by Stacey Schifferdecker

Have you heard the new Christmas song by Matthew West and Amy Grant called Give this Christmas Away? Every time I hear this song or see the video, it brings tears to my eyes.

The video is on the latest Veggie Tale DVD, St. Nicholas: A Story of Joyful Giving or you can see it on Youtube.

If you are inspired to give Christmas away, here are some ideas to help you get started. It may be too late to try some of these ideas this year, but you can get a head start on next year.

Fill a Shoebox

The Give this Christmas Away video features children receiving Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes through Samaritan's Purse. Operation Christmas Child is a great way you and your children can share God's love and the true story of Christmas with children from around the globe. All you do is wrap a shoebox (wrap the lid separately) and then fill it with toiletries, toys, and school supplies. You can choose whether you are filling a box for a boy or a girl and for what age. Then you just take your box to a local collection center; the website lists collection sites all over the United States and Canada. Samaritan's Purse asks that you include $7 per box to help with shipping costs. If you pay the $7 online, you can get a code to track where your box ends up.

Can You Spare a Dime?

You know that spare change you find on the floor, behind the sofa cushions, in the dryer, and at the bottom of your purse? Throw it all into a container throughout the year – you'll be surprised by how it adds up! In December, you can give the money to charity, buy a gift for Toys for Tots, or just dump it all in the Salvation Army kettle.

Give Your Time

Of course, one of the messages we want to send our children is that Christmas isn't all about gifts. Sharing gifts is awesome, but sharing time and love can have even more of an impact. Invite an older neighbor to join you and your children to make Christmas cookies or fudge. Offer to babysit so some young parents can go Christmas shopping or have a night out. Invite international students from your local college or university to join your family for Christmas dinner. Visit a nursing home and spend time with the residents, playing a game of checkers or painting the ladies' fingernails.

Share Your Talents

A couple years ago I took up knitting. I don't have much time to knit, but for a while I was whipping out quick scarves for everyone in my family. This year, my daughter has asked me to teach her to knit and to sew. If you have a talent like knitting, sewing, or baking, share those talents with others. Simple fleece blankets, scarves and hats are easy for young hands to help you with and are always welcome at homeless shelters in the winter.

Shop for Others

Do you go to any parties that have a gift exchange? It's fun to see the gifts people give each other, but do any of us really need the things we bring home? Instead, have a party where everyone brings gifts for a charity. You can still have the fun of exchanging and opening the gifts, but no one goes home with another bottle of lotion or Christmas ornament. For children, have a Birthday Party for Jesus and have the children bring baby items that you can give to a women's shelter. What are some ways you and your children have found to give Christmas away?

No part of this article may be copied or reproduced in any form without the express permission of More4Kids Inc © and All Rights Reserved

Beyond Santa Claus

• B is for Bethlehem
• God Gave us Christmas
• Room for a Little One
• Who is Coming to Our House
• One Baby Jesus

• Away in a Manger
• Hark! the Herald Angels Sing
• Joy to the World
• We Three Kings
• The First Noel
• Come, All Ye Faithful
• Silent Night

• Telling children the story of Saint Nicholas, the real man on whom the Santa legend is based
• Separate Santa gifts from Jesus’ birthday celebration. Take a cue from other cultures, where Santa gifts are given on St. Nicholas day (December 6), New Year’s Day, or Epiphany (January 6).
• If you don’t want Santa gifts to be so far from Christmas day itself, make them just one part of your Christmas celebration. For example, devote Christmas Eve to a celebration of Jesus’ birth and let children open their gifts from Santa on Christmas morning. Or go to church Christmas morning and let the kids open their gifts Christmas afternoon.

Awesome Kids Christian Songs

Great for the holiday season You child will love hearing their name sung throughout 11 songs and is a great gift for Christians of any age but geared towards children from birth to about age 10. Very wholesome songs includes an original mixture of classical Christian Music that affirms Jesus and God is watching over and loves us. Listen to sample songs on this CD.

December 25th, 2009

Christmas is a time of families, new friends and memories. 2009 has brought many of those. Everyone at More4kids wants to thank all of our friends, new and old, and everyone who has blessed us and visited us throughout the year. Each and everyone of you is very important to us. Together we can make a difference and give a voice to those that need one.

Blessings and love over the holidays,

Kevin and Julie

More4kids

Brother helping his Little Sister Opening Her Xmas Presents

With Christmas 2009 gone and past many people were doing some last minute shopping scrambling around frantically trying to purchase gifts for the kids. Of course, you want to buy them something they'll enjoy. After all, there's nothing quite like that gleam in their eyes on Christmas morning when they receive something really special from you. Whether you have a baby, toddlers, kindergarteners or even pre-teens, there are plenty of hot toys out there for you to choose from this year. Here's a look at what many people bought and at some of the best selling toys for 2009.

Top Toys for Babies

Sometimes shopping for a baby is a bit difficult. Usually it's best to look for toys that they'll enjoy and toys that will help them learn and develop. Here are a couple of the hottest baby toys and gifts in 2009.

Learn and Groove Table

A great toy for your baby that is definitely on the hot list this year is the Learn and Groove Table by LeapFrog. There are more than 40 songs and 15 activities on this table. It allows kids to explore, lets them enjoy music, and introduces babies to counting, numbers, and shapes. You'll pay around $35 for this toy.

Zoo Activity Center

The Zoo Activity Center is a hot toy for babies this year as well. It costs between $60 and $100, depending on where you buy. This center provides babies with a lot of fun, helping them to develop hand and eye coordination, stimulating their imagination with colors and objects, and it includes jungle designs, the alphabet, and more.

Top Toys for Toddlers

Are you looking for toys for your toddler? If so, you will want to make sure you purchase them toys that are fun, but you'll want the toys to be educational as well. Not sure what the hottest toys are for toddlers this year? Here's a look at the hot toddler toys for 2009.

Elmo Live Encore

One of the hottest toys out there is the Elmo Live Encore, which is celebrate the 40^th birthday of Sesame Street this year. It comes with new jokes, songs, and more. The toy starts up when you squeeze or tickle the nose, foot, back, or tummy. His mouth opens, his head moves around, and he sings three of the classic Sesame Street song. This is one hot toy, so you'll want to move fast. You'll spend between $50-70 for this toy, depending on where you make the purchase.

Elmo Personalized Music

At More4kids, this was one of our top sellers. This personalized CD stars Elmo® and his friends from Sesame Street. It features "Happy Tappin' with Elmo" and "Elmo's World". Elmo® sings and says the child's name over 60 times throughout the 23 tracks. This CD is available for over 1650 names and has a running time of just over 30 minutes. Visit the More4kids Giftshop for our Elmo Music CD

My First Kitchen

Another of the hottest toys for toddlers is the My First Kitchen set by Early Learning Centre. It offers kids pretend play, helping them use that imagination. It has won the Oppenheim Toy Portfolio Gold Seal Award, and is appropriate for kids from 1 year to 3 years of age. The price is reasonable, ranging from $30-50, depending on where you buy it.

Ride and Learn Giraffe

The Ride and Learn Giraffe Bike from Vtech Ride is another of the hottest toys this year for toddlers. It helps your kids get active, it comes with an LCD screen, has a bouncy seat, and teaches kids about objects, animals, and letters. For about $30-45, you can purchase this fun toy for your toddlers.

Top Toys for Ages 5-10

Kids that are ages 5-10 become a bit more difficult to buy for. Don't worry though, there are plenty of hot toys. Here is a look at the hottest 2009 toys for your 5-10 year olds.

Zhu Zhu Pets

Zhu Zhu Pets are hot this year. Not sure what they are? They're little hamsters that are motorized. They run around, make sounds, bump into things, and zoom around in various directions. These pets come with all kinds of accessories that you can buy, like hamster wheels and balls. They are hard to find though, but you may be able to find them online.

Transformers Toys

You probably already know that Transformers 2 was a hot movie this year and now there are toys out there that based on this movie and they are very hot this year. Some of the best Transformer toys include the Devastator, Ultimate Bumblebee, and the Optimus Prime.

2009 Barbie Holiday Doll

For girls that collect Barbie dolls, a hot choice this year is the 2009 Barbie Holiday Doll. This is a limited edition doll and is different from any other Barbie out there. It's fairly easy to find, since plenty of them have been made, so store shouldn't run out of this hot Barbie.

Tweens and Teens

As kids get older, many of them seem to think that they are beyond getting toys for Christmas, but there are actually some hot toys out there this year that even tweens and teens are going to like. Here are a couple options on the hot list that this age group is sure to love.

Bakugan 7 in 1 Maxus Dragonoid

If you have a tween or teen that is into the Bakugan show or game, then this is a great game. Basically this game/toy is a meeting of the Japanese anime show, card games, and the Transformers.

Twilight Dolls

Tweens and Teens, especially the girls are really into the Twilight Saga, especially with the recent release of the movie New Moon. Now there are Twilight dolls out there that even Tweens and Teens are sure to enjoy. There are Bella, Jaco, and Edward dolls out there that you can purchase from various manufacturers.

Nintendo DSi

This is the new hand held Nintendo gaming system and it's on the hot list this Christmas. It has built in sound recorders and cameras to make portable gaming even cooler for kids.

There are a lot of hot toys out there for 2009, so you will definitely want to get out there and make your purchasing quickly before the hot toys are gone. Another great option is to take a look at some of our personalized kids gifts as well, taking great gifts and making them personal for a special Christmas gift your kids will enjoy.

by Stacey Schifferdecker

When my children were young, we started a new holiday reading tradition. We would put aside our traditional night time books for the month, and every night of December, we would read a Christmas book. This was a great to have some calm and peaceful moments together at the end of the day. If you'd like to start a similar tradition, here are some of our favorite Christmas books for you to try (in no particular order) — enough to get you through the first half of December.

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

by Dr. Seuss

The Grinch Who Stole Christmas

Yes, it was a book before Chuck Jones made the fabulous animated version we all grew up with and Ron Howard made the live action version starring Jim Carrey. Why read this book? Well, it's got those great Dr. Seuss rhymes, a funny story line, and amusing illustrations. On top of that, it's a sweet story about the transformational power of love. (It does send the erroneous  message that the purpose of Christmas is family togetherness. I make a point of telling my kids that being together as a family is a Christmas bonus, but that the real purpose of Christmas is to celebrate Jesus' birth.)

Country Angel Christmas

by Tomie dePaola

The Last Straw

Fredrick Thury

A grumpy camel ends up carrying too big a load as he plods on the Bethlehem (sound familiar to anyone? Not the camel part — the carrying too heavy a load part). He ends up carrying not only the gifts of the Wise Men, but also pastries, wine, and other presents people give him to carry to the new king. A piece of straw, the gift from a young child, finally brings the camel to his knees, right in front of a baby in a manger.

A Wish for Wings that Work

by Berke Breathed

A Wish for Wings that Work

I don't know if it's because I have such great memories of the old comic strip Bloom County, but this book is one of my Christmas favorites. Opus the Penguin wants to fly, and he writes Santa asking for wings that work. On Christmas Eve, Santa has an unfortunate sleigh accident and ends up sinking in the lake outside Opus's house. Opus flies through the water to rescue Santa. Santa teaches Opus to appreciate the gifts he already has — but then, in a fabulous twist, Opus does get to fly on Christmas morning.

The 12 Days of Christmas, The Night Before Christmas, and Cookie Count

by Robert Sabuda

Robert Sabuda does the most awesome pop-up books. They are gorgeous, intricate, and, of course, fragile. These are books we keep up high, where little kids can't reach them and tear them apart.

Chicken Soup for the Soul Christmas Treasury for Kids

by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Patty Hansen, and Irene Dunlap

Christmas Chicken Soup for the Soul

My kids are getting older and outgrowing some of the books on this list. Last year, we did something different, reading from this Chicken Soup book. It includes one story a day from December 1 through December 25. The stories shared about love, traditions, Christmas spirit, and more. It was fun to hear the real-life Christmas stories in this book.

If you Take a Mouse to the Movies

by Laura Numeroff

This was Jocelyn's favorite book in first grade, coincidentally the year her teacher collected mice (figurines and stuffed mice, not real ones). This book is in the same vein as other Numeroff books, in which a kind deed goes awry and ends up in chaos. Just a fun read.

The Legend of the Poinsettia

by Tomie dePaola

I always enjoy learning about how other countries and cultures celebrate Christmas, as well as learning about the meaning of Christmas symbols. This book combines both interests, sharing a legend about how poinsetttias came to be with a description of the Mexican celebration of Las Posadas. Throw in the idea that gifts should come from the heart and don't need to be expensive, and you have an ideal Christmas story.

Carl's Christmas

by Alexandra Day

Carls Christmas

These almost wordless books are especially suitable for young children. In this Carl story, the rottweiler and the baby have grand adventures downtown on Christmas Eve. My kids have long outgrown the Carl series but I have fond memories of looking at these books with a little one cuddled in my lap, making up our own words and sound effects. The kids and still joke about Carl being their babysitter when I go out at night.

The Polar Express

by Chris Van Allsburg

Another great book that your kids may only know through the movie. Mix up a cup of hot chocolate and enjoy the book – it's even better than the movie.

These books are all for the younger kids. As my kids are getting older, I think this year we'll try some chapter books. They are already familiar with The Christmas Carol, so that may make our list. I have also heard good reviews of Madeleine L'Engle's The Twenty-Four Days before Christmas: an Austin Family Story. Maybe next year I'll have new books to recommend!

by Stacey Schifferdecker

This young lady is in the Christmas spirit

I remember watching a Sesame Street Christmas special a few years ago when Elmo wishes it could be Christmas every day. Of course, he soon realizes that Christmas every day really wouldn't be a good idea: people need to work, sing other songs, celebrate other holidays, and generally have a break from the whirlwind that Christmas often becomes. But how about the Christmas spirit – the love, kindness, and generosity we often find overflowing at Christmas? Can we help keep that Christmas spirit alive for our children all year long? Absolutely! And it may be easier than you think. The key is to model the Christmas spirit to our children every day in our own behavior.

Practice kindness

I expect to pass through life but once.  If therefore, there be any kindness I can show, or any good thing I can do to any fellow being, let me do it now, and not defer or neglect it, as I shall not pass this way again.

William Penn

Kindness is easy to practice all year long. If you have a big cart of groceries, let the person with just a few items go ahead of you. Hold a door open for the people behind you. Speak politely to everyone and refrain from gossip.

Show compassion

Remember that everyone you meet is afraid of something, loves something and has lost something.

H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

Showing compassion often means something as simple as cutting people some slack. It's far too easy to look askance at the mother whose child is having a meltdown in the grocery store; to become impatient with a co-worker who just doesn't get what you are trying to explain, or to become angry at the car that cuts you off in traffic. Before you vent your anger, take a deep breath and consider what else might be going on. Maybe that child missed a nap today or has lost his favorite blanket. Maybe your co-worker isn't feeling well or had a fight with her husband this morning. Maybe that driver honestly didn't see you. Show your children how to look compassionately at a situation from the other person's point of view.

you feel like you are forgetting the true meaning of Christmas, here are five easy ways to remember what the Christmas season is really all about.

Be humble

When science discovers the center of the universe, a lot of people will be disappointed to find they are not it.

Bernard Baily

In the Douglas Adam's book The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, people who enter the Total Perspective Vortex are driven mad when they see how small they are when compared to the universe. Of course, we don't want our children to be driven mad, but a little perspective never hurts: a reminder that yes, you are a special, loved child of God – but so is everyone else.

Humility is tough to practice and tougher to teach. After all, who doesn't want their child to be the best and the brightest, the star of every show, the winner of every contest? It starts, I think, by being truly happy for the good things in other people's lives. Congratulate the child who gets to be Mary in the church Christmas pageant and help your own child be the best angel possible. (And conversely, if your child is Mary, help her curb her enthusiasm until she is home, lest her friends accuse her of bragging.)

Be grateful

He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.

Epictetus

Gratitude is closely related to humility. God has given us so many gifts, most of which we take for granted. Family, friends, homes, health – all of these are gifts from God. Every day, be thankful for what you have instead of focusing on what you don't have.

Christmas is fun, but no one really wants the festivities of Christmas to happen every day. But by practicing the Christmas spirit every day, we can enrich our lives throughout the whole year.

Biography
Stacey Schifferdecker is the happy but harried mother of three school-aged children—two boys and a girl. She is also a freelance writer, a Children’s Minister, a PTA volunteer, and a Scout leader. Stacey has a Bachelor’s degree in Communications and French and a Master’s degree in English. She has written extensively about parenting and education as well as business, technology, travel, and hobbies.

No part of this article may be copied or reproduced in any form without the express permission of More4Kids Inc © All Rights Reserved

Adopt a Family - Gift left secretly for a family in need

by Stephanie Partridge

As a single mom raising three kids on her own, our Christmases were sometimes a little scant.  But while we did not have much by way of money or material goods, we had loads of love.  We still do.  We, the kids and I, have always felt rich, fortunate.  My daughter always says, "We don't have much, but we have everything."  And it is that philosophy that led us to a very special project a few years ago that became a Christmas tradition for our family.

One year, several years ago, we learned of a family who would not have much for Christmas.  Both parents had been laid off and they were struggling just to put food on the table.  They had two young children and it bothered my kids that these little ones would not have any Christmas presents.

Now, you have to realize here that I have three of the most tender hearts in the world residing within my children.  They became aware of the situation and they began worrying about the family.  They worried about how the parents felt because they couldn't give their children a Christmas.  They worried about the children because they wouldn't understand why Santa did not visit them.

So they put their heads together and came up with a solution.  They wanted to "adopt" the family.

We planned it all out and shopped together.  We got presents for the kids and for the parents.  We got some practical things and some fun things.  It wasn't much cause we didn't have much to spend, but it was very nice.  We even got some Christmas cookies and other special things.

The four of us wrapped all the gifts and put them into two large bags.  Then we took them over to where the father had a part time job.  All you could see in the bags were wrapped gifts, and we left the bags with the receptionist.  My oldest son told her, "You didn't see us."  She smiled.  The family never knew who gave them the gifts, but word got back to us that they were very happy and grateful.

Thus began a tradition.

Giving to others in need is one of the most valuable lessons that we can teach our children.  Adopting a family for Christmas is fun, rewarding and is a wonderful bonding experience for your family.  It doesn't cost much, in our family, each child "gives up" one present (we use the money for the adopted family instead) and we shop together.  These tips will help you and your family adopt a family for Christmas.

Find a Family

Finding a family isn't as difficult as you might imagine.  Your church can help you and even local schools can direct you to a family in need.  You don't need specific, personal information, just the ages and genders of the children, clothing sizes and maybe special likes of dislikes of the children such as favorite colors.  You don't need to know anyone's name.  The church or school can also give the gifts to the family for you so that you can stay anonymous.

Teach Sacrifice

Have each child "sacrifice" one gift and apply that money to the family.  This teaches children the joy of giving and they learn that true giving occurs when you sacrifice something, be it your time, money or something you want.  Because they can take the money and shop for the family, they get to see the entire cycle of giving.

Shop for the Family

Go shopping as a family and agree together on what you get for each person.  It doesn't have to be big or extravagant, do what you can afford.  We often shop at the dollar store and get crayons, coloring books, drawing pads, little toys, a piggy bank (complete with pennies), playing cards, small games, toys and other items without paying a whole lot.  This allows us to do more for the family because we are saving money.

This is the part that my kids like the most.  They love the joy and excitement of picking out something special for each person.  They love shopping and deciding just the right thing to get.

Take care, though, and shop appropriately.  For instance, don't buy DVDs for the kids if you don't know for a FACT that the family has a DVD player.  Also be careful about what you buy for the children.  Some parents don't allow their children to play with toy guns so it is best to err on the side of caution and choose something else instead.

A good gift for the parents is a gift card to Wal-Mart or Target of some store that is near them.

Wrap Each Present

Wrap the presents individually and put the person's name on it or somehow indicate who the present is for.  This is also fun for us.  We decorate each present with bows, pictures, candy canes, toys and small Christmas ornaments.  If you don't have wrapping paper, an economical alternative are the Sunday comics.  They are usually very brightly colored and fun to read.  I had an aunt when I was growing up who always wrapped all of her gifts in the Sunday comics.  We joked about it, but now, years later, Aunt Betty's quirky gift wrapping is a very pleasant Christmas memory that makes me smile.

Delivery

Put the wrapped gifts in shopping bags or a box and deliver them.  Determine beforehand how you will get the gifts to the recipient.  If you are going through a school, you can have the secretary or guidance counselor deliver the gifts.  Try to find someone who can make the delivery for you so that you can remain anonymous.  The object is to be a "Secret Santa" to someone.  That is one of the things that makes this so much fun.  If you have to deliver it yourself, try to do it without getting caught!

This is something that your family will look forward to every Christmas.  My kids start talking about it sometime during the summer and by the time Thanksgiving rolls around, they are ready to shop.  They get so excited and I know that this is a tradition that they will carry with them to their own families when they are grown.

What better gift can we give our children than the gift of compassion, helping, love and sacrifice?

Biography
Stephanie Partridge is a freelance writer and photographer as well as a FOIA analyst for a federal agency in Washington, D.C. She is a single mom to Jeffery, 19; Micah Elizabeth, 17 and Benjamin, 15. She is also the author of the ebook, “Diet is a Dirty Word.”

No part of this article may be copied or reproduced in any form without the express permission of More4Kids Inc © 2009 All Rights Reserved

Advent Wreath

by Stacey Schifferdecker

The month before Christmas has got to be the longest time of year for kids! Not renowned for their patience anyway, kids have to wait and wait for the big day. It doesn't help that Christmas decorations go on sale in September now  and that radio stations begin playing Christmas songs on Halloween. Help you kids make it through the long days of December by celebrating Advent. Even better, Advent also helps you keep the focus of Christmas on Jesus rather than Santa Claus, presents, and other commercial aspects of Christmas.

Advent is a Latin word that actually means "coming." In the Christian church, advent is time of preparation and waiting for the birth of Jesus. Advent officially begins four Sundays before Christmas, which means it often begins the Sunday after Thanksgiving.

So how can you celebrate Advent? One way is to buy or make an Advent wreath to lay on your table. An Advent wreath typically consists of greenery with four candles, three purple and one pink. Each candle has a specific meaning:

• Candle one (purple) represents hope. It is often called the prophets' candle.
• Candle two (purple) represents peace. It is often called the angels' candle.
• Candle three (pink) represents joy. It is often called the shepherds' candle.
• Candle four (purple) represents love. It is often called the Bethlehem candle.

Many advent wreaths also include a Christ candle in the middle of the wreath.

To celebrate with an Advent wreath, you light a candle on each Sunday of Advent. The first Sunday, you light candle one; the second Sunday you light candles one and two, etc. You can often find readings to go along with the candle lightings on the internet or at Christian bookstores. Or find a Christmas book that represents the theme of the week and read it with your children.

Another way to celebrate Advent is to create an Advent calendar. Of course, kids love the calendars with chocolate inside, but the ones I'm talking about are a little different, consisting instead of different activities to do each day. For example, one day you might read a particular book or Bible passage, make Christmas cookies for a lonely neighbor, or sing Christmas carols together. Some ideas for making an Advent calendar include

• Writing an activity on each square of a December calendar
• Writing activities on pieces of paper and placing them in a jar, then drawing an activity out each day (this option is fun, but make sure all the activities are ones you can do spontaneously. You don't want to draw out baking Christmas cookies on a day you don't have time to be in the kitchen.)
• Making a set of Advent drawers out of match boxes. Just glue 25 match boxes together (five rows of five boxes) and wrap a piece of wrapping paper around the perimeter. Now you can label the match boxes 1-25 and place a slip of paper with an activity inside each drawer.

You may also be able to find premade Advent calendars online or at a Christian bookstore.

You can also celebrate Advent in your home by decorating a Jesse tree. A Jesse tree (named after King David's father) is covered with ornaments that represent people and stories in the Bible. For example, you might hang an ark, a rainbow, or a dove ornament to represent Noah or a harp to represent David. You can use a table-top Christmas tree as your Jesse tree, hanging an ornament each night and reading a passage in the Bible about the character you have chosen.

Celebrating Advent will help keep your children focused on Jesus and will give them day-to-day activities to  make that endless month of December go by more quickly.

The Nintendo Wii Increases Fitness and Encourages Family Activities. It is in high demand this year, as it has been since it was first released. It isn’t only seasoned gamers who are asking for this game console, the Wii has appeal to everyone.  Some places are limiting how many can be purchased per household each month to try to keep up with supply and demand. One console can be used by 4 players at once so the only reason families would have to purchase multiple consoles would be to use as gifts. And these make great gifts. Age doesn’t matter; the Wii has something for everyone from preschoolers to seniors.

This isn’t your ordinary sit-on-your-butt-in-front-of-the-television type game. This game console has put active into interactive games. The Wii comes with Wii Sports, a set of sports that can be played with the Wii console and Remote individually or in groups. Players control their onscreen characters by their movements.

The familiar game controllers of the past that require players to use their thumbs to push buttons as fast as they can aren’t used with this game. The Wii remote and (for games that need more than one handed play) the Nunchuk wirelessly control game play. The remote senses the players’ movement using the sensor bar and Bluetooth technology.

Parents don’t have to worry about their kids sitting all day playing mind numbing games. This game console brings activity back into after school activities. Children aren’t sitting down passively playing these games; instead they are able to play baseball in the family room without breaking anything as well as playing tennis. These games are fun and players are getting physical activity while playing them. The exercise that game players get while playing with the Nintendo Wii can help to increase circulation and increase coordination so players are able to increase physical health while playing video games. What more could parents ask for?

Wii was designed to put family back into family time. Family members who may not have enjoyed video gaming before are finding the interactive play with the Wii is addictive fun as well. Grandparents can take their grandchildren bowling in the living room. The physical agility needed in these sports is helpful in game play as well.  Siblings are able to play together or against one another with the Wii. People who haven’t played traditional video games are often able to get the hang of using the Wii remote faster than seasoned players. 

The Wii has WiFi capabilities and can be used to leave notes for family members (instead of pinning a note on the fridge) as well as sending emails to computers, cell phones and other Wii consoles. You can access the internet on the internet channel and even check the weather online anytime. Players can download games for the Wii using Wii points as well.

If you are an older game lover you will need to pick up the classic controller as it is needed to play games that you loved back in the 80s and 90s. Wii has the ability to be used to play more than 150 of the games from older systems including NES, Super NES, Nintendo 64 games, TurboGrafx-16 and Sega Genesis games. More games are being added as time goes on.  Virtual console games can be purchased for $5 to $10.

Wii Fit is expected to be released in Japan in December 2007 and in the United States in early 2008. This pressure sensitive balance board makes exercising, playing soccer, dancing and playing games with the Wii more interactive than ever before. By standing on the pressure sensitive board while playing and exercising the board you control your character on screen. Whether it is dancing lessons or playing hula-hoop this accessory promises hours of family fun, or ‘exergaming’.

The Wii fit transforms the game console into a personal trainer. Nintendo’s Wii Fit will be used in exercises such as push-ups, yoga, ski jumping and other exercises. Muscle conditioning, Aerobic exercise, yoga poses, balance games, and other power motions were included in the demonstration of Nintendo Fit when it was announced back in July 2007.

More4kids Inc. www.more4kids.info Copyright 2007 All Rights Reserved

Christmas is an excellent time to start some projects with your kids. Children love creating little, unique projects that they can use to decorate the home. Many children really enjoy creating gifts that they can use to give as gifts to their friends and their family members. Here, you will be introduced to some easy Christmas projects and crafts for kids. These projects are appropriate for kids of all ages and are great fun for the whole family!

Ornaments!
Ornaments are a Christmas classic! Everyone loves ornaments! There are many projects that kids can create at Christmas that involve ornaments. One of these projects includes creating little Christmas tree ornaments by using some buttons, popsicle sticks, and a little bit of ribbon. You can create the ornament to look like a snowflake or a Christmas tree! There are many project kits available that will allow you and your kids to create this Christmas craft with ease. Oriental Trading is an excellent company that provides a number of craft kits for Christmas projects.

In order to create the Christmas ornament, you must gather some blue buttons for the snowflake craft, or green buttons for the Christmas tree ornament. It is best to select buttons that are various shades of blues and greens. You must then gather some popsicle sticks, and some ribbon that is the same color as your buttons. You will also require some glue. Once you have gathered all of your supplies, you are ready to start the project!

1. Arrange the popsicle sticks in such a way that they are shaped like either a Christmas tree, or a snowflake. Once you have done this, it is important to glue the popsicle sticks together so that they can dry while you prepare the rest of your project.
2. The next thing that you should do is take the buttons that you have prepared for the craft and organize them along the wooden craft sticks. Many like to do this step in an organized form, while others like their creative juices to fly and arrange them in numerous other ways.
3. Once the buttons are arranged as you see fit, you can glue them down. This will keep them sturdy.

You can now create a little bow using the ribbon that you have set to the side for your project. Once this is created, you can simply glue it to the back of the project so that you can hang it on your Christmas tree!

There are many variations to this Christmas project for kids in the homeschool classroom. You may want to purchase those cans of snow from the store and mist the ornament with this. You may also like to place family photos on the Christmas craft and give them to friends and relatives!

To see an example of this craft, simply click on the image below:

Bookmarks! 
As stated previously, many kids really enjoy creating Christmas projects that will allow them to give gifts to their friends and family members. One of the projects that you can create in the homeschool classroom is Christmas bookmarks! These little projects can be created in a variety of ways and can be given as a gift to most anyone! Here, you will discover how to create this fun and interesting Christmas bookmarks.

The first thing that you will want to do is purchase some foam strips in Christmas colors. The best colors to use are red and green, but blue and white are great colors to purchase as well. You will also want to purchase some of those little bags of foam characters. It is important to select those that represent Christmas. These shapes may include snowflakes, snowmen, and even those that look like gingerbread men and Santa Claus are excellent choices! You will also want to round up some glue for this project.

1. The first thing that you will want to do is to create a unique design for your project. This may include placing a little foam Santa Claus towards the top of the bookmark, and then putting in little foam snowflakes and/or candy canes in the bottom. There is no particular way that you have to decorate your bookmark. You should come up with a design that you enjoy.
2. Once you have designed your Christmas bookmark, you will want to glue the pieces down on the base piece of foam.
3. Once this is done, simply allow time for the pieces to dry. Many individuals like to place little pieces of ribbon along the bottom of the foam. This is entirely up to you!

This Christmas project for kids in the homeschool classroom is an excellent way to spark the creativity of your little ones. All members of the family can enjoy creating these bookmarks. In addition to this, they make wonderful stocking stuffers and gifts for others!

To see an example of what the finished product will look like once this Christmas project is completed, simply click on the image below:

Stockings!
Christmas would not be complete without a stocking! There are literally thousands of ways that you can create a Christmas project in the homeschool classroom by using stockings. Here, you will learn how to make a foam stocking gift that is great for decoration, or gift-giving! 

1. The first thing that you will want to do is to purchase foam lacing Christmas stocking craft kit from a store. Oriental Trading offers a great selection of craft kits.
2. You should then decide how you want to design the stocking. Many place pictures, buttons, foam designs, and even jewels on this craft.
3. Once you have established a design, simply glue your pieces in place!
4. If you wish, you can write your name, the year, or someone else’s name –including a pet – across the top of the foam stocking craft!

If you would like to see this project in action, simply click on the image below:

As you can see, there are numerous Christmas crafts and projects that can be completed by kids. This is a great way to enjoy the holidays and spark the creative flow in your children! 

A 1997 Gallup poll found that 29 percent of Americans found the Christmas holidays more stressful than enjoyable. I doubt these numbers have gone down much in the last ten years, but you do not need to let stress ruin your holidays! By making conscious decisions and setting priorities, you can stay in control this holiday season.

• Buy gifts just for the children
• Draw names so everyone buys a gift for only one person
• Set a limit on the cost of gifts
• Give homemade gifts 

• Start a new tradition and change your menu. A crock pot full of soup, tacos, or lasagna can make a great Christmas meal. You don’t have to eat turkey or ham.
• If you do want a more traditional meal, make it a potluck and ask people to bring items.
• Order some items from a restaurant or grocery store.

Christmas is all about…
Cookies! Presents! Santa Claus! These are the answers you might hear if you ask a child what Christmas is all about. Of course, we adults are more sophisticated. Our answers are more likely to be “spending time with friends and family” or “giving to those less fortunate” or “peace on earth.”

Now, these are all good answers – I love presents and cookies, and peace on earth would be just grand. But all these things are no more than a tiny part of what Christmas is all about – the tissue paper, so to speak, in our gift bag of Christmas.

So what is Christmas all about then? If we tear aside the tissue paper and tinsel, what do we find as the real, sustaining, comforting substance of Christmas? You know the answer, of course. Christmas is all about celebrating a tiny baby born in a manger – the Christ Jesus.

It’s no wonder we lose sight of the true meaning of Christmas amidst all the to-do lists and must-have presents of the season. One of my less-than-stellar parenting moments occurred in a Wal-Mart a few weeks before Christmas when my oldest son was about nine months old. My husband and I strapped Kegan into the baby seat of the shopping cart and plunged separately into the toy aisle. Ten minutes later, we met up again—but neither of us had Kegan. Each of us thought the other had taken him, while he sat quietly at the end of the toy aisle waiting for his distracted parents. We retrieved our child, none the worse for being temporarily abandoned. (And please tell me I’m not the only mother who has done something like this!)

Just as we lost track of our flesh-and-blood baby in the toy store aisles at Christmas, so do we all sometimes lose track of the baby Jesus. Our focus shifts from the everlasting gift God gave us to the Elmo TMX or Nintendo Wii we want to get our kids. Slow down—savor the season—celebrate our Messiah. How to do this? Try—

• Celebrating Advent. Advent is traditionally the four Sundays before Christmas when we anticipate Jesus’ birth. Make or buy an Advent wreath, light a new candle each Sunday, and read a family devotion. Any Christian bookstore should have Advent wreaths and family devotions books.
• Celebrating the 12 Days of Christmas. The 12 Days of Christmas is more than a song – it is the time period from Christmas day to Epiphany (January 6, when the Wise Men traditionally came). Christmas is a season, not a day, and it begins December 25. Let everyone else take their trees the day after Christmas, while your family continues quietly celebrating. I have even thought of spreading out our gifts over the course of the 12 days instead of opening them all Christmas morning, but I’ve never been able to convince the rest of the family.
• Giving to others. Instead of breaking your budget buying things people don’t need just to have a gift for them, “adopt” a family or child who needs gifts and share with them. Most churches and stores have “Angel Trees” with names of needy children.

Whatever you do, remember that Jesus is quietly waiting at the end of the toy aisle for us to notice we’ve forgotten him again.

Biography
Stacey Schifferdecker is the happy but harried mother of three school-aged children—two boys and a girl. She is also a freelance writer, a Children’s Minister, a PTA volunteer, and a Scout leader. Stacey has a Bachelor’s degree in Communications and French and a Master’s degree in English. She has written extensively about parenting and education as well as business, technology, travel, and hobbies.

 By Michelle Donaghey 

I want a computer, a cell phone, a doll, a Nintendo Wii (TM logo), video games, a soccer ball, a now you fill in the blank.
Does it seem like the kids in your house are asking for more and more and more as the days get closer to Christmas? Every year they get older, do the lists get longer and more expensive?
While the part of the joy of the holiday season is anticipating Christmas gifts, it seems that the focus is on the gifts themselves when actually if you think back, it is the anticipation of opening them. Remember that now if you are not setting limits and finding other ways to make the holiday season filled with joy it will only set up your children for disappointment. But what can you do?

1) Set a budget and stick with it. Boy, is this one hard. But if you set a dollar amount now, your children will understand how they as adults should budget for the holidays as well as for the rest of the year. If your children are too young to understand about money and dollar amounts, explain that Santa (or mom and dad or grandma) can bring them only one big present (or whatever your budget allows.) If a child is older, such as a preteen, you can start explaining how many hours it would take you as their parent to buy a particular gift. Some preteens who wish for cell phones are willing to babysit or do other chores in order that they have a phone. Teaching your children about money and provide them with an allowance if you can afford it. In that way, they can understand what a need or a want is.

2) Don’t let others fulfill every request of your children! While it may be tempting to have grandma and grandpa or an aunt or uncle buy your child what he or she wants. Suggest that grandma or grandma also limit what they give. If they like spoiling your child, tell them to buy them gifts during the year or at a birthday.

3) Lists- have them write them! If your child is too young, have them draw pictures and tell you what the pictures are. Give them a limit of three items only on their lists- remember, Jesus got three gifts from the Wisemen! Do NOT let them change their lists once they write them down- often, kids change their minds weekly if not DAILY in anticipation of the holidays!

4) Clean it out! Get in those closets and toy boxes. Get a BIG box for donations and the garbage bag for junk. DO NOT donate small pieces and parts- those you donate to will NOT be grateful for such items! Find toys and games your children no longer play with or want. Explain to them that if they want new toys, they must get rid of some of their old ones. If possible, take your children with you when you donate them to charity.

5) Schedule activities OTHER than shopping! If you take your kids shopping throughout the holiday season, that will be the only thing they think Christmas is about. You must show them by example spending TIME with them! Take your children ice skating, sledding, to a Christmas musical performance or ballet, on a walk or a drive to look at Christmas lights or a Holy Night re-enactment. Check local newspapers and or the internet for information on such events.

6) Volunteer to help others. If your kids are old enough, this will help them see that there are people who are in need. You don’t need to limit yourself to taking them to a homeless center or soup kitchen either. There are many people in your own neighborhood that would appreciate a visit from you and your child including those who live in in nursing homes or neighbors who have no family nearby.

7) Turn off the TV whenever possible! It does help one iota if your children are constantly bombarded with advertising. Instead of TV, have your children sit down and draw some [tag-ice]holiday pictures[/tg-ice] for relatives or help you to make simple cookies- slice and bake pre-made ones are great- just buy some canned frosting, sprinkles and you get home-made goodies ready to give.