employed it varies. While playing around online I found a great source for free to help in your financial planning.

It is http://money.cnn.com/magazines/moneymag/money101/

23 lessons are available with a ton of info in each lesson

LESSON 1

Setting priorities

LESSON 2

Making a budget

LESSON 3

Basics of banking and saving

LESSON 4

Basics of investing

LESSON 5

Investing in stocks