Author: Robert Michaelbr
Source: isnare.combr
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This idea will work well as part of a school Valentine party or childrens holiday party.

1. Make or buy plain cupcakes or cookies for each person who will be attending the holiday party. Buy one or two per person and allow for extras in case of less-than-perfect quality control.

2. You will also need two or three kinds of frosting, a variety of holiday sprinkles, mini M Ms, tiny chocolate chips, toffee pieces and nuts. Choose the ones you want for the cookies or cupcakes you will be decorating.

3. Be sure to bring or provide containers for the toppings and knives, paper towels, waxed paper, and a small paper plate for each child.

4. Prepare a holiday cookie or cupcake menu for each child. Each child will check a box or line for kind of frosting and sprinkles desired. There should also be a space for their name. Have each child fill out the menu and collect them.

5. Choose a holiday foreperson. This person is in charge of holiday decorating crews, job assignments and quality control. The child chosen should be able to work well with the other children.

6. Assign children to groups of four or five. Introduce them to the foreperson and explain that they will be filling the holiday cookie or cupcake menu requests. You might want to complete one of the cookies or cupcakes as an example.

7. Give the first group four or five holiday menus to complete. Each child will have a job, a kind of frosting or a specific type of sprinkle or topping to apply. Make sure they understand what their job is and that it is important to listen to the foreperson and work together.

8. The foreperson will make sure each person does their job and that the assigned menus are completed successfully. Explain to the foreperson the importance of being firm but kind and encouraging. Help them understand the power of positive role-modeling.

9. Have an activity planned for the groups that are waiting to decorate the holiday treats such as a puzzle, crossword or game. This will keep everyone busy and having a good time.

10. When all the holiday treats are frosted and sprinkled, take each childs menu and pass out the cookies or cupcakes. Its fun to see if everyone gets the treat they ordered. Let the children know the good things you noticed while they were working together.

This activity can be tailored to any holiday celebration and is fun and a good way to provide a learning experience.br
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Author: Alcudia Pollensa-7925br
Source: articledashboard.combr
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Hotels and holiday companies in Spain are winning the battle for European holidaymakers, with an impressive 5 per cent rise in visitor numbers for the 2007 summer season.

The country welcomed over ten million holiday makers in January, February and March – normally viewed as off peak months.

The highest number of visitors came from the United Kingdom, followed closely by Germany.

It was mainly due to the Germans that the numbers were up, as the number of British arrivals actually showed a slight drop, while more than 6 per cent extra visitors from Germany ensured a good start for 2007 for Spain.

The Canary Islands were the most popular part of Spain. Lanzarote, Tenerife, Gran Canaria and Fuerteventura enjoy warm winters due to their geographical location near Africa, and have a strong appeal for Britons facing their winter.

The Costa del Sol, a perennial favourite of the British seeking a winter sunshine break enjoyed a boost in arrivals.

The Balearic Island also recorded a rise in visitors.

The Balearics consist of Menorca (the smallest island), Majorca and Ibiza. The small rise compared to the Canary Islands isnt too much of a surprise as Menorca has a season that traditionally is at its peak early May to end September, but is now trying to extend that from mid April to mid October.

As part of the Balearic Islands, Mallorca has welcomed many visitors back to live full time on the island. Menorca property has proved popular too, for those looking for a gentler pace of life than big sister Mallorca.

Property prices in Mallorca are similar to Menorca property, with a range of apartments and villas in both rural and town locations, and with twenty golf courses plenty of golf course developments too on Mallorca.

Menorca has just the one golf course, recently extended to eighteen holes, and is located in Son Parc, which has a choice of hotels, apartments and villas for holiday makers.

The cost of flying to Mallorca with holiday companies like Thomas Cook holidays have come down in recent years from most European countries due to low cost airlines, especially in the islands core tourist areas of the United Kingdom and Germany, and last year easyJet started direct flights from Londons Gatwick Airport to the sister island of Menorca, as well as serving Mallorca itself.

Despite competition from other destinantions, Mallorca looks set to remain a favourite holiday spot for some time to come.

How the second quarter official figures go remains to be seen, but Spain could see a further drop in British arrivals compared to last year.

An unusually warm spell of weather for five weeks in April in the UK could mean that more Brits have booked summer holidays in their home country.

The warm weather, increased airport departure taxes, and environmentally aware travellers could shun an overseas holiday this year.

The new environment warnings of carbon footprints is impacting the travel market, with news bulletins regularly reporting that taking a flight adds to global warming. If holidaymakers take heed Spain might also see a drop in visitors from Germany, Scandanavia and other European countries./pbr
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Author: blueboy
Source: articledashboard.com

Have you ever been to Spain for a holiday? Are you thinking of travelling to Spain for a holiday in the near future? Do you always return to Spain each year for your annual holiday? Many British people continue to travel to Spain each year despite there being many more destinations available around the world at affordable prices. In this article, I write about why the British love and continue to travel to Spain for their holidays.

A recent report highlighted the fact that many British people do not just return to Spain once, but in fact return to Spain most years for their holiday. One lady who was around fifty years of age was asked by the reporter how many times she had chosen Spain for her holiday destination, twelve she answered. A man who was probably in his forties was asked the same question, he replied, eight times.

With the birth of the budget airline you would have thought that people may choose other destinations to visit, some of course do, but what is the reason behind all of these other people travelling back to Spain, year in, year out?

Many of these people will only be able to afford one holiday abroad per year and if they have really enjoyed travelling to Spain in the past and all what it has to offer, they may not be willing to take a risk with a new resort or country.

A lot of these people see Spain as quite similar to the UK, apart from the fact that it is a lot warmer. This sun is of course is why most of them are taking their holiday abroad, how many times have we taken a holiday in Britain, in August for example, and the weather has been poor?

The food in these Spanish resorts is very much catered for us Brits and there are many British themed bars where people are able to drink British beer and watch the English Premiership in football.

This is no doubt true of many other resorts around the world but people may be of the mindset of why fix it, if it is not broken.

To travel to Spain is very cheap and the flights are also quite short, this suits a family taking their children as well as members of an older generation.

With the internet now available in most households, people are able to plan and book their holidays for even cheaper than before, this is by booking the flights and hotels well in advance.

I personally like to travel to different destinations when I go abroad but can fully understand why other people would choose to return to the same place, for example Spain.

Author: Harry Lawrance
Source: articledashboard.com

Benidorm is situated on the Costa Blanca on the east coast of Spain. It is probably the Costa Blanca’s liveliest resort town and has long been a favourite with British holiday makers. Benidorm offers a variety of things to see and do and has something to offer for most holiday makers.

One of Benidorms strongest assets is its award winning beaches. There are two beaches in Benidorm which together stretch for nearly three miles. The beaches are named Lavante and Poniente (Spanish for sunrise and sunset respectively) and are consistently voted amongst the cleanest and most popular beaches in Europe. There is a great variety of watersports available from the beaches including banana boat rides, parasailing and scuba diving.

Other attractions in Benidorm include the waterparks on the outskirts of the town and also Terra Mitica, Spain’s largest theme park. For those wishing to explore further afield, Alicante 25 miles north of Benidorm is the main town in the Costa Blanca and has a variety of places of interest for holiday makers, while coach tours to the thousand year old mountain fortress of Guadalest are also popular. The Costa Blanca region is also famous for its golf and there are over fifteen 18-hole golf courses within a couple of hour’s drive of Benidorm.

There are plenty of gift shops in Benidorm, again aimed at the British holiday maker with prices in the resort being relatively cheap, especially on alcohol and cigarettes. As with many areas of Spain, leather goods are prolific and of good value in Benidorm as are items of jewellery, bags and shoes.

The busy nightlife is another of Benidorms highlights with something available for everyone. There are all sorts of live shows and bands, karaoke, bingo and adult entertainment available as well as a hoard of bars and clubs that will appeal to younger tourists. Many of the restaurants in Benidorm are geared towards the British tourist, so expect to find plenty of places serving the usual British food as well as the expected fast food joints and Chinese and Indian restaurants. For those looking to try some authentic Spanish cuisine, there are several bars and restaurants offering tapas and locally caught seafood along the old harbour.

If you are looking for an authentic Spanish experience from your holiday in Spain then Benidorm is probably not the best choice for you as many have likened it to England in the sun. But if you are looking for entertainment, nightlife and fun in the sun, it may just be an ideal destination.