Jingle all the...

Bi-Weekly GIA Newsletter

Christmas Around the World

The Giant Lantern Festival (Ligligan Parul Sampernandu) is held each year on the Saturday before Christmas Eve in the city of San Fernando – the “Christmas Capital of the Philippines.” The festival attracts spectators from all over the country and across the globe. Eleven barangays (villages) take part in the festival and competition is fierce as everyone pitches in trying to build the most elaborate lantern. Originally, the lanterns were simple creations around half a metre in diameter, made from ‘papel de hapon’ (Japanese origami paper) and lit by candle. Today, the lanterns are made from a variety of materials and have grown to around six metres in size. They are illuminated by electric bulbs that sparkle in a kaleidoscope of patterns.

December Birthdays: Gabriel P Mohammed R. Zoe H. Eugene K. Alle B. Caellum L. Rahel A. Tiffany M. Joanne L. Jamerra S. Jahziyah A. Clarisse F. Tamupiwanashe T.  Storytime Announcements Storytime: 5:30 pm EST Thursdays Cindy Cancel is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.  Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android: https://andrews.zoom.us/j/7664927111  Or iPhone one-tap (US Toll): +16465588656,7664927111# or +14086380968,7664927111#  Or Telephone:  Dial: +1 646 558 8656 (US Toll) or +1 408 638 0968 (US Toll)  Meeting ID: 766 492 7111  International numbers available: https://andrews.zoom.us/zoomconference?m=t-mlXKKs1ZPJU-jOZ5zWH-5OWVA9bBru Baker's Corner! Santa Hat Pancakes Mini Pancake Ingredients: 140g self-raising flour 1 tsp baking powder 2 tbs golden granulated sugar pinch salt 125ml milk (or soya milk for dairy free) 1 large egg 2 tbs vegetable oil butter or dairy-free spread for frying To Serve: 8 large strawberries mini marshmallows icing sugar for dusting (optional) Whipped cream (optional) Start by making the mini pancakes. These taste best warm from the pan but can also be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for a day if necessary. Measure out the flour, baking powder, and sugar and sift into a bowl along with the salt. In a separate jug or bowl, lightly whisk the egg then mix with the milk and oil. Mix the wet and dry ingredients together then lightly whisk until well combined and lump free. Spoon the pancake mix into a sauce bottle or piping bag then leave to rest for 5 minutes while you heat up the pan. If you don’t have a sauce bottle or piping bag, just leave the mixture to rest in the bowl and use a teaspoon to make the pancakes instead. Heat the pan over a medium heat, then drop in the butter and swirl around until completely melted. Draw and then fill in mini circles of pancake mixture to make your pancakes, making sure you leave enough room between the pancakes to flip them over once ready. Cook the pancakes until they start to bubble up, then flip them over and cook on the other side until golden. Remove from the pan and repeat until all the mixture is used up. To assemble the pancake stacks, start by making the Santa hats. Cut the top off each strawberry. Push each strawberry onto a cocktail stick leaving a small point sticking out of the pointy end, then pop a marshmallow on top to form the hat. Stack the pancakes, 4 or 5 to a pile, then top each stack with whipped cream and a Santa hat strawberry, pushing the cocktail stick into the stack to hold it all together.  Place on a platter or board, dust with icing sugar and serve immediately.  Creating in the kitchen is so much fun! You can share your pictures of your apple crisp on Griggs facebook page, or email them to me so that I can see your creation.

A Little Pick-Me-Up John 1:14 says, "The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth." Even though Christmas wasn't when Jesus was actually born, we still celebrate his birth during this time. Jesus coming to this earth was the single greatest thing that has ever happened in history. Because of Him, we can have everlasting. He took on pain and limitation so we could be free! Let's focus on Jesus this season, thanking Him for His sacrifice.  Christmas Facts: Want to know a useful way to recycle your Christmas tree? Some zoos take donated Christmas trees and use them as food for the animals.  In 1914 during World War I there was a now famous Christmas truce in the trenches between the British and the Germans. They exchanged gifts across a neutral no man’s land, played football together, and decorated their shelters. (Read more about it in the book “Silent Night: The Story of the World War I Christmas Truce” by Stanley Weintraub.) The Christmas wreath was originally hung as a symbol of Jesus. The holly represents his crown of thorns and the red berries the blood he shed. In Poland, spiders are considered to be symbols of prosperity and goodness at Christmas. In fact, spiders and spider webs are often used as Christmas tree decorations. According to legend, a spider wove baby Jesus a blanket to keep him warm. The tradition of hanging stockings comes from a Dutch legend. A poor man had three daughters for whom he could not afford to provide a dowry. St. Nicholas dropped a bag of gold down his chimney and gold coins fell out and into the stockings drying by the fireplace. The daughters now had dowries and could be married, avoiding a life on the streets. Almost 28 sets of LEGO are sold every second during the Christmas season. Craft/Science Project Supplies: Three heat-proof mugs Three packets of instant hot chocolate Measuring cup Water Spoons Stopwatch or timer Notebook for recording your results. Instructions:  Make a prediction: Which temperature of water would dissolve the hot chocolate the quickest? Empty your hot chocolate into your mugs, one packed per mug. Them move on to testing the different temperatures of water. Decide what kind of temperature you want your water to be. Some good examples would be ice cold, room temperature and hot water. If you want more specific temperatures, you can use a kitchen thermometer to measure the water's temperature. Measure 6 oz of water and pour into the mug, one mug at a time. Once the water is added to a mug, start your stopwatch and stir. Keep the stopwatch running until you see the hot chocolate has dissolved.  Take turns measuring the water, stirring and operating the stopwatch. Time how long it takes the hot chocolate to dissolve in each mug.  Write down your results in your notebook and hypothesize why each result happened as it did. Science tidbit READ ONCE EXPERIMENT IS DONE Hot water has more energy than cold water. With more energy, the molecules in the water move fast breaking down the hot chocolate mix quicker.  If you need more information/picture references, visit this link: https:/creativefamilyfun.net/hot-chocolate-science/

Pumpkin, Leaves & Monopoly

Bi-Weekly GIA Newsletter

Student Feature: "Delicious Double Helix" 

Rueben really enjoyed one of our science activities this week! He created an edible double helix. Nice work Rueben! 

November Birthdays: Elgin C. Zaini R. Hanner C. Tyler R.  Vanessa M. Nicolas S. Emma T. Julian Y. Sierra B. David K. Elmejoy A. Vanessa S. Jeffrey II A. Denise K. Tyler W. Brandon W. Megan G. Bella E. Zephaniah A. Noah D. Melquisedec MN. Hannah G. Jonathan B. Gabriel L. Jayden M. Esther P. Ezekiel B. Thomas B. Jomar F. Tiffany RC. Gabriel M.  Storytime Announcements Storytime: 5:30 pm EST Thursdays Cindy Cancel is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.  Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android: https://andrews.zoom.us/j/7664927111  Or iPhone one-tap (US Toll): +16465588656,7664927111# or +14086380968,7664927111#  Or Telephone:  Dial: +1 646 558 8656 (US Toll) or +1 408 638 0968 (US Toll)  Meeting ID: 766 492 7111  International numbers available: https://andrews.zoom.us/zoomconference?m=t-mlXKKs1ZPJU-jOZ5zWH-5OWVA9bBru Baker's Corner! Pumpkin Spice Muffins Batter Ingredients: Spice Cake Mix 1 can Pumpkin (I used canned pumpkin puree) 3 eggs 1/4 cup of water Streusel Topping Recipe 1/2 cup of flour 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/4 cup butter Instructions: We will begin by preparing the muffin batter. Mix all your ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. You can use a whisk, hand blender or stand mixer. Place muffin tins in the muffin pan, or evenly coat each socket with spray oil.  Use a 1/4 measuring cup or ice cream scooper and fill the muffin tins until they are 3/4 of the way full. Be careful not to fill them up all the way or they will spill over. Prepare the streusel by mixing the flour and sugar together. Then cut in the butter. Place a couple of spoonfuls of streusel on each muffin. Bake at 350 for 15-18 minutes. If you aren’t into the streusel you can always enjoy the muffins plain or you might try a cream cheese frosting or maple glaze. It might also be fun to throw a few chocolate chips into the batter.  Creating in the kitchen is so much fun! You can share your pictures of your apple crisp on griggs facebook page, or email them to me so that I can see your creation.

A Little Pick-Me-Up What is the difference between praise and thankfulness? When we are thankful to God we are thanking Him for what he has done for us. He has given us food on our table, an education and friends and family. This is important to do! Praise gives credit to God for who he is! Look at the difference in this verse, "The trumpeters and musicians joined in unison to give praise and thanks to the LORD. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals and other instruments, the singers raised their voices in praise to the LORD and sang: “He is good; his love endures forever.” This Thanksgiving let's give thanks to God for WHO he is and what he has done.  November Facts:  National Sandwich Day is November 3rd The Erie Canal was formally opened in New York on November 4, 1825. Abraham Lincoln gave his Gettysburg Address on November 19, 1863. The US and Canada celebrate the end of WWI every year on November 11, 1918. Bruce Lee's, martial artist, and film star birthday is November 27, 1940. Parker Brothers introduced the world to the Monopoly game on November 5, 1935. Craft/Science Project   Supplies: Puffy Fabric Paint Wax Paper Printed Template Instructions: To make the template, I just found a leaf shape I liked, copy and pasted it a few times in a word doc, and printed it out. Lay a piece of wax paper over the template. If you don’t have wax paper, a plastic sandwich bag would also work! Using the puffy paint, I traced the outline of the leaf first then filled it in. I just used the tip of the puffy paint bottle to schmoosh the paint around, but I also found using a paint brush works pretty well if your little one has a hard time using the bottle to paint. Put the painted wax paper in a safe place to dry overnight. After the puffy paint has dried, the shapes can be pulled off the wax paper. I recommend this be done by an adult or older child. Depending on how large the shape is, it might need to be pulled off in sections or the paint starts to stretch out a little. And now the leaves are ready to be stuck to the windows! These are so simple to make and would be great for any season or holiday. If you need more information/picture references, visit this link: https://typicallysimple.com/diy-window-clings/

Fall is in the Air...

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Bi-Weekly GIA Newsletter

Student Feature: Coming Soon...

Look here soon for your chance to be featured

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October Birthdays: Eustace P.  Esosa O.  Andrea S.  Issac B.  Chrishella K. Michael M.  Elliott F.  K'Khtah A.  Elizabeth H.  Priscilla G.  Tiffany M. Haley C.  Caleb J.  Chulese B.  Micah P. Sarah B.  Daniel W.  Domenic H.  Mickaylee S.            Storytime Announcements Storytime: 5:30 pm EST Thursdays Cindy Cancel is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.  Join from PC, Mac, Linux, iOS or Android: https://andrews.zoom.us/j/7664927111  Or iPhone one-tap (US Toll): +16465588656,7664927111# or +14086380968,7664927111#  Or Telephone:  Dial: +1 646 558 8656 (US Toll) or +1 408 638 0968 (US Toll)  Meeting ID: 766 492 7111  International numbers available: https://andrews.zoom.us/zoomconference?m=t-mlXKKs1ZPJU-jOZ5zWH-5OWVA9bBru Baker's Corner! Easy Apple Pie Bites * 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar * 1 teaspoon apple pie spice, and additional apple pie spice (about 1/4 teaspoon) for sprinkling on top of crescent rolls * 3 tablespoons butter, melted * 1/3 cup chopped pecans * 1 small Granny Smith apple, cored and sliced into 8 (1/2-inch) slices * 1 (8-ounce) can Pillsbury Original crescent rolls Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and apple pie spice. Set aside. Melt butter and toss apple slices in butter, set aside. Arrange crescent roll triangles on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Evenly distribute brown sugar mixture onto each triangle. Sprinkle each triangle evenly with the chopped pecans. Place an apple slice on the wide end of each triangle. Wrap crescent roll dough around each apple. Brush each crescent roll with remaining butter. Sprinkle lightly with additional apple pie spice. Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown. Cool for 5 minutes before serving.  Creating in the kitchen is so much fun! You can share your pictures of your apple crisp on griggs facebook page, or email them to me so that I can see your creation.

A Little Pick-Me-Up "So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image." (2 Corinthians 3:18) This verse is a reminder that what we behold, we become. When you behold something, it means you're looking at it for a long time. You're spending a lot of time with it! The things you spend your time doing or the people you spend your time with will eventually make up part of who you are. Take some time to think about how much time you're spending doing things in your life and if that is equally balanced with the time you're spending with Jesus. The more time you spend with Him, the more you will become like Him! Fun Fact: When leaves change color in the fall, they are actually becoming their true color. In the summer, the chlorophyll (which is how the leaves receive nourishment from the sun) takes over and causes them to turn green and hide their color. Craft/Science Project Apple Stamping  Supplies: brown construction paper white construction paper white glue or glue stick scissors green paint red paint 2 foam brushes 2 paper plates 2 apples, cut in half apple seeds, reserved from cut apples markers (optional) Directions:  1. Use scissors to cut a piece of construction paper in half. 2. Cut a one-half sheet of paper into long strips. Cut a one-half sheet of paper into short strips. Lay one long strip on a flat surface and place the short strips in the opposite direction, overlapping and gluing the pieces together. 3. Use long strips to weave the basket and glue the ends. 4. Finish the basket with one long piece of paper, on the top and secure with glue. Trim the sides of the basket and round the corners on the bottom of the basket. 5. Place paint on paper plates. Use foam brushes to apply paint to sliced apples and stamp them onto white construction paper. Let dry. 6. When dry, use glue to add the basket to the paper and the seeds to the apple. *If you need picture references, please visit the link posted for the original craft: o   https://premeditatedleftovers.com/naturally-frugal-mom/apple-stamping-craft/#_a5y_p=5594193