Christmas! A time of giving and love

CIRCLE TIME

Christmas means "The Mass of Christ". This is the time when we celebrate the nativity of Jesus Christ. When Jesus was born, angels were sent to tell the 3 Wise-men and let them know where to go visit him. They brought with them gifts to present to baby Jesus to welcome him and show his love. This is why we give the people we love presents on Christmas! This is the season of giving. In addition to giving to the people in our lives who we love, we should try to give to those who are less fortunate than us. Donating toys and clothes to homeless shelters and battered women's shelters are great ideas!

BOOKS

http://www.amazon.com/Story-Christmas-Patricia-Pingry/dp/0824918452/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1386695668&sr=1-1&keywords=the+story+of+christmas+by+patricia+a.+pingry

A great book for explaining, simply, why we celebrate Christmas! It is very well written and makes the whole season make sense.

http://www.amazon.com/Night-Before-Christmas-Clement-Clarke/dp/0824955145

This is the classic story beloved by millions for a long time. I read it to my son every Christmas eve!




SCIENCE

Candy Cane Science Experiment

You Need:
Small bowls
Mini Candy Canes
Warm Water

Talk about candy canes. They are made of sugar. What do the kids think will happen if you put the candy canes in warm water?

Unwrap a couple and place them in the water. Cover them completely. Watch what happens. After a few minutes, all the red dye should dissolve into the water. Most of it will sink to the bottom of the bowl. Keep watching! Record how long it takes to completely disappear. Did any of the kids think that was what would happen? Do they think the same thing would happen if they placed the candy canes in oil? What if you add salt?

You can expand on this experiment the more interested the kids are!

MATH

Christmas Tree Shape Worksheet

This is from first-school.com! Follow the link and print in color or black and white. It is always fun to decorate a Christmas tree and with this you can learn about colors and shapes as well!

http://www.first-school.ws/activities/activityc/christmas-tree-colors-shapes.htm

Gingerbread Button Counting

From filefolderfun.com. Download and print the pictures of gingerbread men who need buttons and have the kids help them out. There are even simple addition cards for those who are learning to add. You can cut out the printable buttons or provide real ones. There are lots of fun ways to use these!

http://filefolderfun.com/Pages/PreschoolCounting/GingerbreadManCount

LETTER/READING

Short Vowel Review

Continue to review the short vowel sounds.

http://www.starfall.com/n/level-a/learn-to-read/load.htm?f

You can review the short vowels again. There is also a fun game called "10 little snowmen" you can play. Click on the snowman on the right side of the screen.

http://www.readingbear.org/Presentation.aspx?Review=1-6

Review the short vowels on readingbear.com.

ART/CRAFT

Craft - Easy Pom Pom Decorations

You Need:
Cardboard
White school glue
Many colors and sizes of craft pom poms

This is a simple and fun craft! Cut the cardboard into shapes such as candy canes, wreaths, Christmas trees, stars, etc. Give the kids the shapes and allow them to glue the pom poms to the shapes in whatever pattern they like!

Art - Paper Plate Angels

You Need:
Paper plates
Scissors
Crayons or markers
Any other craft items you want (such as craft poms, stickers, glitter, etc)

Cut the angel pattern from the paper plate. Give each child an angel to decorate in any way they wish!

MOTOR SKILLS

Snowball Toss Game

You need:
6 plastic drinking cups
Bag of pillow stuffing or cotton balls

The idea of this game is like a ring toss. Draw snowman faces on the cups. Tear off small bunches of the stuffing or glue 4 cotton balls together. Mark a line on the floor and have the kids stand at that line. Set up the cups a distance away in a triangle configuration with 1 in the front, 2 behind and 3 behind that. The kids should try to toss the cotton into the cups while standing at the line. Each cup could be worth more points and the child who gets the most points wins!
This is a great hand-eye coordination game and gets kids up and moving!

From we-made-that.com

Fine - Pomander

You Need:
Oranges
Cloves (whole)
Wooden Skewers

This requires some prep. You will need to poke the holes in the oranges first. Use the skewers to make the patterns on the oranges.
Give each child an orange and show them how to stick the cloves into the pre-made holes. When these are complete, they are pretty and smell amazing! You can make these gifts for their parents.

MUSIC

Well Christmas carols are just the best! And there are too many to list. http://www.the-north-pole.com/carols/ Follow the link to find a lengthy list of great Christmas music, both secular and Christian, with lyrics!

COOKING

Candy Cane Fruit Snack

Ingredients:
Strawberries
Bananas

With all the candy, cookies and cakes this time of year, we are going to make something a bit more healthy! Cut up the fruit into small chunks. Show the kids how to put the candy cane together and then let them do their own. A yummy, healthy and very Christmas-y snack.

The Candy Cane

To go along with our yummy snack, click the link to Ministry to children for a printable story about the candy cane!
http://ministry-to-children.com/candy-cane-poem-about-jesus/

Winter...A Chilly and Beautiful Season

CIRCLE TIME

The official beginning of Winter is December 21st. Winter is our coldest season of the year. The daylight hours are much shorter and our part of the Earth is farther away from the Sun, which causes it to be cold.

In the winter, many animals go to sleep for many weeks or months. This is called hibernating. Other animals travel to warmer parts of the Earth for the winter. This is called migration. People just put on warm clothes like sweaters, gloves and hats in order to stay warm!






BIBLE

"Don't be afraid, for I am with you."  Isaiah 41:10a

Click the link to Danielle's Place for an awesome lesson! The concept is learning that God is in control of everything. We don't have to be afraid because God has a plan for our lives. He wants us to follow Him!

http://www.daniellesplace.com/html/FreeWinterSundaySchoolLesson.html

LETTER/ READING

Vowel Review!

Reading  - click HERE and print the Vowel Review Worksheet from KidZone.com. Pronounce the short vowel sound and then pronounce the word with the short vowel sound.


Starfall.com - http://www.starfall.com/n/level-a/learn-to-read/load.htm?f
Click the "Short Vowel" button next to the "Ug" lesson. This is a fun matching game using words with short vowels!

**BONUS - Click the Gingerbread Man on the right side of the screen for a fun game!

Readingbear.org - http://www.readingbear.org/Presentation.aspx?Review=1-6
Review the short vowel sounds!

SCIENCE

Ice Melting Activity

Each test can be done on a different day in order to make it more exciting to see what happens next!

Print the graph HERE

Make a bunch of ice cubes. Show the graph to the kids and ask them which they think will melt the ice fastest. You can record their answers so you can see who might have been right at the end of the week!Each day try one of the experiments. Use a stopwatch or the stopwatch function on your smart phone and record exactly how long each thing takes to fully melt the ice cube. Record your findings on the graph. Once all of the experiments have been completed, use the orange circles to number them in the order of fastest to slowest. Who had the right answer?

MATH

Snowman Puzzle

About.com has a cute printable snowman puzzle! Print on cardstock and cut the pieces out. Puzzles help children build the skills they need to read, write, solve problems, and coordinate their thoughts and actions—all of which they will use in school and beyond.

http://homeschooling.about.com/od/holidays/ss/santaprint_6.htm

Playdough Math Mats

Pre-kinders.com has some adorable printable math mats with a snow theme! These are great for math skills and also fine motor skills. Print the mats and allow the kids to make the number of snowflakes that each mat asks for!

http://www.prekinders.com/snowman-play-dough-mats/

ART/CRAFT

Art - Snow Painting!

Recipe:
Mix equal parts of shaving cream and white school glue!

Give the kids a piece of grey or grey-blue paper and allow them to create a winter masterpiece!
(You may want to read one of the suggested books to get them in the mood!)

Craft - Noodle Snowflakes

You need:
"Wagon wheel" style dry noodles
Shell noodles
(Other noodle shapes, use what you want!)
Glue
Paper
Silver glitter
Snowflake Template

Print a copy of the template for each kid. Provide a bowl with the noodles and glue. Allow the kids to fill the template with the noodles however they like! Once done, cover the surface of their noodle snowflakes with glue and sprinkle the silver glitter over them. Allow to dry.

Once dry, you can put these up in the classroom. They are so pretty!

BOOKS

http://www.amazon.com/Biggest-Best-Snowman-Reindeer-Scholastic/dp/B0054R89YS/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1386347891&sr=1-3&keywords=the+biggest+best+snowman

A really sweet book that helps us remember that even the smallest of us can make big things happen if we believe in ourselves (and get a little help)!




http://www.amazon.com/When-Winter-Comes-Nancy-Laan/dp/0689817789

"What happens to fish, flowers, field mice, and other living things when ponds freeze and the air turns blustery? Walk with a curious child and his parents as winter's first snow falls and find out"

MOTOR SKILLS

Fine - Play with Home Made Snow!

from bathactivitiesforkids.com

You Need:

Baking Soda

Water

Large tub (one of those dish tubs from Walmart work great)

Slowly mix the baking soda with little bits of water at a time. Mix well using your hands to get it to incorporate. When it is finished it should be crumbly and moldable. Place it in the freezer for about an hour.

Put the snow in a large tub and give the kids the chance to mold it! You can make snowballs, snow forts, snow men (all miniature, of course!). This is really great for those of us who don't get much snow, and also for those of you who do!



My kid playing with it in the bathtub!

Gross - Winter Wonderland Obstacle Course

This is the time of year when it is tough to keep kids from going bananas because they are cooped up inside a bunch.

It is pretty simple to do this. You just have to make sure it is safe and not too difficult for the kids. You can use sofa pillows, small chairs, big cardboard boxes, blankets, masking tape, hula hoops and many other items to make a course through the room. Make them have to go up and over, under and through, around, etc. In order to make it winter-like, add snowflakes, snowmen, and other winter-y items! You can also make it harder by having them put on all their winter clothing so it is harder to move around. Give a pack of winter stickers as a prize at the end.

MUSIC

The Winter Song

(tune: Farmer in the Dell)
Let's sing a winter song,
Let's sing a winter song,
The days are short, the nights are long.
Let's sing a winter song.
The winter wind is cold,
The winter wind is cold,
It freezes noses, ears, and toes.
The winter wind is cold.
Winter now is here,
Winter now is here,
Put on your coat, your hat, your gloves, Winter now is here.



Fairy Tales & Legends

CIRCLE TIME

Fairy Tales, Nursery Rhymes and Legends are stories which generally feature magical creatures. Often they hold life lessons and reinforce various skills while allowing you to visit other places and people. It is very important to talk about the lesson that the Fairy Tale is trying to teach after you read the story. There are many very interesting and wonderful Fairy Tales to choose from and I chose a few that I loved as a child.

The idea of all the lessons is to read the story that is represented in each lesson before doing the activity. There will be lots of reading this week so I am not suggesting any books other than the stories in the lessons. Have fun!

To get started, read the Humpty Dumpty Nursery Rhyme and then have the kids color the page from Education.com. http://www.education.com/worksheet/article/color-picture-humpty-dumpty/

Talk about what the lesson is.

BIBLE

"David & Goliath"   1 Samuel 17:2-11, 16, 40, 45-50

Print the FREE lesson from ministrytochildren.com! This is a bible story that has the same sort of feel and lesson as Fairy Tales often do.
http://ministry-to-children.com/david-and-goliath-preschool-lesson/ 

LETTER/READING

Letter U and Short U Sound

Letter U Activity - U is for Underwater Craft

You Need:
A blue piece of construction paper
White typing paper
Fish and Sea creature stickers
Blue Crayons

Draw waves on the white paper and have the kids cut them out. You also need a big letter U out of the white paper, it is up to you whether you have the kids cut them or do them yourself. Glue the waves to the top of the blue paper and glue the U to the middle of the paper. Write "U is for Underwater" at the top of the white portion of the paper in blue crayon. 

Talk about the letter U and the sound it makes. U is for Underwater. Trace the edges of the letter U with blue crayon. Talk about what swims around underwater. Give the kids the stickers and allow them to decorate their Underwater scene.

Letter U Reading Practice:

http://www.starfall.com/n/level-a/learn-to-read/play.htm?f
Practice the ug lesson. Then read the "Gus the Duck" story and work on the short U words

http://www.readingbear.org/Presentation.aspx?PresentationID=6
Practice the short U lesson.




SCIENCE

Goldilocks & the 3 Bears - Hard and Soft Activity
 http://www.dltk-teach.com/rhymes/goldilocks_story.htm
DLTK-teach has a printable version of this story!

You Need:
A large box
A selection of items that are soft
A selection of items that are hard
A bandana or other blind fold



http://www.giftofcuriosity.com/learning-about-hard-vs-soft/

Talk to the kids about hard and soft. A thing that is hard is a thing that does not move when you push on it. It is always the same shape, unless you break it. It feels like a rock. A thing that is soft is a thing that will bend and change shape as you push on it. It feels like a kitty.

Explain that you are going to put the blindfold on the kids so they can't see the item in your hand. They will use their hands to feel the item and determine if it is hard or soft.

This is a great way to really help the kids understand hard and soft by feel and definition.

MOTOR SKILLS

Fine - Elves & the Shoemaker Lacing Activity

Print the shoe template from Therapy Fun Zone.com HERE.  Cut out the shoes and laminate them. Punch holes through the black dots. Provide the kids with shoes laces and allow them to lace the shoes.

Here is a link to the story: http://www.authorama.com/grimms-fairy-tales-39.html

 

Gross - Jack Be Nimble Candlestick Jumping

 Read the nursery rhyme. Play some kid music OR  you can play this fun version from dailymotion.com http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x12j4ck_jack-be-nimble-mother-goose-club-nursery-rhymes_music!

Place a plastic candlestick on the floor of a large empty area or on the ground in a field.While music is playing, put the kids in a line and let them go around and around jumping over the candlestick! Excellent exercise and really fun.

MATH

The Gingerbread Man - Story Sequencing

Print the story HERE from DLTK Teach. You can ignore all the instructions and just go to the bottom and print all of the pages from there. Cut each page apart so only one page is on the paper. Write a small number at the bottom corner of each page to help with the sequencing. Read the story to the kids. Then place the papers out on the table out of order. Talk about the order that things happened in the story and also show them the page numbers. By using the numbers and the story itself, they should be able to place the pages in the proper order.

Jack & the Beanstalk - Bean Counting

Provide a bowl of dried beans. Write the numbers 1-12, out of order, in the bottoms of an egg carton. The kids should count the beans and place the same number as is listed in the bottom of each cup.

Read the story of Jack and the Beanstalk or you can go to the below link and show them an animated version.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/cbeebies/misc/stories/misc-jackandthebeanstalk/

ART/CRAFT

Art - Hansel & Gretel Gingerbread House

Read the story. You can read this version (http://www.childrenstory.info/children-stories/folklore/hansel-and-gretel/) or you can read another version. Now you are ready to build a gingerbread house! This is a really great time of year for that because you can easily find kits in the grocery stores. You can also make a non-edible version using craft foam, paint and stickers!

Either way, this is a really fun project! The kids will need a lot of help, so it involves the group!


Craft - Three Little Pigs House Building

You Need:
Tan colored "Raffia" ribbon (it is ribbon that looks like straw, available at craft stores)
Popsicle stix
Red foam, cut into little rectangles
Glue
Paper (white, yellow, blue)
Markers or crayons

Cut out 1 white square for each house, 1 yellow triangle for each roof, 1 blue rectangle for each door. Provide pre-cut lengths of raffia, pre-cut lengths of stick, and red bricks.

Read "The Three Little Pigs"  http://www.familybooksandcds.com/the-three-little-pigs.html

Paste 3 white houses to a piece of paper. Attach the roofs and doors.
Glue the raffia to the "Straw" house for pig #1.
Glue the sticks to the stick house for pig #2.
Glue the bricks to the brick house for pig #3.

You can add pig stickers if you wish!

MUSIC

"Mother of the Fairy Tale"
Mother of the fairytale, take me by your silver hand.
Sail me in your silver boat. Sail me silently afloat.
Mother of the fairytale, take me to your shining land.

10 Fun Thanksgiving Traditions (Thanksgiving Week)

There you all are, the morning of Thanksgiving. You watch the Macy's Day Parade. Once it is over, THEN WHAT?? Rather than sitting around staring at each other, here are a few ideas of some traditions you can begin with your family this year!

1. Special Breakfast

I LOVE Breakfast! It is my most favorite meal. I never put any time into it, though. Most mornings I eat and serve cereal or bagels because it is easy and nutritious. Once in a while, like for special occasions, I like to do breakfast up right!
The way I see it, breakfast needs to last on Thanksgiving! Most people really only eat 2 meals that day, breakfast and dinner. So I like to make something really tasty and that will stick with you for a while. There are many different ways you can go with this, so have fun with it!
You could do a bagel bar and include several different toppings ranging from sweet to savory. You could make pancakes and sausage, muffins, eggs, a casserole or whatever else your family might enjoy.

    2.  Community Service

There is nothing better, on this day of giving thanks, than to help your fellow man. Sign your family up to volunteer at a food pantry or homeless shelter for part of the day. Serve food to those less fortunate. Or you could have everyone in the house collect a few things that they no longer need and drive it out to a battered women's shelter. Your children will never forget the feeling of making someone else's day!

     3.  Place Markers Craft

You can do this from the time your kids are little all the way through school and beyond! If you make one each year, then you can pull them all out later on and see the progression! It is really fun. It gets everyone involved in the dinner, too. Since the young kids can't help cook too much, this way they can say they contributed! If you search the term "place markers" on Pinterest, you will get more ideas than you will know what to do with! They can be as intricate or simple as the kids can handle. If you are busy in the kitchen, recruit your mom to help the kids with the craft. Grandmas will love that!

     4.  Scrapbook or Chain

These are crafts you can start now and add on to for years to come! For the scrapbook, get a notebook or spiral and decorate it. Each Thanksgiving, have everyone write down the things they are thankful for this year. Make sure you date each section! After many years of doing this, it is really amazing to go back and look at how things have changed for everyone. This is a great keepsake!
The chain is the same basic idea. Make rectangle scraps of paper in Thanksgiving colors available each year. Record your thankful-ness on the paper. Link the papers together to make a chain. You should hang this up by the dinner table. Each year, hang it up and provide more paper for that year's thanks. As the chain grows, it will be a wonderful reminder of the years past and how much we really have to be thankful for.

     5. Gratitude Quilt

If someone in your family is a sewer, this one might work for you! It has the same basic idea as the scrapbook or chain, but you will record your thanks for that year on a scrap of fabric. Sew them together each year and watch your love and family grow! You can use this a throw for the couch or you could even hang it up in the dining room each season!

    6.  Thankful Skit

If your family has a drama kid in it, you can have a lot of fun with this! Have the kids write a skit talking about everything they are thankful for and perform it for the family before dinner. These are the things memories are made from...

     7.  Games

If your family is competitive, you might all enjoy a good game while you wait for dinner! Whatever would be the most fun for your family is perfect! Play football, Clue, Scene It, Go Fish, or whatever! Games are an awesome way to spend some time as a family.

     8.  Thanksgiving Story

If you have a favorite story from your childhood, it would be fun to read it to the room on this day. Especially if it is a story about beign thankful for the good in your life. Apples For The Teacher (website) has quite a few great stories that are printable and are great for kids. Sometimes we can use a little inspirational push to help us feel the important feelings of this Holiday.
http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/thanksgiving/short-stories/

     9.  Family Photo

What better way to remember the great holiday spent with your family than to photograph it? Taking a family photo each year is great for looking back at past holidays spent together! Watching everyone grow, including the size of the family, is great fun. Just make sure you have a tripod and a timer so everyone can be in the shot!

    10.  Wishbone!

This one can't include more than 2 people and is usually not ready until a day or 2 after dinner, but it is still a fabulous tradition! Make sure you pull yours out and allow it to dry for at least 24 hours before you make your wishes! In order to decide who gets the honors, you could play a simple guessing game or even hide a special sticker under 2 chairs and whoever sits there gets the wishbone! Make it fun...

I hope that helps giving you ideas! Make sure you remember the reason for this holiday and enjoy the time with your family as much as possible!

Happy Thanksgiving ~