Treehouse Holiday Fun – Part 1

It’s the Holidays. Things are a little crazy; relatives are coming over, you’ve got a million meals to cook and the kids have eaten way too much sugar and are bouncing off the walls. But somehow you have to keep your tot occupied. So here are a few fun ideas that’ll get you in the Holiday spirit and that are fun too!

Alright, it’s the middle of the morning and your tot is rearing to go (as usual!) How about a Holiday scavenger hunt to wear them out a little? This will take a little bit of pre-planning but it’s a fun activity to do with just you and your tot or maybe if you’re having a Holiday kids party too!

Treehouse Holiday Scavenger Hunt

1. Gather an assortment of things for your tot to find: print off some of Treehouse’s colouring pages<link>, purchase some cute Backyardigans plush toys or Max and Ruby Bouncers. Create some fun Holiday ornaments such some Dora figures out of plastercine or you can make little notes with messages such as “Play Feedin’ Time on Treehousetv.com”.

2. Now hide your little treats and gifts in various places around the house. Maybe be mindful too, if you have any pets, of them finding stuff.

3. Create little messages and rhymes that will lead your tot to the things you’ve hidden around the house. Creating these can be a lot of fun and you can give little hints on what sorts of stuff they might find. For example: “Three hops forward and one to the right – behind the chair is something fluffy and white.” And then maybe behind the chair is where your toddler finds a Max and Ruby plush toy!

Bake Some Holiday Cookies

“More cooking?” You might be saying in exhaustion. Okay, okay, yes more cooking. But this isn’t slaving over a hot oven to get the perfect gravy cooking. Baking some Holiday cookies can be some serious fun for you and your tot. Well, maybe not serious, but definitely fun. Try this recipe:

Sugar Cut-out cookies

1-1/4 teaspoons baking powder
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1 large egg
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla

1. First, beat the butter and sugar until fluffy. Separate it into two bowls and give your tot a spoon and let them mix one bowl while you do the other. Then combine them.

2. Then mix the egg and vanilla.

3. Add flour and baking powder in intervals until it’s all combined. Let your tot get their hands in there and help you mix it up!

4. Divide the dough into four equal parts, wrap it in plastic and refrigerate about an hour or until firm.

5. Preheat oven to 375F and lightly grease baking sheets or line with parchment paper or a non-stick baking mat. Probably a good idea to keep your child away from the oven at this point.

6. Help your toddler roll out dough between 2 sheets of waxed paper, about 1/4 inch thick for crispier cookies and 1/3 inch thick for softer cookies. Cut out shapes with cookie cutters and place on prepared baking sheets.

7. Bake for 7-8 minutes. For softer cookies, do not allow the cookies to take on color. Remove from oven, let cool for one minute and then transfer to wire rack. Can be stored in freezer undecorated for 2 months. Dough also freezes well.

8. Now it’s time to cut out shapes! You can either use Holiday cookie cutters available at most stores or cut them out yourself.

9. Try decorating them as your child’s favourite cartoon characters. You can make Dora the Explorer cookies – drawing her out with icing. Or maybe make cute Max and Ruby cut out cookies!

And now that the cookies for ready for eating – sit down with your toddler and enjoy some great Treehouse shows like the Are We There Yet? Christmas Market Premiere or Bob the Builder!

Keep your eye out next week for the continuation of this article – in Holiday Activities Part 2! We’ve got lots more for you!