How To Play “Jacks”

WHAT YOU NEED
• A small, bouncy rubber ball
•  10 jacks
• A hard, smooth, level playing surface (floor, sidewalk, patio, or blacktop)

HOW TO PLAY
Sit on the ground and toss the jacks gently onto the playing surface.

Using one hand, gently toss the ball into the air, let­ting it bounce on the playing surface. With the same hand, pick up one jack and catch the ball before it bounces again.

Repeat until you have picked up all ten jacks. This round is called “onesies.”

Toss the ten jacks on the playing surface again.

Toss the ball into the air, letting it bounce once on the playing surface, and pick up two jacks at the same time. Repeat until you have picked up all ten jacks, two at a time. This round is called “twosies.”

Increase the number of jacks you pick up during each round until you pick up all ten jacks at once and catch the ball.

If you fail to pick up the correct number of jacks, fail to catch the ball, or drop the jacks from your hand, your turn is over and the next player goes.

When you get another turn, con­tinue where you left off. If you went out during “threesies,” toss the ten jacks, and start with “threesies.”

To make the game more chal­lenging, forbid players from touching jacks other than the ones being picked up and require players to place the jacks in their free hand before catch­ing the ball.

The first player to complete “onesies” through “tensies” wins the game.

For a variation on the game, require all play­ers to go from “onesies” to “tensies” and then back down to “onesies” again.

Ice Cream Cone Christmas trees

What better way to keep kids feeling jolly than to encourage them to play with their food — which is the whole point of our Snack-tivity Station. To help your guests create these festive Ice-cream-cone Trees, stock the station with paper plates, sugar cones, sugar cookies (your own or store-bought), store-bought icing (one batch of white, one batch tinted with green food coloring), shredded coconut, sprinkles, lollipops, and a selection of bite-size candies. To make a tree, spread a cone with green icing; spoon a dollop of white icing onto a sugar cookie, then gently push the cone into the icing. Top the icing with shredded coconut snow. Decorate the tree with sprinkles and candy ornaments, and crown with a lollipop star (nibble a hole in the cone for the stem). Provide flat-bottomed brown bags so kids can take home their trees (or tree pieces!).

Jingle Bell Bracelets

Kwanzaa Greeting Card

Materials:

  • Creatology™ Chenille Stems – Multi; Red, Green, Brown, Black and Yellow
  • Cards – White
  • Creatology™ Construction Paper
  • Creatology™ Foam Stickers – Alphabet Dotty
  • Scissors
  • Ruler
  • Pencil
  • Aleene’s “Tacky” Glue®
  • Paper Envelope

Instructions:

  1. For Card:
    Cut brown construction paper to fit card front leaving ¼ inch white card border.
  2. Use ruler to tear a ½” width of orange construction paper the length of the card, glue in place.
  3. Use foam letters to personalize card on orange paper strip.
  4. Cut chenille stems as shown on card and glue in place.
  5. Use small roll of yellow chenille as light on candles, glue in place.
  6. Use photo as your guide to make envelope and personalizing with foam letters.
  7. For Envelope:
    Cut strip of orange construction paper to 3/4″ x 3-1/2″ and tear off ends as shown. Glue strip to front of envelope.
  8. Cut three green, one black and three red chenille stems to 1/14″ pieces. Glue over construction paper as shown.
  9. Add name using foam letter stickers.

Gingerbread Man

Materials:

  • Cardstock
  • Yarn
  • Creatology™ Pom Poms
  • Glitter Glue – Silver
  • Crayola® Pointed Scissors
  • Craft Smart® All Purpose Glue
  • Paper Plate

Instructions:

  1. Parents: Print gingerbread pattern onto brown cardstock. Leave intact.
  2. Squeeze a small puddle of glue onto a paper plate.
  3. Cut small pieces of yarn, dip in glue and arrange pieces onto paper as shown for mouth and icing details.
  4. Roll pom poms in glue and attach to paper for buttons, eyes and nose as shown.
  5. Embellish with Glitter Glue as desired. Let dry thoroughly.
  6. Cut out gingerbread pattern and display.