Sparkly Peppermint Playdough

2 cups water
2 cups flour
1 cup salt
4 teaspoons cream of tartar
4 tablespoons oil
4 tablespoons peppermint extract
glitter

Mix all ingredients in a heavy saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until mixture thickens and pulls away from the sides of the pan.

Form dough into a ball, sprinkle with glitter, place on waxed paper, and cool completely.  Store in Ziplock bags.

More Holiday Ideas

Santa's Bean Bag Toss

Decorate a large paper bag or cardboard box with Christmas wrap, ribbons, and pictures of toys and candy. Tie ribbons around bean bags and to make "gifts" to toss into Santa's bag.

Ring the Bell Game

Using a large (4 foot x 3 foot) piece of heavy duty cardboard, cut a large bell shape from the center. Add ribbons with jingle bells attached to hang from the open middle area. The children throw bean bags through the bell to "Ring the Bell".

Feely Box

Create a feely box containing Christmas items such as bows, cookie cutters, wrapping paper, non-breakable ornaments, stockings, bells, candles, and place on the science table.

Design Wrapping Paper

The children can design their own wrapping paper using newsprint, ink stampers, felt-tip colored markers, tempera paint, etc. Glitter can also be glued onto the paper.

Pine Branch Painting

Collect short pine boughs to use as painting tools. The tools can be placed at the easel or used with a shallow pan of tempera paint at the tables.

Cookie Cutter Painting

Provide Christmas cookies cutters, paper and shallow pans containing red and green paint. The children can apply the paint to the paper using the cookie cutters as printing tools.

Science Area Ideas

Create interest in the science area by adding pine needles and branches with magnifying glasses; add pine cones with a balance scale; add red, green, and white materials representing different textures.

Christmas Card Puzzles

Collect two sets of identical Christmas cards. Cut the covers off the cards. Cut one of each of the identical sets of cards into puzzle pieces. The matching card can be used as a form for the children to match the pieces on.

Christmas Card Sort

Place a variety of Christmas cards on a table in the math area. During center-time, the children can sort by color, pictures, size, etc.

Candy Cane Marble Painting

Cut red construction paper into candy cane shapes. Marble paint with white tempera paint.