Ms. Amy's Blog @Child Central Station

I'm pulling from the archives again today.... We made these wonderful luminaries last year. They are a great craft that gives the children an opportunity to work with "real tools" and to have the freedom to choose colors and patterns.  (We are in Denmark right now, the childcare is closed until the first week of January, so I will be randomly pulling from the archives AND updating on some of the fun we are having here!) We have been continuing our Holiday Craft Kick.... and today, we worked on some great recycled luminaries/candle holders. These are quite simple to make. First you need to collect a bunch of gems! (The ones that look like flat marbles) I would imagine that smooth sea glass would work as well.... and maybe marbles IF you used a lot of glue. Any gems will work, but the more translucent they are, the more they will sparkle when lit. Each person will also need a glass jar. Our jars are not all the same, as we are upcycling a variety of jars that some sort ...

This past weekend, we went on a very quick tent camping outing to a local state park. Dane is preparing to go to cub scout camp, and we wanted to get a night of practice in before we are off to camp. One of the things I remember from when I was younger and camping was making sand candles. I thought it would be fun to share this experience with Dane, and now all of you. When you are preparing your sand mold on the beach, you need to dig a hole. Anyone who has worked with sand knows that keeping the shape of dry sand is very difficult. It is best if you wet it down. If you happen to forget a bucket or cup..... You could always just fill your shoes with water. They do work quite well to transport the water from the waters edge to the area you have chosen to make your candles. (Note, your candles will sit over night, so be careful in your placement on the beach. We chose an area that was near the edge of the beach and some trees where there was not a lot of foot traffic.) Once you have...