Candle making is a tradition that stretched back centuries. 

Hanging wicks and dipping them in wax until the candle is the correct consistency was something we also did in art class when we were young. 

This year, why not get the family together and teach the kids how to make beeswax candles.

Beeswax candles can be made with beeswax sheets.  True beeswax candle makers don’t use these sheets, but for homemade candles, beeswax sheets are easy and safe for children to use.

The wax is pressed into sheets for use in making different shapes of candles.

Beeswax is a clean-burning candle wax.  It cleans the air and removes odors as it burns.  Beeswax also melts away until almost gone.  Any that is left can be molded with more beeswax to create new candles to burn.

Before making beeswax candles, prepare by getting all of your supplies together and setting up an area to work undisturbed.

To make these candles you will need:  beeswax sheets, scissors or a knife, candle wicks, and a cutting board or other hard surface for cutting.

When purchasing the supplies in a craft store or online, check to see that the wicks do not contain any lead or other chemicals.

Beeswax usually comes in a light pale color which is the color of the wax.  Adding color introduces chemicals into the wax that can be burned off in the flame.  You can get beeswax candles in different colors, but they may not burn as cleanly, and are not good if you wish to have a toxin free home.

If your children are helping, make sure that you do any cutting that needs to be done and keep the knife pointed away from the body. 

Work on the kitchen table with them high up enough so the kids can lean as they work.

Thanksgiving is the perfect time to teach your kids about being thankful. Here are some ideas to teach your children how to appreciate the blessings in their lives, not just on Thanksgiving, but all year round.

Saying Grace
A good chance to list all the important people in our livves, and give thanks and special blessings to them.

Giving Thanks Placemats
The goal of this craft is to create a collage filled with drawings and pictures of all the things your children are thankful for. Cut photos from magazines, or print some photos from your computer.

Older children can write captions under the photos or draw their own. Be sure to put the child’s name and the year on it.

If you make this collage from two standard letter size pieces of construction paper taped side-by-side, you can take the completed collage to a copy shop when you’re done and have it laminated. It then becomes a placemat that you can use every Thanksgiving for years to come.

Thankful Paper Chain
Another way to remind your children of their blessings is to create a paper chain. This is similar to a regular paper chain – where you cut strips of paper and connect them together as loops, but there’s one difference. You write on the strips of paper before you connect them.

Write the things you are thankful for with your children. For instance, “Grandma plays games with me” or “My teacher is nice.”

The fun part of this activity is to make the chain as long as possible – showing all your blessings. If you’d like to keep this up during Christmas, just use green and white paper and gold paper.

Thanksgiving Tree
This is another take on the idea above and works really well if you have several kids in the family. Get each child to trace their hand on yellow, red, or brown construction paper. Cut out the hand shapes and write (or have the child write) what they are thankful for on the hand shape.

Cut a tree trunk shape out of brown construction paper. Glue it on a large piece of poster board. Let the kids add their hand shapes as leaves above the tree trunk, turning it into a beautiful fall colored tree.

Thankful Book
This idea is similar to the others, except it’s more of a keepsake. Purchase a photo album or scrapbook kit and make a “blessings” theme. Add photos of loved ones, including stories about why they are special to you.

Also, include pages of your favorite foods, favorite stories, favorite movies and all the other things that make you happy and thankful.

Any time you or your kids feel down, you can open your blessing book to see all the reasons you have to be happy, and thankful for the blessings in your life.

If you are planning a Thanksgiving party this year, here is a handy checklist of things to do to help it go off without a hitch.
 

Start Planning Early
Nothing can spoil a Thanksgiving party more than a burned-out hostess. So, be sure to start planning your party well in advance.

Make a master list of what needs to be done and when, and start cleaning and preparing ahead of time.

Purchase non-perishable items at least a week before your event. Don’t forget to buy the turkey early as well. You wil want to have the right-sized one without compromising, and remember also, that it will take several days to thaw in the fridge.

If you have room in your freezer, you can purchase the turkey and other frozen items like pies and veggies weeks ahead of time.

Delegate the Turkey
A great way to entertain the men is to put them in charge of the turkey. This may be untraditional to some, but in many areas of the country, the men are in charge of deep-frying the turkey. There’s nothing quite as entertaining as watching a group of men standing around a vat of boiling peanut oil, discussing the turkey. Plus, it gives you more freedom to enjoy the party.

Otherwise, get a good turkey recipe and all the fixings for stuffing together, and let them have at it.

Plan activities
Board games are always fun for kids and adults. Get everyone laughing with the newest game. Or buy a DVD-style game like Scene-It and gather around the TV for some trivia.

Of course, old family favorites would be a bit hit as well. Dust off that old edition of Trivial Pursuit or Monopoly, and get everyone playing.

Just for the Kids
Set up a craft table for the kids. Set out coloring pages (if you can get some Thanksgiving ones, that would be great).

You can find lots of free coloring pages online. Just print a few of them for each child, and lots of crayons. That should keep them busy while you prepare the rest of the food.

Lay out pieces of orange, brown, and yellow construction paper and show the kids how to make a turkey by tracing their hand. Or have the kids make pilgrim hats out of black and white construction paper.

For the Adults
One of the staples of Thanksgiving is football. Traditionally, the men gather in the living room to watch the game. One way to keep the party lively is to give them a football and send them outside to toss it around during commercial breaks.

This can really get the men talking and having a great time. And, ladies – don’t be shy. Jump right in there with them. Just make sure the guys are keeping an eye on that cooking turkey…

Party Games
Charades, hide and seek, pass the parcel, can all be played in company, with adults and kids alike. The important thing is to be together, and be thankful.

Your centerpiece is going to be the the main decoration on your Thanksgiving table.  Here are some ideas as to how to make it more special. Best of all, these decorations will also look stunning if you set them on a counter, or the mantelpiece over the fireplace.

Fall Vegetables

Begin with a pumpkin and gourds and Indian corn. Loosely arrange them on the table or mantelpiece.  Set a fall-colored candle on each side of your display. Finish your free form art center piece by sprinkling colorful fall leaves all over and around your center pieces. Make sure they are not too close to the candles.

Fall Leaves

Simply find a large glass bowl and fill it with beautiful fall leaves. Set a candle on each side of the bowl to showcase the leaves. Then, cut leaf shapes out of construction paper and use them as place cards. You could also press small leaves, and glue them to a plain white place card.  Silk leaves are ideal. 

Floral Display of Abundance

Make a dried floral arrangement from fall flowers. Gather some of the plastic sticks that the florists use to hold notecards. Stick them into the floral display, but put photos of the things you are thankful for in them instead. Or, if you don’t have photos, just write words on notecards and display them in the floral arrangement. Some words you may start with are “family”, “friends”, “food”, “laughter”. 

Carve A Pumpkin

Yes, you heard right, carve a pumpkin. Of course you don’t want to go with the traditional jack-o-lantern design here. Instead carve some geometrical designs, or some flowers, leaf-shapes etc. on your hollowed out pumpkin. Add a candle inside the carved pumpkin and light it just before your guests arrive.  

Pumpkin Candle Holders

Get some small pumpkins and hollow out enough room on the top of the pumpkin to stick a candle in it. Group of few of these candle holders together for a festive center piece. Finish your candle arrangement with a few pieces of native corn placed around your pumpkin candle holders.   Give the arrangement more dimension by using different size pumpkins and candles. Use some scented candles to give your room that warm, homey holiday fragrance.Are you feeling inspired yet by all these ideas? Dig through your Thanksgiving supplies or take a stroll through your local craft store, and you will come up with your own versions of these suggestions.   Above all, enjoy the holidays, and get the kids involved in making the displays as well.