CANDY COTTAGE

Why only make a gingerbread house/candy cottage at Christmas time, when you can make one at other holidays too? This is a great family tradition to start and the whole family can participate. This activity reviews fine motor skills, patterns, color mixing (icing), story telling/writing, and the design process, and so much more!

This fun tradition started when my mom bought my sister the candy cottage kit and it was a huge hit. So when my daughter was old enough- she got one as well.

My daughter looks forward to making a gingerbread house every Halloween, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, and Easter. She loves snacking as she decorates of course. We sit ours on our kitchen island on display and always get lots of compliments from visitors. The house makes a great festive decoration.

Materials:

• icing
• graham crackers
• candy (seasonal), chocolate chips
• Candy Cottage
• small bowls (to put candy in)
• plastic knives (spread icing)
• baking sheet

Activity:

Start by putting the house together- the sides snap together. When complete should look like picture below. Now the fun begins! Place your house on a baking sheet. You can either cover in icing and then place graham crackers on top or just cover in icing (we’ve done both, depends on look you want). Have fun, decorating ideas are endless!

Notes:

• If larger family, each child can have one designated spot to decorate.
• Older children can design a sketch ahead of time & then create it.
• After complete, have your child/children write a story about who lives in the house.
• Super easy to clean up- put in the sink with hot water & icing and candy easily comes off with a sponge.
• If you don’t want to buy the Candy Cottage kit, you can buy a Christmas gingerbread kit and save for other holidays or make your own house out of graham crackers.

Finished Examples (I’ll update as we make more, don’t have pictures of them all):

http://www.MATCreate.com is not affiliated in any way with Candy Cottage LTD.. We just like their product! The cottage template is a bit expensive, but if use for multiple holidays and years- defiantly worth the price.

Happy creating & snacking!