Winter Kid's Page
 Winter is a beautiful time of the year. Its the time of year when the weather is cold and sometimes even snowy. Its also the time we enjoy hot cocoa, warm sweaters and homemade Christmas cookies. For birds, winter can also be one of the hardest times of the year. Natural food is not as readily available and it takes extra food to keep warm in the winter. We can do some things to provide food for birds and make their lives a little bit easier. God created some birds to be able to withstand the winter ~ while others fly south to warmer temperatures and more abundant food.  Fun Facts Did you know...
Activity: Winter Bird Feeding Feeding birds is a lot of fun. You are helping the birds by providing food and in turn, you get to enjoy watching the birds that your feeder treats attract. Here is a fun and simple way that we used to offer a high calorie meal to our winter bird friends when we were little kids. Pine Cone Ornaments What you will need: Pine cones Bird seed (white millet and black oil sunflower is best) Left over bacon grease (that has cooled), soft lard, or crunchy peanut butter. string or wire scissors A parent or adult to help What you do: Step 1: First, gather up fallen pine cones from your yard or find them on your next nature hike. Choose nice, dry, crunchy brown pine cones because these work best. Step 2: Attach a string or wire to each pine cone as a hanger. Make sure to tie tightly, tucking the string or wire under a row of scales so it doesn't come undone. Have help to cut the wire or string when you are finished. Step 3: Generously roll or smear lard, grease or peanut butter on your pine cones. Step 4: Roll the lard or peanut butter covered cones in birdseed, making sure that plenty of seed sticks to each one. Lay the finished cones on wax paper or foil. Step 5: Hang your pine cones from the trees in your yard and enjoy the birds that visit! Chickadees are especially fond of this treat. It is a fun way to share the joy of Christmas with our feather friends.
| Special Cookie Recipe of the Month
Baking cookies is one of the most fun Christmas and winter activities. I would like to share with you my family's most favorite cookie recipe for any holiday, but especially for Christmas. I hope you enjoy baking these yummy cookies with your family! Frosted Butter Cookies Dough 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened 1 cup sifted confectioner's (powdered) sugar 1 tsp. vanilla extract 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour Buttercream Frosting 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened 2 1/2 cups sifted confectioners (powdered) sugar 4 tsp. cold milk, approximately 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract Instructions: 1. In a medium sized bowl, combine butter, sugar and vanilla; beat with a handheld electric mixer until fluffy, 1 - 2 minutes. Mix in flour to make stiff dough. Divide the dough in half and place the two portions on separate sheets of wax paper. Pat each piece of dough into a rectangle about 5 by 7 inches. Wrap in waxed paper and chill for 1 hour or overnight. 2. Evenly space two racks in the oven and preheat to 375*F. Let the dough soften for about 10 minutes before rolling and cutting them out. 3. Place one piece of dough between sheets of waxed paper and roll it about 1/8 inch thick. Using decorative cookie cutters, cut out as many cookies as possible. With a spatula, space them at least 1/2 inches apart on a cool, ungreased baking sheet. Bake 10 to 14 minutes, until light golden brown. If the cookies are browning unevenly, turn the sheets or reverse their positions halfway through baking. Reroll the scrapes of dough, making as many cookies as possible. With a spatula, transfer the cookies to a rack and cool completely before frosting. 4. While the cookies are cooling, make the buttercream frosting. In a medium sized bowl, with a handheld electric mixer, beat the butter until fluffy, about 1 minute. Gradually beat in half of the sifted sugar. Beat in the rest alternately with half teaspoonfuls of the milk and the vanilla to make a frosting with a good spreading consistency, beating in a few more drops of milk if you need to. Cover if not using right away. (If refrigerated, the buttercream will set. It is best to use this as soon as possible after making it.) 5. If you want, you can add food coloring to your frosting. Divide the frosting into as many separate portions as the colors of frostings you plan to make. Stir in small drops of food coloring until you have reached the desired color. Our favorite food coloring is actually a food coloring gel. There are many different colors including a "no taste red". You need very little gel to make vibrantly colored frostings. Sprinkles are also a very fun addition to your frosted butter cookie decorations.  When you are finished baking, you can enjoy these cookies with this month's coloring pages and read the recommended book of the month!  Recommended Reading The recommended reading is a very special book called "The Christmas Cat" by Efner Tudor Holmes. This is a wonderful Christmas story about an abandoned cat who finds a new home on a farm with two little boys at Christmas. This book has wonderful details about caring for all of God's creatures, big or small, wild or tame. A special focal point of this book is the crèche (nativity scene). The illustrations are beautiful. I would recommend this book for everyone to read. Memory Verse In closing, this month's memory verse is Matthew 6:26, "Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father keeps feeding them. Are you not worth much more than they?" When I look at how God cares for His birds, it reminds me to trust in Him. Jesus said these words when He was telling His disciples not to worry about how they would eat or have clothes. He used birds as an example to show how much He loves and cares for all of us. God loves us and we can trust Him to take care of us every day. Until next time, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! By, Jessi Wasell |
