It's a cracker

This month's news crew are Ben, Chloe, Gavin, Harry, Holly, Lloyd, Maisie, Megan and Mia, who are all from VIP childcare at Ings Resource Centre. This is the fourth and final time they are writing this page and they would like to thank you all for reading and entering the competitions. Watch out to see who will take over in February! Could it be your group or school?

Make your own Christmas crackers

You will need: numerous cardboard tubes, crepe paper, tissue paper or gift wrap, ribbon, small toys or sweets, jokes, stickers, scissors, sticky tape. Place the toy and/or sweets and joke inside the cardboard tubes and place the roll in the middle of paper leaving an equal amount at each end. Wrap them, using sticky tape to keep in place. Carefully twist the ends of the paper to give it a cracker shape. Tie each twisted end with gift ribbon to make a cracker. Cut a strip of paper of a different colour and wrap it around the middle part of the roll for contrast. Cut the edges of the cracker into zig-zags for effect decorate with stickers or your own drawings. And don't forget to put a joke inside the cracker! Write one here and cut it out, if you like

Competition

Can you write a poem about Christmas or the New Year or about going back to school after the holiday? Send your entry marked 'Poem' to: FREEPOST, Hull Children's Fund, Municipal Buildings, Trippett Street, Hull, HU2 8AA (you don't need a stamp). Please put your name, address, age and telephone number with your entries. Closing date is Friday 8th January. The winning entry/ies will receive a prize.

Winners

In September we asked you to make as many words as you could out of the words 'Chocolate Factory'. The winner is Rhian Lefort, aged 13, who made 270 words. The runner-up is Adam Parry, aged 8, who made 174 words. Both will receive their prizes soon. October's competition was to name the pumpkin. His name was Fred which was correctly guessed by Lizzie Carr aged 12. She will receive her prize shortly.

New Year's resolutions

We hope you all have a wonderful Christmas and a great New Year. At the start of the New Year, lots of people try and make a resolution. This is a sort of promise about something that you want to achieve in the New Year. A resolution is usually about making a positive change about something in your life e.g. doing more exercise, or helping around the house, or working harder at school. Last year, Megan tried to give up chocolate but it didn't last long! What will your resolution be?

Did you know?

On 25th December every year, we celebrate Christmas because the baby King, Jesus, was born. We get presents because they represent the gold, myrrh and frankincense that the wise men brought to honour the birth of the new baby King. We decorate our homes and have lots of fun.