Category: Activities

Glass Blowing

Glass blowing is a glassmaking technique which involves gently inflating hot glass to a bubble with the help of a blow pipe. A person who blows glass using the blow pipe is known as a glass blower, glass maker, or gaffer. Discovered in the 13th century in Venice, Italy, glassblowing has come a long way since then and today it’s one of the most popular forms of art the world over.

Glass blowing is all about creating both decorative and functional shapes like figurines, ornaments, testing tubes, dishes, and more. The invention of glass blowing can be traced back to the Roman Empire, but back then this craft was being done exclusively by using molds. Molds developed in the first century AD.

Blowing glass with a (special type of) furnace, also known as kiln, is similar to furnace baking, the difference being that kilns can heat the glass at one end of the furnace to a specific temperature before blowing the material out the other end of the furnace.

It is important to realize that glass blowing and mold-blowing techniques are not the same. Mold-blowing involves blowing molds of various shapes, sizes, and depths into the mold, while glass blowing usually only involves blowing clear glass or semi-opaque glass. Mold-blowing techniques are often used by artisans who design stained glass windows.

An important distinction between the two techniques is that glass blowing utilizes a blow pipe, while mold blowing uses a mold pipe. The difference between the two types of glassblowers is that glassblowers do not need to quench their work with oxygen. Once molten glass has been allowed to cool, most glassblowers can finish the job by merely blowing on it. A mold blower on the other hand needs to quench his glassblowing work with oxygen in order to ensure that the final product is clean, smooth, and free of bubbles and lines.

The earliest glassworkers practiced their trade by creating small glass items such as test tubes and figurines. Although glassblowing was considered unusual, the artisans found that their skills could be developed and enhanced when they started making larger glass items such as bowls and vases. Glass bowls and vases are perhaps the earliest example of modern glassmaking, and the first glass-making furnaces appeared in the 1st century AD.

The Roman Empire, which ruled over much of the Middle East and much of Asia for over a thousand years, is well known for the things it left behind. Among these items are many magnificent glass objects, including Roman glass decorative furniture, mosaic tiles, and even some authentic glass jewelry. Most of these objects have survived to this day, and new glassworkers continue to produce new items, ranging from gorgeous glass figurines to intricately designed glasswork. The next time you have the opportunity to partake in the history of blowing glass, you should make the most of it.

Alyosha Lonoff loves making glass art. To learn more about glass blowing check out her site today.

Christmas Gifts for Kids – Giving the Perfect Gift This Christmas!

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Every year, parents wonder what to give as Christmas Gifts for Kids. This is an age where young people’s interests change drastically. Sometimes, the most fun things that you can buy them are toys. But toys are not the only things you should consider for them. Here are the best Christmas Gifts for kids.

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There are different gifts that are appropriate for different ages. If your child is two years old or younger, then the best gifts for him or her are probably stuffed animals. In fact, stuffed animals are among the most popular Christmas Gifts for kids of all ages and even some adults. Some of these soft toys remain treasured long after childhood, as recounted in the classic children’s story of “The Velveteen Rabbit”, in which a toy rabbit becomes real through a child’s love.

Play Toys

Kids ages four to eight years old can be given toys. These toys will keep little ones busy all day and they won’t get bored even with playing these toys all day long. One of the most popular Christmas Gifts for kids, whether boys or girls, is a dollhouse. With a little bit of imagination, you can add many things to this toy to make it more interesting. You can add a kitchen set and a play kitchen. Or maybe put in some furniture and dressers. Adding a dollhouse to your child’s room can help him or her develop his or her own motor skills and help develop their social skills as well. Some playsets come with action figures, so that the dollhouse can be turned into a multi roomed firestation or superheroes hideout. Many kids enjoy toy kitchens and some of these items are big enough to play with friends as well. A toy shop is also another very social type of toy that two or more children can play with, so that older siblings can play with younger ones.

There are many other toys available for this age group, including Duplo and Lego building bricks, construction sets, ride on toys, like bikes, balance bikes and toy trucks; and board games, like Ludo, snakes and ladders, or jigsaws and coloring books.

Favorite Movies

Every kid loves watching their favorite movies. Buy your kid a gift certificate for his favorite movie rental house and let him watch his favorite movies every night of the year. Some kids even collect movie memorabilia and have turned their bedrooms into a mini movie theater. There are so many Christmas Gifts for kids that incorporate watching movies into their gift giving. Of course, there are also plenty of DVDs of their favorite movies or perhaps you would consider a subscription to a movie channel or you can buy an online version of certain movies.

Toys That Move

Kids of all ages really like anything that moves, or activity toys. This Christmas, what about a mini golf set? They’ll spend hours having fun with this item. You can get ones for kids of 3 years old or more advanced ones suitable for children from the age of 10 years, or adults. Older children may enjoy a rock tumbler for polishing their own gem stones.

Gift Baskets

If you don’t know what single item to buy, what about several smaller items in a basket? You could always give them an ornament. Or a book about what happens during Christmas time. You could even get them a basket full of things they’re fascinated by such as stamp collections or doll house furniture or several art canvases and paints to make their own picture. Kids often love baskets and will find many ways to play with them, for instance for keeping collections of things, like toy cars or marbles, or as a dolls’ bed or a pet bed or even for keeping their own bathroom items in, like their toothbrush or own soap or bubblebath.

These are just some of the ideas you could use to give a good Christmas gift for kids. Of course, you need to know what your child likes. Also, you need to make sure that you’re buying something they will like. The same goes for the person you are shopping for. After all, it is only for them.

50 Activities You Can Do For An Activity Advent Calendar

Activity Advent Calendar 2019

If you want to do activities with your children this Christmas in place of having a bought advent calendar, here are some ideas (actually, there are 55):

    1. Make your own Christmas calendar. Find 24 small containers, decorate them and put them together in a formation that pleases you, using glue or sticky tape. The simplest shape for an advent calendar would be a rectangle, of 6 boxes long by 4 boxes high or 8 boxes by 3. Add small knobs or buttons for handles.https://www.merrychristmascountdown.com/
    2. If you don’t want a regular shape, create several small “presents”, number them and use them to create Santa’s sleigh.
    3. Another kind of wooden advent calendar would be to use those little trucks you get in toy train sets and number those from 1 to 24 with labels.https://www.merrychristmascountdown.com/
    4. If your containers are all the same size and rectangular shape, you could paint them green and build them into the shape of a Christmas tree, for instance. A Christmas tree shape can be made by placing 3 rectangular containers side by side as the base, then adding a layer of 6 boxes on top of that, then a layer of 5 boxes on top of that, then 4, then 3 then 2, making a triangular shape, then topping the tree with the final box, making 24 boxes in all.
    5. You could be adventurous and try creating a 3D wooden advent calendar, with 24 separate boxes. Create the bottom layer as a  rectangle of 3 boxes wide by one box deep. That uses 8 boxes. Add two more identical layers on top of that to make a house shape using all 24 boxes. Now create and decorate a roof from cardboard or wooden popsicle sticks to fit over it.
    6. Alternatively, make and color Christmas shapes like stockings, stars, trees and hearts and hang them on a line with small pegs. Add a code on the back of each one and hide the coded “gifts” or activities somewhere. Or you could make bags or shapes from material and hang those on the line.
    7. Another possibility for a Christmas advent calendar is to make one using a large sheet of card, then sticking cutouts from old Christmas cards on the front as flaps to open. Again,you can write a code inside if you don’t want little fingers opening the doors ahead of time to see what is coming up. https://www.merrychristmascountdown.com/
    8. Whichever kind of advent calendar you make, number the boxes or shapes from 1 to 24 and put an activity in each container in random order (except for those that MUST occur on a particular day, such as a visit to the pantomime). Activities you could put in the box could be:
    9. Add a new Christmas decoration for hanging on the tree.
    10. A packet of pot pourri flowers or smell and some pine cones or wooden balls or shavings for making your own bowl of pot pourri.
    11. Pantomime tickets – even if you were going to go anyway, it makes it seem even more special to have the tickets appear from the advent calendar.
    12. Write or create Christmas cards for local friends or relations. (Don’t leave that one too late for cards that need to be posted.)
    13. Visit a theme park.
    14. Go to your local leisure centre and go swimming or try an activity you don’t do normally.
    15. Pick the Christmas tree.
    16. Make decorations for the Christmas tree.
    17. Decorate the Christmas tree.
    18. Visit someone who lives alone or in an old people’s home (check first that it is OK).
    19. Consider inviting a lonely neighbor or friend to join you for Christmas Dinner and create an invitation card for them.
    20. Make a small basket of goodies and leave them at a neighbor’s door with an anonymous message of goodwill.
    21. Make Christmas biscuits or mince pies and decorate them.
    22. Make a present for someone.
    23. Draw up your list for Santa.
    24. Declutter an old toy or book ready for new toys coming at Christmas.
    25. Pick out a good toy or book you could donate to a local charity.
    26. Visit the charity shop to donate.
    27. Visit Santa or Santa’s grotto.
    28. Go and see the Christmas lights being turned on, or take an evening walk to view the Christmas lights in the dark.
    29. Go out and collect pine cones for a display.
    30. Paint or decorate the pine cones with gold or silver paint. Stick them on sticks and put them in a vase as a display.
    31. Use a Christmas oil on the pine cones to make it smell Christmassy.
    32. Join a Christmas carol service or put on some Christmassy (or favorite) music and dance around the house.
    33. Buy a toy with small pieces (not for toddlers under 3 years of age) such as Lego or Playmobile and put different pieces in different advent boxes, so it builds up into a set over a few days.
    34. The twelve crafts of Christmas. Make something Christmassy on each of these days.
    35. The twelve kindnesses of Christmas. Visit someone on each day and take one of the Christmas crafts to give to them. It could be an elderly or disabled neighbor, a relative, someone in a senior citizens home, etc
    36. Look for a charity craft fair in your area and pay a visit. Make a donation even if you don’t buy anything.
    37. Write a letter to Santa and find the address to send it to, to receive a reply.
    38. Make it a “Giving” advent. Each day of advent, add a tin or packet of food to a box to hand into your local foodbank for a family that won’t have much at Christmas. Make sure you hand it in early enough for distribution in time for Christmas.
    39. Create or buy a present for a child who won’t have much this Christmas. Find a local charity that distributes these kinds of gifts.
    40. Visit your nearest library to choose Christmas books.
    41. Make salt dough and create Christmas shapes for hanging on the tree.
    42. See if a local park or facility is creating a Christmas wonderland or adventure for walking through or visiting.
    43. Get together a family date night pack with hot chocolate, popcorn and snuggly blankets and watch a Christmas film.
    44. Visit a Christmas market.
    45. Go for an evening walk around your neighborhood and count how many Christmas trees are lit and on display.
    46. Plan a Christmas Eve Box and make that item 24 on your calendar.
    47. Make reindeer food.
    48. Bake Christmas Pies for Santa
    49. Track Santa’s sleigh with Norad and watch it get closer to your house.
    50. Add a Christmas coloring page and pencils or crayons to the Advent calendar.
    51. Rock Painting with a Christmas Theme. You can make a small pile of Christmas themed rocks at your doorway. Try using glow in the dark paint.
    52. Wear family Ugly Christmas Sweaters.
    53. Make a “Santa Stop Here” sign.
    54. Print out the “Night Before Christmas” poem and read it together.
    55. Get a new board game for Christmas and play it.