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C
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T
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Lots of
Ideas
for a
Special
Sparkling Pinecones
What you need:
pinecones, soft brush,
gold or silver paint, paintbrush, glitter, yarn
Gather pinecones that have
fallen from the trees and dust
them lightly with a soft brush.
Paint each pinecone with either
the gold or silver paint.
While the paint is still wet,
sprinkle glitter on top to
make the pinecones sparkle.
Wrap the yarn around the base of each
pinecone. Tie the two ends of the yarn
together to make a loop.
Hang the pinecone as a decoration on
your Christmas tree!
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5
Scented Half-Moons
What you need:
three oranges, knife,
cutting board, red or green ribbon
Ask an adult to slice the oranges in
half, and then in half again on a cutting
board, so that you have the shape of
a half-moon. Let them dry someplace
warm for five days. The top of a
radiator is an ideal place.
When the oranges are completely
dried, ask an adult to poke a
hole through the top of each slice.
Thread a small piece of ribbon
through the hole. Tie the two ends
together and make them into a bow.
Hang this decoration on your
Christmas tree. It will give the whole
room a wonderful scent.
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1
2
4
Push a Popsicle stick into a Styrofoam ball.
Brush a thin layer of glue onto the ball. Take a
handful of the same kind of colored seeds and
glue them onto the ball. Be sure to place them
very close to one another. Let them dry well.
Spread varnish over the
seeded ball with a brush.
Once the varnish is dry,
remove the Popsicle stick from
the ball. Take the ribbon and
wrap it around the ball as if you are wrapping
a gift, leaving a few inches of ribbon on either
end. Tie these into a bow to hang on the
Christmas tree.
Repeat the steps above with
the rest of the balls, using all
the different types of seeds.
Colorful Decorations
What you need:
Styrofoam balls, Popsicle sticks, glue,
different-colored dried seeds (green lentils, red beans,
corn, and sunflower seeds), varnish, brushes, red ribbon
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Brightly Shining Stars
What you need:
round cookie cutter, pencil, yellow
construction paper, safety scissors, star cookie cutter,
glue stick, transparent paper, glitter, red ribbon
Take the round cookie cutter, and with the
pencil, trace it on yellow construction paper.
Cut out the shape with safety scissors.
Using the other cookie cutter, trace a star
in the center of the yellow circle.
Cut out the star with the safety
scissors. The circle should now
have a star-shaped hole in its center.
Use a glue stick to apply the transparent paper
behind the circle and cut out the excess paper
around it. On the right side, carefully apply glue on
the transparent paper, and sprinkle glitter over the hollow star.
Ask an adult to make a hole at the top
of the decoration. Thread a red ribbon
through the hole, make a loop, and hang it
on your Christmas tree.
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2
Take the cylinder and cut 2-inch rings
from it with the safety scissors. Cut as
many as you can from one cylinder.
With the zigzag scissors, cut the
red felt into 3-inch-wide strips. Glue
them around the cardboard rings.
With the zigzag scissors, cut the
green felt into 1-inch-wide strips. Make
sure to cut the felt long enough to wrap
completely around the tube. Glue the
strips around the middle of the red
felt on the cardboard rings.
With the safety scissors, cut hearts from
the red felt. Glue them on the center of
the green felt strip on each ring.
Christmas Napkin Holders
What you need:
a cardboard cylinder (you can use
a paper towel or wrapping paper roll), ruler, safety
scissors, zigzag scissors, red felt, glue, green felt
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Draw a Christmas tree on green
construction paper. Use the
safety scissors to cut around the
tree.
With your silver
or gold pen, write the name of
a guest and a little message on
every tree. For example, I love you very
much! Or, You are sweeter than
a cheesecake!
Fold the trunk
of the tree to
make a stand, as shown.
Jolly Tree Place Cards
What you need:
green construction paper, pencil,
safety scissors, gold or silver pens
2
1
3
With the paintbrush, paint the cardboard box
and lid blue.
Take the tracing paper and trace the
reindeer on the right with the pencil. Trace
the Christmas tree from the previous page
as well. Transfer them to white construction
paper or computer paper.
Carefully cut out the reindeer and the tree
with the safety scissors. Do this without cutting
from the edge of the paper. You may need to
fold the paper to do this. Discard the deer and
tree and keep the hollowed paper.
Lay the hollowed paper with the deer
outline on top of the cardboard box. Take
a sponge, dip it in the red paint, and use it
to color the inside of the deer outline.
What you need:
tracing paper, pencil, white construction paper or
computer paper, safety scissors, a cardboard box, two sponges,
red, green, blue, and white paint, thin paintbrush, varnish
A Christmas Box
1
2
Take the outline of the tree
and place it on the side of
the box. Dip the other sponge
into the green paint and use it
to color the inside of the tree
outline.
With the paintbrush and the white
paint, make lots of small dots
around the reindeer and the trees.
These should look like snow!
When the colors have dried
thoroughly, brush the entire
box with varnish and let
it dry thoroughly.
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Christmas Cookies
What you need:
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup butter, cut into small pieces, at room temperature
3-quart mixing bowl
wooden spoon
1 cup sugar
grated lemon peel from one large lemon
pinch salt
4 large egg yolks
1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
plastic wrap
star-shaped cookie cutter
flour for work surface
rolling pin
cookie sheet
plastic bags
colored ribbon
ASK AN ADULT TO
HELP YOU!
Ask an adult to preheat the oven to 400°F.
1
Place flour and butter in the 3-quart mixing bowl.
Using fingertips, rub the flour and butter together
until the mixture resembles crumbly, coarse
cornmeal. Stir in sugar, grated lemon peel, and salt.
Make a well, or hole, in the center of
the flour mixture. Place the egg yolks
and vanilla into the well. Using your
fingertips, quickly and evenly mix dough
together. Shape dough into a smooth ball.
Wrap the cookie dough in plastic wrap.
Refrigerate 30 minutes or until ready to use.
Divide the dough into two balls. Work with one ball
at a time. Keep the remaining ball chilled.
Using a rolling pin, roll the ball of dough
out on a lightly floured surface. Using
the star-shaped cookie cutter, cut out
twelve cookies. Transfer to the cookie sheet.
Ask an adult to place the cookie sheet in the
preheated oven and bake for approximately 10
to 12 minutes, or until the cookies are golden brown.
Ask an adult to remove from the
oven, and let the cookies cool.
Repeat to make more cookies. Put
some cookies into each plastic bag
and close it with a bright ribbon.
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My Christmas Book
Create a special book where you can write how, where,
and with whom you spend Christmas Day each year.
What you need:
red construction paper, a large
notebook, pencil, safety scissors, glue, different
colored felt-tip pens
Place a sheet of red construction
paper on top of an opened
notebook cover. With a pencil,
trace the outline of the notebook. Cut out
the shape of the notebook with your safety scissors.
Glue it on to the cover of the notebook. Be sure the
entire notebook, front and back, is covered with the red
construction paper.
On the cover, write the title of the book with
your favorite color felt-tip pen: My Christmas
Book. Use your imagination to decorate it. You
may draw on it or cut out Christmas symbols or
pictures and glue them on the cover.
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2
My Christmas
Book
Fill out the book by writing your feelings,
funny happenings, Christmas menu, etc. Glue in
photos, drawings, Christmas cards, and anything
that will remind you of the past Christmas.
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With
.....................
...........................
...........................
We played
.............
...........................
...........................
The best part was
.......................
.....................
....................
At ......................
.................
’s house
Year ...................
M
y
F
a
m
i
l
y
Celebrating it with the people you love!
Spending more time with whoever needs it the most!
Making someone who feels alone happy!
Giving up something in order to give it to others!
Thinking about things that are important in life!
Learning to dream with your eyes open!
*
*
*
*
*
*
The Real Christmas
Spirit Is...
The Christmas spirit should stay
in your heart all year long....
Act as if it were Christmas
every day!
Born in New Mouse City, Mouse
Island,
GERONIMO STILTON
is
Rattus Emeritus of Mousomorphic
Literature and of Neo-Ratonic
Comparative Philosophy. For the
past twenty years, he has been
running The Rodent’s Gazette, New Mouse City’s
most widely read daily newspaper.
Stilton was awarded the Ratitzer Prize for his
scoops on The Curse of the Cheese Pyramid and
The Search for Sunken Treasure. He has also
received the Andersen 2000 Prize for Personality of
the Year. One of his bestsellers won the 2002 eBook
Award for world’s best ratlings’ electronic book. His
works have been published all over the globe.
In his spare time, Mr. Stilton collects antique
cheese rinds and plays golf. But what he most
enjoys is telling stories to his nephew Benjamin.
A
BOUT THE
A
UTHOR
1. Main entrance
2. Printing presses (where the books
and newspaper are printed)
3. Accounts department
4. Editorial room (where the editors,
illustrators, and designers work)
5. Geronimo Stilton’s office
6. Helicopter landing pad
THE RODENT'S
GAZETTE
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R
O
D
E
N
T
R
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V
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R
B
e
a
c
h
1. Industrial Zone
2. Cheese Factories
3. Angorat International
Airport
4. WRAT Radio and
Television Station
5
. Cheese Market
6. Fish Market
7. Town Hall
8. Snotnose Castle
9. The Seven Hills of
Mouse Island
10. Mouse Central Station
11. Trade Center
12. Movie Theater
13. Gym
14. Catnegie Hall
15. Singing Stone Plaza
16. The Gouda Theater
17. Grand Hotel
18. Mouse General Hospital
19. Botanical Gardens
20. Cheap Junk for Less
(Trap’s store)
21. Aunt Sweetfur and
Benjamin’s House
22. Mouseum of
Modern Art
23. University and Library
24. The Daily Rat
25. The Rodent’s Gazette
26. Trap’s House
27. Fashion District
28. The Mouse House
Restaurant
29. Environmental
Protection Center
30. Harbor Office
31. Mousidon Square
Garden
32. Golf Course
33. Swimming Pool
34. Tennis Courts
35. Curlyfur Island
Amousement Park
36. Geronimo’s House
37. Historic District
38. Public Library
39. Shipyard
40. Thea’s House
41. New Mouse Harbor
42. Luna Lighthouse
43. The Statue of Liberty
44. Hercule Poirat’s Office
45. Petunia Pretty Paws’s
House
46. Grandfather William’s
House
Map of New Mouse City
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Cat’s
Claw
Bay
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This way
to the Mousific
Ocean
This way
to the
Ratlantic Ocean
This way to the Sea of Mice
This way to the Rodent Straits
Stray
Cat
Harbor
Furflung Island
Hamster Islands
C
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