First things first…in full disclosure, this idea originated with Amy Locurto on her blog Living Locurto. She did it so great 3 years ago on November 9th, that my kids and I made these just two weeks after that! They are so adorable! So I dug out our pictures and thought I would share here.
These are very easy and what I like best is that kids of all ages can do this. My daughter was 4 and my son was 8 when we did it. I think even 2-year-olds could give it a try.
The key to any great kid holiday activity is Mom prep. I don’t just get all the stuff and lay it on the table. I get it all prepped so all they do is the creating!
What you need:
- Those cute little Babybel round cheeses wrapped with red wax
- Sliced almonds, preferably toasted if you plan to eat any
- One slice of american or cheddar cheese
- Whole cloves and/or mustard seeds
I decided to leave the cheese wrapped, instead of unwrap for prep, for two reasons. One, kids love unwrapping those little cheeses! Two, I didn’t want to waste any, so they can unwrap as they go.
I don’t like to eat raw almonds, so I make sure to toast them before this project. Just throw a cup of raw sliced almonds on a baking sheet (no oil or anything) and toast until the white flesh starts to turn yellow. This won’t take long. They will taste yummy!
For each child I gave them a paper plate with cheese, red wax from the cheese, some cloves and mustard seeds. I also gave them a paper bowl with toasted. almonds.
Last, I give them an example of one that I made, but I told them to use their imagination! I hope your kids will come up with some new ideas!