domingo, 21 de diciembre de 2014

Gingerbread men recipe for Christmas

This easy recipe for gingerbread men isfabulous for baking with children, and it makes a lovely homemade Christmas present.

 

 

 

Ingredients



  • 350g/12oz plain flour, plus extra for rolling out
  • 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 125g/4½oz butter
  • 175g/6oz light soft brown sugar
  • 1 free-range egg
  • 4 tbsp golden syrup
To decorate
  • writing icing
  • cake decorations

Preparation method

  1. Sift together the flour, bicarbonate of soda, ginger and cinnamon and pour into the bowl of a food processor. Add the butter and blend until the mix looks like breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar.
  2. Lightly beat the egg and golden syrup together, add to the food processor and pulse until the mixture clumps together. Tip the dough out, knead briefly until smooth, wrap in clingfim and leave to chill in the fridge for 15 minutes.
  3. Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4. Line two baking trays with greaseproof paper.
  4. Roll the dough out to a 0.5cm/¼in thickness on a lightly floured surface. Using cutters, cut out the gingerbread men shapes and place on the baking tray, leaving a gap between them.
  5. Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until lightly golden-brown. Leave on the tray for 10 minutes and then move to a wire rack to finish cooling. When cooled decorate with the writing icing and cake decorations.

jueves, 2 de octubre de 2014

"What´s the weather like" board

What’s the weather like ? Create your very own neat printable weather station to hang on your wall and report today’s weather like an expert!
This printable weather activity is a fun way to encourage kids to observe the weather everyday and learn how to describe it in words. Kids will find the dial and sliders fun to use. 
Follow our easy tutorial below to assemble the dial and the sliders.
Prepare  21 flashcards with words that describe the weather and children can pick 2 words for each day – like hot & dry, mild & breezy etc in combination with other indicators on the chart. 
Feel free to create your own cards and add them! Children can write, draw and decorate their own cards to use with this weather station.

YOU WILL NEED:

Papers (preferably card stock)
Scissors or craft knife & ruler
clear tape, cardboard

HOW TO MAKE MY WEATHER STATION

Although the instructions are long, it’s actually easy and quick to make! Just print the template and follow below!
Firstly, cut all the solid black lines including the holes and slits.
We ‘laminated’ small parts by covering them with clear tape so they don’t tear when used.
Making the movable arrow for the weather dial
1. Push the pivot through the small hole as shown below.
2. Now pass it through the hole in the red arrow. (We covered the surface of the arrow with clear tape before cutting the hole in the middle, folded the sides to give it a thickness and wrapped with more tape.)
3. Put a dab of glue on top of the pivot and attach the black pivot cover. Check if the arrow is moving smoothly. Done!
Making the sliding frame for the wind chart 

1. Cut the 2 solid lines above and below ‘calm/breezy/windy’ on the main page.
Cut out the small blue frame shape (again, we ‘laminated’ the surface with clear tape) and cut all the solid lines to make 2 ‘flaps’ inside the blue frame. Push the white ‘flaps’ behind the cut strip on the main page. Put a small piece of tape at the back. Check if the frame moves left and right.Making the temperature arrow slider

2. Cut the solid lines on the main page and weave the shape ‘A’ (marked on the template) through the slits so the black arrows show on the front as in the phot2. Turn the page over and on the rear side fold the sides of the shape ‘A’ over the strips towards the middle and glue the ends to secure. Don’t fold over the edges too tightly or get glue on the inside strip (it won’t move!). Check if it moves along the strip smoothly.

And enjoy the weather!!

miércoles, 9 de julio de 2014

Water balloons games for SUMMER!

It is going to be hot this week and a perfect time to play with Water Balloons!!

             Educational ballons-  Write children favourite words in each balloon, and when they throw them they have to read them and shout the word! You can do same with alphabet ( each letter for each balloon), numbers, etc..
Obstacle Course  - Designate an area for the obstacle course and lay water balloons randomly all over the ground.  Kids line up on one side and try to run from one side to the other without stepping on and breaking any balloons.  Make area smaller and move balloons closer together, and try again.  Keep decreasing the obstacle course area until the entire area is almost completely filled with balloons!

  • Water Balloon Piñata Fill water balloons and hang them for some serious fun!
  • Catch – Partners stand close facing each other and take turns throwing water balloon back and forth, taking a step farther away each time.  Alternative: Lather up your hands with dish soap for some slippery fun.


domingo, 25 de mayo de 2014

How to make your own comics

Now children can create their own comics and personalize their favourite characters or celebrities !

It  is easy with :
www.toondoo.com
Register and choose your characters, props, brushmen, backgrounds and texts!!

Have fun and write and read your own comics!!


 Be a professional comics´writer!!!

sábado, 17 de mayo de 2014

Micro gardens for children


 Enjoy gardening with your children and improve the season! Here you are different activities you can do with children or use your imagination to decorate gardens with little painted pots, recycled materials as paper plats, an old pair of wellies, boxes, tins, pots ...

Have fun!!!






miércoles, 30 de abril de 2014

Make an AVATAR that can speak different languages !!

Children will have fun creating an "alter ego" in www.voki.com that can say whatever they like with different accents and in different languages. The VOKIS can be animals, boys, girls, monsters, princesses, princes, kings, gansters, queens.... and they can be customized as children like with different clothes, sunglasses, hats, different shapes and colours of mouth and eyes, different backgrounds and the funniest thing is that they can speak as moving his lips.

As easy as to get registered in this page with a tutor´s mail and password and start creating your characters with different voices:





http://www.voki.com/

jueves, 6 de marzo de 2014

Are you a family in need of an AU PAIR?



We have a lot of experience in recruiting Nannies/ babysitters /Au pairs!

Contact us at info@bestaupairbarcelona.com
http://www.bestaupairbarcelona.com

The 5 Senses workshop

 We can  practice vocabulary related to the FIVE SENSES with activities that children will love!!

1. What can you see? Different shapes made of wood or paper can be useful to practice: square, triangle, rectangle, cercle, round....

2. What can you smell? Different little bottles with liquids like perfum, soap, vinegar, oil, water, wine, orange juice...

3. What can you touch? Practice the different textures with adjectives like : soft, hard, sticky, rough...



4. What can you hear? Different instruments recorded or if played alive then children will have their eyes blindfolded so they can identify a guitarra´s sound, a piano, a flute or a drum...

5. What can you taste? Blindfolded children will have to guess different food taste: fruit, chocolate, salty chips, coffee, sugar, orange juice, biscuits... And practise: sour, salty, sweet, ...



 At the end of activity they can make a handcraft or a 5 senses book!!!! Enjoy it !