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thevirtualvine.com
2003
Christmas Trimmings
 
As a
SPED K-2, sometimes K-3, resource teacher, I have the
same students sometimes for as many as 5 years straight.
So I do not do the same themes each year. That's one of
the reasons that I've really keyed in on taking a huge
theme like Christmas and breaking it down into smaller
themes. So now I just teach one of the smaller
type units. For instance, last year we did
The Nutcracker and the year before, Reindeer. This year
we're going to do Gingerbread. Some years we'll do
Christmas, but it will exclude any of the activities for
Gingerbread, Reindeer, etc. That way I can still do
Christmasy time themes, but they're not the same things
year after year.
As for the time I spend teaching a unit, I've got soooo
much material, I can easily spend the whole month of
December on that one unit, so that's what I do (it's a
short month anyway).

~
Books ~
The Night
Before Christmas ~ Little Golden Books
Santa's Book of Names ~ David McPhail
How Santa Got His Job ~ Stephen Krensky
Who's That
Knocking on Christmas Eve? ~ Jan Brett
First Grade
Elves ~ Joanne Ryder
Santa's
Christmas Surprise ~ Jamie McIntire
The First
Christmas (pop-up classic) ~ Playmore, Inc.
Tale of the
Christmas Mouse (easy reader) ~ Judith Fringuello
Santa's Cookie
Surprise (easy reader) ~ Janet Craig
Dear Santa (tradebook
Literacy 2000) ~ David Drew
The Littlest
Christmas Elf ~ Little Golden Book
My Christmas
Treasury ~ Little Golden Book
The Christmas
Promise ~ Lee G. Smith
Christmas
Stories & Poems ~ Troll
Merry Christmas
Mom and Dad ~ Mercer Mayer
The Berenstain
Bears Meet Santa Bear ~ Stan & Jan Berenstain
Clifford's
Christmas ~ Norman Bridwell
Heathcliff's
Night Before Christmas ~ Robb Lawrence
Spot's First
Christmas ~ Eric Hill
The Christmas
Tree Book ~ Carol North
Christmas Bear ~
Georgina Russell
The First Night
~ B. G. Hennessy
Santa's Secret
Helper ~ Andrew Clements
Laura's
Christmas Star ~ Klaus Baumgart
The Christmas
Pagent ~ Jacqueline Rogers
A Wish for Wings
That Work ~ Berkeley Breathed
Christmas Trolls
~ Jan Brett
Country Angel
Christmas ~ Tomie dePaola
The Crippled
Lamb ~ Max Lucado
The Christmas
Witch ~ Steven Kellogg
Jingle the
Christmas Clown ~ Tomie dePaola
Find Santa Claus
(look and find) ~ Publications International, Ltd
Merry Christmas,
Big Hungry Bear ~ Audrey Wood
Jingle Bugs ~
David A. Carter
A Christmas Tree
in the White House ~ Gary Hines
Gus and Grandpa
and the Christmas Cookies ~ Claudia Mills
Dragon's Merry
Christmas ~ Dav Pilkey
The Gift of
Christmas ~ Philemon Sturges
The Baker's
Dozen: A Saint Nicholas Tale ~ Aaron Shepard
Santa Cows ~
Cooper Edens
Christmas Always
~ Peter Catalanotto
Mother Hubbard's
Christmas ~ John O'Brien
The Worst
Person's Christmas ~ James Stevenson
Sofie's Role ~
Amy Heath
The Jolly
Christmas Postman
Five Little
Christmas Trees ~ William Boniface
Santa's Snow Cat
~ Sue Stainton
Rudolph The
Red-Nosed Reindeer ~ Robert May
The Night Before
Christmas ~ Jan Brett
Bear Stays Up
For Christmas ~ Karma Wilson
|

~
Poems ~
Dear Santa:
Here's some milk and cookies
That I have left for you.
There are enough for Rudolph,
I hope he likes them too!
~ Author Unknown
~
Christmas
Christmas,
A
time for wishes.
A
time for all
The
girls and boys
To
fill their hearts
With
Christmas joys.
~ Author Unknown
~
Trim the Tree
Let's trim the Christmas tree!
Make some paper chains.
Cut a row of paper dolls
And get some candy canes.
String some snowy popcorn.
Paint some pine cones bright.
And don't forget a golden star
To glow with Christmas light.
~ Pearl H. Watts ~
Sleigh
Bells
Sleigh bells are ringing,
Santa's on his way.
Children are singing,
Soon it's Christmas Day!
~ Author
Unknown ~
Christmas Tree
If I were a pine
With needles lean,
If I were a fir
With branches green,
Do you know what
I'd want to be?
A shimmering, shining
Christmas tree!
~ Author
Unknown ~
Christmas Wreaths
Our Christmas wreaths
Are fat and round
Made of woodsy things
We found.
We tied brown cones
Upon the green
And stuck red berries
In between.
Upon the wreath
For our front door
We tied a ribbon from a store.
~ Author Unknown
~
Santa
Santa Claus is big and fat
He wears black boots
And a bright red hat.
His nose is red
Just like a rose
And he "ho ho ho's"
From his head to his toes!
~ Author
Unknown ~
Five Christmas Candles
Five Christmas candles
With flames so gay,
Dance and flicker
On Christmas day
Five Christmas candles
With flames so gay
Melt away
On Christmas Day.
~ Author Unknown
~
Christmas Star
Twinkle, twinkle, Christmas star,
Way up high is where you are.
Shining there for all to see,
On top of our tree.
Twinkle, twinkle, star so bright,
Shine up there till morning light.
~
Bonnie Woodard ~
A Sunny Christmas
(rhyme: Jack and
Jill)
There is no ice.
There is no snow,
At Christmas time in
Florida.
But I can play
In the sun all day,
On Christmas day in
Florida!
~ Nancy Biddinger ~
Christmas Candles
Christmas candles burning bright,
Shining in the winter night.
Shining there for all to see,
Christmas candles for all to see,
Christmas candles one, two, three.
Christmas candles burning bright,
Shine until the morning light.
~ Author Unknown
~
Santa Claus's Ride
Santa Claus went for a ride
across
around
over
past
through
under
and got back in time for a snack of
gingerbread cookies and hot chocolate
and a long cozy nap.
~ Author Unknown
~
Bundles
A bundle is a funny thing,
It always sets me wondering;
For whether it is thin or wide
You never know just what's inside.
Especially on Christmas week,
Temptation is so great to peek!
Now wouldn't it be much more fun
If shoppers carried things undone?
~ Author Unknown
~
Santa Claus
will soon be here, (pretend to tap watch)
So stamp your
feet and give a cheer! (stomp feet and raise fist
in air)
His elves have
been working (pretend to hammer)
Both day and
night
So he'll be
ready for that Christmas flight! (hold arms out
like plane)
Oh, yes, I see
him! He's ready to go! (shade eyes with
hand)
Can you hear
him? Ho, ho, ho! (cup behind ear)
~ Sarah Booth
~
*Note: You can
also use this with a Santa mask made from a paper
plate and cotton. If you use the mask, put
it up when it says "He's ready to go!" and "Ho,
ho, ho!"
What
Shall We Give the Children?
What shall
we give the children
Christmas
is almost here!
Toys and
games and playthings,
As we do
every year?
Yes, for the magic of toyland
Is part
of the Yuletide lore,
To
gladden the heart of childhood,
But I
shall give something more.
I shall
give them patience,
A more
sympathetic ear.
A little
more time for laughter,
Or
tenderly dry a tear.
I shall
take time to answer
More of
the questions they ask.
Time to
read books together
And take
long walks in the sun.
Time for
a bedtime story
After
the day is done.
I shall
give these to my children
Weaving
a closer tie.
Knitting
our lives together
With
gifts that money can't buy.
~ Author
Unknown
~
Oh
Oh, I
took a lick of my peppermint stick
And I
thought it tasted yummy!
It used
to be on my Christmas tree,
But I
like it better in my tummy! Yummy!
~ Author
Unknown ~
I'm A
Little Christmas Tree
I'm a little
Christmas tree,
Glittering,
glittering merrily!
A star at my
head,
Gifts at my
feet.
And on all my
branches,
Candy canes so
sweet!
~ Author
Unknown ~
This Little
Present
The little
present is for Mary.
This little
present is for Ted.
This little
present is for Harry.
This little
present is for Ned.
This little
present cried,
"Boo, hoo, hoo!
Please put me in a Christmas stocking, too!"
~ Author
Unknown ~
Who Makes
Christmas Fun?
Who makes
Christmas fun?
"Frosty,
Frosty, are you the one,
Who makes
Christmas so much fun?"
"Oh no, no,
no. It's not me.
Who makes
Christmas so merry!
I sing and
play each snowy day,
But with the
sun I melt away!"
"Rudolph,
Rudolph, are you the one,
Who makes
Christmas so much fun?"
"Oh no, no,
no. It's not me,
Who makes
Christmas so merry!
On Christmas
Eve, I light the way,
But home I go
with Santa's sleigh."
"Santa, Santa,
are you the one,
Who makes
Christmas so much fun?"
"Oh no, no,
no, it's not me,
Who makes
Christmas so merry!
I do bring
gifts to girls and boys,
But Christmas
is much more than toys!
Christmas is
peace, laughter and fun,
And sharing
love with everyone!"
~ Author
Unknown ~
December
It's hard to
think of anything,
But Christmas
in December.
There's so
much to look forward to,
And so much to
remember.
~ Author
Unknown ~
(* this poem
goes in our Poetry Journal with a Christmas tree
at the bottom for them to color *)
December
Celebrations
Every year at just this time,
In cold and dark December,
Families around the world
All gather to remember,
With presents and with parties,
With feasting and with fun,
Customs and traditions
for people old and young.
So every year, around the world
In all lands and nations,
People of all ages love
December celebrations!
~ Helen H.
Moore ~
|

~ Songs ~
Here's a little Candle
(tune: "I'm a Little Teapot")
Here's a little candle dressed in white,
Wearing a hat of yellow light.
When the night is dark, then you will see
Just how bright this light can be.
Here's a little candle straight and tall,
Shining it's light upon us all.
When the night is dark, then you will see
Just how bright this light can be.
Here's a little candle burning bright.
Keeping us safe all through the night.
When the night is dark, then you will see
Just how bright this light can be!
~ Author Unknown
C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S
(tune: Jingle
Bells)
C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S is here
That's how we spell Christmas
It's the best time of the year!
C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S is here
Oh what fun we'll have today
With all our friends so near!
~ Author Unknown
Where is Santa?
(tune: Are you sleeping?)
Where is Santa? (hands behind back)
Where is Santa?
Here I am! (arms out in front, making a belly
shape!)
Here I am!
Merry, Merry Christmas!
Merry, Merry, Christmas! (keep arms up through the
rest of the song!)
Ho! Ho! Ho!
Ho! Ho! Ho!
~ Author Unknown
Happy Christmas Day
(tune: Jingle Bells)
Ring the bell, ring the bell,
Christmas time is here.
Ring the bell, ring the bell,
Give a great big cheer!
Light the lights, light the lights,
Happy Christmas Day.
Light the lights, light the lights,
Shout a great big, "Hurray!"
~
Carla Skjong
We'll Decorate the Tree
(tune: The Farmer
in the Dell)
We'll decorate the tree.
We'll decorate the tree.
Heigh-ho, it's Christmastime,
We'll decorate the tree.
The presents we will wrap,
The presents we will wrap,
Heigh-ho, it's Christmastime,
The presents we will wrap.
Carols we will sing,
Carols we will sing,
Heigh-ho, it's Christmastime,
Carols we will sing.
~ Author Unknown
Christmas Song
(I'm A Little Teapot)
I'm a little snowman, round and fat,
Here is my scarf and here is my hat.
When Christmas comes around just hear me shout,
"Here comes Santa. You better watch out!"
I'm a little light bulb, round and bright,
Here is my twinkle; oh, what a sight!
When Christmas comes around just plug me in,
And watch me blink again and again.
I'm a little Christmas tree, short and green,
Here are my branches, the cutest you've seen.
When I get all decorated, hear me cheer,
"Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
~
Vivian
Sasser
I Ain't Gettin' Nuttin' For Christmas
I broke my bat on Johnny's head.
Somebody snitched on me.
I hid a frog in sister's bed.
Somebody snitched on me.
I spilled some ink on Mommy's rug.
I made Tommy eat a bug.
Bought some gum with a penny slug.
Somebody snitched on me.
CHORUS
I ain't gettin' nuttin' for Christmas.
Mommy and Daddy are mad.
I ain't gettin' nuttin' for Christmas,
'Cause I ain't been nuttin' but BAD!
I put a tack on teacher's chair.
Somebody snitched on me.
I tied a knot in Susie's hair.
Somebody snitched on me.
I did a dance on Mommy's plants,
Climbed a tree and tore my pants,
Filled the sugar bowl with ants.
Somebody snitched on me.
CHORUS
I won't be seeing Santa Claus.
Somebody snitched on me.
He won't come visit me
Because
somebody snitched on me.
Next year I'll be going straight!
Next year I'll be good.....just wait!!
I'd start now but it's too late!
Somebody snitched on me.
CHORUS
~
Anne-Rachel Music Corp
Little Green Tree
(tune: "I'm a Little Teapot")
I'm a little green tree in the house,
Here is my trunk,
Here are my boughs.
Decorate me now with lights so fine,
Then plug me in and watch me shine!
~ Billy Taylor
Santa's In His Shop
(tune: Farmer in the dell)
Santa's in his shop
Santa's in his shop
What a scene for Christmas
Santa's in his shop
Other verses:
Santa takes a drum.
The drum takes a doll
The doll takes a train
The train takes a ball
The ball takes a top
They're all in the shop.
~ Author Unknown
There's A Little Elf
(tune: "If You're Happy & You Know
It")
There's a little elf that's sitting on
my nose,
There's a little elf that's sitting on
my nose.
He is sitting on my nose,
Then off away he goes.
Now there's no little elf on my nose.
There's a little elf that's sitting on
my knee,
There's a little elf that's sitting on
my knee.
He is sitting on my knee,
Just watch and he will flee.
Now there's no little elf on my knee.
There's a little elf that's sitting on
my head,
There's a little elf that's sitting on
my head.
He is sitting on my head,
Then away he goes to bed.
Now there's no little elf on my head.
~ Author Unknown
Christmas Colors
(tune: "Three Blind Mice")
Red, green, white; red, green, white.
Christmas colors, Christmas colors.
Red is the color of holly wreaths.
Green is the color of Christmas
trees,.
White is the color from stars so
bright.
Red, green, white; red, green, white.
~
Deborah Roessel
Christmas Bells
(tune: "The Muffin Man")
Oh, do you hear the Christmas bells,
The Christmas bells, the Christmas
bells?
Oh, do you hear the Christmas bells
That ring out loud & clear?
Oh, can you see our Christmas tree,
Our Christmas tree, our Christmas
tree?
Oh, can you see our Christmas tree?
It fills the room with cheer.
Oh, do you smell the gingerbread,
The gingerbread, the gingerbread?
Oh, do you smell the gingerbread?
I'm glad Christmas is here.
~
Maureen Gutyan
There Was A Man
(tune: BINGO)
There was a man in a big red suit
And Santa was his name-o.
S - a - n - t -a
S - a -n - t - a
S - a - n - t - a
And Santa was his name-o!
additional
verses:
2. He has a
big white fluffy beard.
3. He rides a
sleigh of 8 reindeer.
4. He has a
sack all filled with toys.
5. He brings
the toys for girls and boys.
6. He'll come
again another year.
Ho! Ho! Ho!
~ Author Unknown
* Use the
first verse of this song to reinforce letter
identification by writing the letters on a board,
chart, or in a pocketchart and pointing to them as
you sing. It might also make a cute addition
to a Christmas program by having students hold up,
or pop up with the letters as they're sung.
Old St. Nicholas
(tune: Old McDonald Had a Farm)
Old St. Nicholas had a tree, (form
tree with arms)
Ho, ho, ho, ho, ho!
And on that tree he had some horns,
(blow horns)
Ho, ho, ho, ho, ho!
With a toot toot here ,
And a toot, toot there.
Here a toot.
There a toot .
Every where a toot, toot.
Old St.
Nicholas had a tree,
Ho, ho, ho,
ho, ho!
more verses:
lights-------flash flash
candy canes-------yum-yum
drums-------boom-boom
bells---------ring ring
birds------peep peep
stars------twinkle twinkle
snowflakes-------flutter flutter
~ Author Unknown
O Christmas Tree
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree,
Your branches green delight us.
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree,
Your branches green delight us.
They're green when summer days are
bright;
They're green when winter snow is
white.
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree,
Your branches green delight us.
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree,
You give us so much pleasure!
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree,
You give us so much pleasure!
How oft at Christmas tide the sight,
O green fur tree, gives us delight!
O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree,
You give us so much pleasure!
~ Author Unknown
(Tune: Auld Lang Syne)
It's Chrismas time around the world,
You'll hear the Yule bells ring.
It's time for giving, time for love,
It's time for hearts to sing.
Merry Christmas to you one and all,
Goodwill and happiness,
Good health throughout the coming
year,
May all your days be blessed.
~ Author Unknown
Ring the Bells
(tune:
Row Row Row Your Boat)
Ring, ring, ring the bells,
Ring them loud and clear
To say to people everywhere
That Christmastime is here.
~ Karen Vollmer
S-A-N-T-A
(Old MacDonald
Had a Farm)
Who laughs
this way Ho Ho HO!
S-A-N-T-A
Who drives a sleigh through sleet and snow?
S-A-N-T-A
His hair is white, his suit is red
He wears a hat to cover his head
Who brings toys to girls and boys?
S-A-N-T-A
~ Author
Unknown
Deck the Halls
Deck the halls
with boughs of holly,
Fa la la la la
la la la la
*for a great
phonemic awareness activity or a phonics lesson,
change the beginning sound of the second line on
each verse. For instance ..
Deck the halls
with boughs of holly,
Ca ca ca ca ca
ca ca (or however many of those sounds are
supposed to be there! :) )
Santa's
Coming
(tune: Frere
Jacques)
Santa's
coming,
Santa's coming
Sleigh bells
ring,
Sleigh bells
ring,
It is
Christmas Eve.
It is
Christmas Eve.
Ding, ding,
dong.
Ding, ding,
dong.
~ Author
Unknown
(tune: Frere
Jacques)
Are you
sleeping?
Are you
sleeping?
Santa Claus,
Santa Claus?
Christmas
bells are ringing.
Christmas
bells are ringing.
Ding, ding,
dong.
Ding, ding,
dong.
~ Author
Unknown
I'm A
Little Pine Tree
(tune: I'm A
Little Teapot)
I'm a little
pine tree - as you can se,
All the other
pine trees are bigger than me.
Maybe when I
grow up - then I'll be,
A great big
merry Christmas tree!
~ Author
Unknown
We Wish You
A Merry Christmas
We wish you a
Merry Christmas,
We wish you a
Merry Christmas,
We wish you a
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Good tidings
we bring to you and your kin,
Good tidings
for Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Oh, bring us a
figgy pudding,
Oh, bring us a
figgy pudding,
Oh, bring us a
figgy pudding and a cup of good cheer.
Refrain
We won't go
till we get some,
We won't go
till we get some,
We won't go
till we get some, so bring some out here.
Refrain
We wish you a
Merry Christmas,
We wish you a
Merry Christmas,
We wish you a
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Here Comes
Santa Claus
Here comes
Santa Claus!
Here comes
Santa Claus!
Right down
Santa Claus Lane!
Vixen and
Blitzen and all his reindeer,
Are pulling on
the reins.
Bells are
ringing, children singing,
All is merry
and bright.
Hang your
stockings and say your prayers,
'Cause Santa
Claus comes tonight.
Here comes
Santa Claus!
Here comes
Santa Claus!
Right down
Santa Claus Lane!
He's got a bag
that is filled with toys,
For the boys
and girl again,
Hear those
sleigh bells jingle jangle,
Oh what a
beautiful sight.
Jump in bed,
cover up your head,
'Cause Santa
Claus comes tonight.
~ Author
Unknown
|

Sounds
Like Christmas!:
This
activity was an adaptation of one I saw
elsewhere. The students match the picture
cards to the gift with the correct beginning
letter. The gifts are made from a piece of
construction paper folded, but not exactly in
half. That gives the top edge of the gift
to add the bow. The construction paper was
glued together on the very edges, but could just
as well be stapled for more durability.
The bows are purchased mini-bows that were stuck
on, then stapled as well, to keep them from
coming off. The key to making this
activity is to make sure your cards protrude
from the top when stuck in the gift. If
not, then the student will have to fish around
inside and likely will tear the edges apart.
Recently,
when using this activity one-on-one with a
student, to keep his interest but still
reinforcing the letters/sounds, after we
finished putting the cards with the presents I
began letting him try to remember what the
picture was in the gift. I kept
emphasizing the sound of the letter, and if he
couldn't remember, I'd show him a small portion
of the picture and again remind him of the
sound. If he still didn't get it, then I'd
pull the card out a little further. I kept
repeating the process until he could identify
the picture.
Can
you guess what's in this gift? :)
(scroll
to the bottom of the table for the answer)
Christmas
Puzzles:
These
are a couple of cheapy Christmas puzzles
that I purchased for our Christmas Center.
My students often have visual perception
difficulties, so puzzles are something that they
have problems with.
Puppets:
The patterns for these puppets came from
Alphabet Puppets published by Teacher's Friend
Publications. Creating puppets like these
really work on their cutting skills and also
their ability to follow directions.
Santa's
Underwear:
This idea also came from my favorite Media
Center Specialist! It's too cute and as
soon as I heard she was leaving her teaching
position as a Kindergarten teacher, I asked for
it! :)
This is
Santa's red underwear! Cut out two
pieces from red felt. Cut a small slit
in the back piece, along with an attachable
flap. Then match up the front with the
back and staple them together. Glue just
the top of the flap on over the slit. We
used the gold glitter glue to cover the
staples. Then add a gold cord bow, and 3
tiny pom-poms. Then print out the
following poem and staple or pin it to the
front of the underwear on the right shoulder
(not shown).
We looked
for a stocking
But we
couldn't find a spare
So we
ended up stuffing
Santa's
red underwear!
Then
insert several pieces of candy in the slit in
the back of the underwear. The other
teacher hung hers from the ceiling. I
hung ours in the hall on a clothesline with
mini clothespins. They would look
precious hung on a bulletin board displaying a
mantle and a fireplace. On the last day
before Christmas Break, I sent one home with
each student.
After
completing the project, I realized that Santa
might not be caught dead in these fru-fru
underwear, so next year I'm going to
experiment with just adding red sequins or
tiny red or white buttons down the front.
Hopefully trying to make them look a little
more mannish! :)
Stocking Color Words:
Stocking
Surprise:
Another
file folder activity from Carson Dellosa.
Students sort picture cards into a long "o"
stocking or a short "o" stocking.
TLC type
Santa:
This
Santa was definitely inspired by the
TLC Santa,
but we do it a little differently. I don't
have the time to put into the TLC type projects
and I need something that my kids can do a
little more independently. So we provide
them the pattern pieces already copied on to
construction paper and they have to cut them out
and put them together. This in itself is
often a struggle for some of my students even
though I model with them how to put the project
together and leave the model up for them to look
at. This is NOT how the TLC ladies
intended their projects to be done, but it's
what works best for me and my students.
Writing
Prompts:
Use old Christmas cards as writing prompts.
Keep them in the Writing Center in a Christmas
basket or small decorated mailbox.
Mailing
Center:
Don't
wait till Feb. (Valentine's Day) to set up your
Mailing Center. Do it now! Allow the
students to create Christmas cards for each
other and school staff. They can make
cards from half sheets of paper or construction
paper folded in half. Have them draw a
picture on the front of the card or glue on an
Ellison Christmas die-cut and decorate.
They write their Christmas greetings on the
inside of the card. Provide them with
examples to work from as well as a Christmas
Word Wall or Word Bank (this can easily be done
using a pocketchart. See a picture of a
similar thematic Word Wall on
Old MacDonald's Farm)
You can also
utilize old Christmas cards for this by cutting
off the back section and letting the students
write on the back of the front section.
A class
mailbox, with individual cubbies, can be made
from a cardboard box used to transport wine or
liquor. The box is already divided into
cubbies for you. You just have to add
contact paper to the outside and label each
cubby. Be sure to inform the students of
when the appropriate and inappropriate times
would be for "checking their mail."
Christmas
Puzzles:
Another good use for old Christmas cards is to
use them to make puzzles. Cut them into
halves for simple puzzles, thirds for a bit more
difficulty, and then 5 or 6 pieces for more
advanced. Laminate the pieces for
durability. Store in a shoebox decorated
like a Christmas present (with the top wrapped
separately).
Christmas
Card Ornament:
Old
Christmas cards make nice ornaments as well.
Have students choose one card from a selection
of cards. Then furnish each student (or
person in the Center) with a wide mouth canning
jar ring. Let the student use it like a
magnifying glass to find exactly what scene
they'd like to see in their ornament.
After they've made their choice as to what part
of the card they want to use for their ornament,
help them to trace around the ring with a pen.
Then have them cut the picture out on the traced
line. Then slip the picture up into the
ring as if putting it into a frame. The
picture should fit snugly but lie flat.
Once the fit is right, remove the picture and
apply a small amount of glue around the inside
of the ring lid and return the picture to its
position.
Hotglue a
loop of red ribbon to the top as a hanger and
then glue a sprig of holly or greenery at the
base of the ribbon.
Pinecone
Ornament:
Find or purchase a small pinecone for each
student (small but not one of the tiny ones).
Turn the pinecone upside down and hotglue a loop
of twine to be used as a hanger. Then
hotglue a sprig of holly or greenery at the base
of the twine.
If you
prefer, the pinecones could be spray painted
with gold paint prior to decorating. Clear
or white glitter could be sprinkled on the wet
paint to give it some sparkle or the effect of
snow.
Paperbag
Santa Puppet:
Provide
each student with a brown paper lunch bag.
Have them color the portion of the bag beginning
under the flap red. Have them cut out a
triangular red shape for the hat (you may want
to provide them a pattern to cut this from to be
sure it's the appropriate size). Glue the
widest part of the triangle to the bag above the
flap. (the flap part is his face)
Then add cotton to cover the edge where the
triangle is glued to the bag and at the tip of
the triangle. Then glue wiggly eyes on the
flap, a red circle for a nose and two pink
circles for the cheeks. Using the cotton,
make two eyebrows over the wiggly eyes.
Then use more cotton to form a beard and
mustache.
Another
Take-Home Project:
Copy a wreath shape onto cardstock and send one
home with each student. Encourage their
family to creatively help them decorate their
wreath.
Matching
Games:
Use
any of the Christmas die-cuts to make matching
games for matching capitals to lowercase,
matching rhyming words or rhyming pictures, or
rhyming pictures to rhyming words, matching
pictures to words, matching two words to make a
compound word, etc.
Before
school was out, we made a matching activity
matching capital to lowercase letters by cutting
out wreaths for the capital letters and red bows
for the lowercase letters.
Matching
word/picture cards:
Use die-cuts or 3x5 cards to make Christmas
picture cards to match to word cards. Use
words such as:
sack |
bell |
bag |
bow |
toys |
car |
bear |
block |
red |
green |
white |
light |
tree |
wreath |
Santa |
reindeer |
sleigh |
snow |
nose |
elf |
gift |
angel |
star |
truck |
ball |
skates |
coat |
mitten |
hat |
holly |
boots |
pants |
belt |
black |
stocking |
doll |
Another
Countdown Till Christmas:
Place the following poem on a bell with 10
links. Remove one link every night.
The last 10
days to Christmas
Is the
longest time of the year.
It seems as
tho old Santa,
Never will
appear.
How many
days til Christmas?
It's mighty
hard to count.
So this
little paper chain,
Will tell
the exact amount!
Cut a link
every night,
When the
sandman casts his spell.
And
Christmas Eve will be here,
By the time
you reach the bell.
~ Author
Unknown
Handprint
Santa:
Paint student's thumb and top part of palm red
and the rest of the palm peach and the fingers
white. Have student extend thumb, but put
the rest of their fingers together and press
firmly on light blue construction paper.
When dry, use tip of pinky finger to add blue
eyes, thumb to make red mouth and pointer finger
to make white ball on hat and fur trim on hat.
Handprint
Wreath:
Paint
student's hand green and use to make a wreath by
printing around in a circle. When dry, add
red berries using thumbprint. Add the poem
to the middle of the wreath.
My handprint
made this wreath,
My thumb
each berry.
I hope this
helps you have,
A Christmas
that's merry!
~ Author
Unknown
Wreath
Placemats:
Use bell peppers cut in half and dipped in green
paint to form a wreath on a sheet of
construction paper. Add a red paper bow
and laminate.
Sparkle
Ornament:
Place
a Christmas pattern underneath wax paper.
Trace the pattern with glue and sprinkle with
glitter. Once the glue is totally dry,
gently peel the ornament from the paper and hang
with a ribbon.
Shredded
Wheat Wreath:
Mix one shredded wheat biscuit (the large size)
with glue and green food coloring. Form
the wreath in a small margarine tub lid.
When dry add tiny red pom-pom, buttons, sequins,
or beads for berries along with a red bow.
Holiday
Candle:
Glue a 5 1/2 inch by 2 inch white rectangle onto
a red sheet of construction paper vertically
(candle). Use a black crayon or marker to
make a short black vertical line on the top of
the rectangle for the wick. Glue on a
yellow raindrop shape about 2 inches long for
the flame at the end of the wick. Then add
green die-cut holly leaves around the bottom of
the candle and across the bottom of the page.
Glue on red tri-cornered beads for the berries.
Christmas
Sort:
Collect a number of small pictures that are
Christmas related as well as some that are not
(easily identifiable things like Valentines,
Easter, Halloween, etc.). Glue the
pictures to index cards and laminate. Have
the students sort the cards into Christmas and
Not Christmas. If you'd like, you can turn
it into a file folder activity by putting a
Christmas scene on one side and and the same
Christmas scene on the other side with a big red
X through it, if your students will understand
that. Or, you can have them sort the
Christmas cards into a stocking or Christmas
basket.
Christmas
Loot Bag:
If your students will be in need of a loot bag
to get all their stuff home on the last day
before Christmas break, let them create their
own. Provide each student with a plain
brown grocery bag and let them draw a big
Christmas tree on it. Then have them use
paint, markers, crayons, etc. to color their
tree. Then let them add Christmas lights
to their tree using paint dots or Bingo dabbers.
Last, add presents under the tree.
Chicka
Chicka Boom Boom Christmas:
Make a spinoff book of Chicka Chicka Boom Boom.
Use the same sentence frame work, but change it
to say, "I'll meet you at the top of the
Christmas tree." and use a Christmas tree
instead of a palm tree. Holographic red,
green, silver, & gold letters going up that
Christmas tree would look too cool! :)
Peppermint Shape Book:
Give
each student a peppermint round. Have them
open it and then begin brainstorming words to
describe the candy. Record their answers
on a chart and let them continue as they eat
their candy. Use some of the words
provided to model writing sentences describing
the peppermint. Have each student then
write or dictate a sentence about the peppermint
on a piece of paper. Type up each
student's sentence on a page with a circle the
size of a paper plate and type the sentence
inside the circle. Then have the students
illustrate their page. Use two white, cheapy paper plates and paint or color red
spirals on them to resemble the peppermint
rounds. Use the plates as a cover for the
class made book.
"I Want
..." Class Book:
Have each student dictate or write to complete
the sentence frame "I want ..." by stating the
one thing they'd most like to have for
Christmas. Type up each student's sentence
on a page and have them illustrate it.
Bind the pages together to create a class book.
Trim A
Tree Rhyming:
Barb
has been exercising her Rhyming Dictionary
again, and came up with a Christmas activity.
She made enough rhymes for everyone in the
class, and envisions giving each of them a
picture on a Christmas ball (clipart), and when
they hear their rhyming clue, they go up and
stick their picture on the flannelboard (or
magnetic board, or
whatever...)
Barb, you
have some of the GREATEST ideas, thanks for
sharing them with everyone! :)
If you have
students who are readers (2nd graders), you
could program the Christmas balls with the words
instead of the pictures. AND, since this
is called Trim A Tree, if you had a large felt
tree to add the ornaments to, that would be neat
as well. Or if you're using your white
board and magnets, you could draw your tree up
there and as the students add their ornaments
they would be "trimming the tree", something
that's hard to explain to them since most of
them know it as "decorating the tree".
Trim the
Tree With Me
1. A lump of
coal would be shocking.
What will be
in your Christmas (stocking)?
2. The reindeer worked hard, didn’t they?
Could you
pull that heavy (sleigh)?
3. 3 balls and a carrot…that’s the plan,
if you want
to build a good (snowman).
4. I just heard something that fell.
I hope it
wasn’t our heavenly (angel).
5. I see peppermint on the train.
Would you
like a candy (cane)?
6. I thought Santa forgot my kitten,
but it was
hiding in my (mitten).
7. Something in the sky, over Atlanta…
do you think
it was (Santa)?
8. We all know Santa is jolly.
Did you know
that he grows (holly)?
9. Gifts are wrapped and on the shelves.
Have you
seen the busy (elves)?
10. His boots are black, but his moustache is
blacker.
He’s my friend, the wooden (nutcracker).
11. Snowsuit on, swimsuit off.
Ready to fly
now? Go, (Rudolph)!
12. Drip, drip, drip…I hear a trickle.
The sun must
be a melting a cold (icicle).
13. To all our friends, warmest regards.
Time to
address the Christmas (cards).
14. See the children, squealing with glee,
opening
their presents under the (tree).
15. The night is cold and the wind will blow.
How will
Santa see through all that (snow)?
16. Delicious smells fill my head.
Can you
smell the (gingerbread?)
17. Santa will visit good girls and boys,
but will he
leave them lots of (toys)?
18. Bows and wreaths you can handle,
but please
don’t touch a burning (candle).
19. Memories of loved ones will always be
pleasant,
long after
you’ve forgotten your favorite (present).
20. What’s Santa carrying on his back?
Is it really
his Christmas (sack)?
21. I hope my house won’t be missed…
I know that
my name is on his (list).
22. Plate of china, and napkin of silk.
Don’t forget
Santa’s cookies and (milk).
23. Christmas is the season for love.
Can you see
the flying (dove)?
24. Early on Christmas morn,
you will
hear the sound of a (horn).
25. When Santa arrives, no one tells,
but you
might hear the jingle (bells).
26. The Christmas season has beautiful sights.
My
favorites are the glowing (lights).
27. Christmas toys we should always share.
Who wants to
play first with the (bear)?
28. Santa’s diet should be fat-free.
I hope he
doesn’t get stuck in the (chimney).
printable rhymes and clipart download
* one
ornament has a "hook" and the rest does not.
you can either remove that hook or draw hooks on
the rest of the ornaments. this was
necessary to provide different colored
ornaments.
Pipecleaner Wreath:
Thread
red beads onto a green pipecleaner and twist
ends together. Space beads evenly around
wreath. Use a piece of red pipecleaner or
red ribbon to create bow. Simply hang over
ends of branches on the tree; no need for a
hanger.
GBM/Rudolph Puppet & Poem:
On
one side, this puppet is the GBM and on the
other he's Rudolph! Copy the pattern onto
brown construction paper and decorate one side
as the GBM. Then flip the pattern over and
turn it upside down (where legs are sticking up
and head is down) and decorate this side as
Rudolph. (The legs become Rudoph's
antlers) Use holly leaves and a red pom
pom for the nose. Then students use the
puppets as they read the poem. Shared by
Billie P/CA Thanks for sharing, Billie! :)
GBM/Rudolph puppet pattern
& poem
(a
toothbrush!)
|

~
Math Activities ~
Elf Work:
Have your
students create their own stockings while
practicing their money skills to boot!
Provide each student with two red or green
construction paper stockings. Have them cut
the stockings out, then help them to hole-punch
holes around the edge of the stocking. Take
care to put the two sides together when punching
the holes so that they match and not to put the
holes too close together or too close to the edge.
Then provide them with green, red, white, or gold
yarn to lace around the edge of the stocking;
taping one end of the yarn with masking tape to
provide a "needle".
The next step
would be to provide them with glitter, glue pens,
puffy paint pens, or whatever so that they could
form their name on the top of the stocking.
The next day,
after the stockings are dry, provide each student
with a certain amount of money (play money will
do) and have them "purchase" items to use in
decorating their stocking. Have a small
store set up with decorating supplies for
purchase. You can use small throw-away bowls
or berry baskets to hold the supplies. Label
each container with a price sticker so that the
students know how much money the items cost.
For instance, you can use Christmas
stickers, sequins, strips of yarn or lace, small
amounts of glitter (in treat bags or film
canisters), tiny pom-poms and jingle bells, etc.
How much money
you charge for the items and how much money you
give each student will depend on their ability
levels. More advanced classes would get more
money and each item would cost more. For
instance, they might receive $1 - $2, and each
item would be 15 - 35 cents. For less
advanced classes, you might give them 10 cents or
10 pennies, and charge 1 or 2 cents for the items.
The students
LOVE doing this, and it's a great way to have some
fun and practice those money skills! The
"store" premise can be adapted for many other
types of Christmas activities such as decorating
ornaments, a tree, etc.
Candy Cane
Patterns:
Use
red and white beads, or even red/white/green if
you prefer, and red, green, or white pipecleaners
to for make patterned candy canes. Cut each
pipecleaner in half. Each student gets a
pipecleaner half and slightly bends one end of the
pipecleaner so that the beads don't slide off.
Then have them put the beads on in a pattern such
as an AB pattern (red/white/red/white ...) or AAB
(white/white/red/white/white/red ...) or AABB, ABB,
or even ABC, AAABBC. How advanced you get
with the patterns would depend on the students'
ability levels.
Also, this
could be a Center activity where each student
creates their own pattern and identifies and
describes it to you, a TA, or in a written
response. Or, you could have cards in a
stocking with a pattern type written on each card
and have the students draw a card from the
stocking and create that particular pattern.
Once the
patterns or completed, have the students bend the
free end of the pipecleaner up so that the beads
don't slide off and then bend the end of the
pipecleaner to form the "hook" of the candy cane.
These can either be used to decorate a classroom
Christmas tree (yes, there are still schools
around that allow this) or sent home to be placed
on their own Christmas tree. If you're going
to do the latter, you might want to save them
until the day school is out for Christmas break
and send them home as decoration on a gift from
yourself tied up in the bow. I try to
purchase those $.97 stockings each year and fill
them with small items as their Christmas gift.
The candy canes would travel home well in these.
:)
Unifix
Candy Canes: A
similar Center idea would be to provide a stocking
filled with cards with a pattern type written on
each card. The students would then use
Unifix cubes to create the straight type candy
canes. You remember them, the ones that you
use to be able to buy at Christmas that were HUGE
and only cost 50 cents! :) I think you can
still buy them, but I don't imagine that they're
still 50 cents. Of course, you could provide
a small candy cane or peppermint for all those
students who successfully created their Unifix
"candy cane".
Stocking
Stuffers:
Use those small felt stockings to reinforce
counting. These stockings are very small, so
when your students stuff them with candy canes,
the canes will stick out the top. If you
can't find stockings this small, you can make your
own stocking from either felt or construction
paper die-cut stockings. You can dress them
up by lacing around the edges with yarn and adding
cotton or white felt to the top to create "fur".
Program the
front of each stocking with a number.
Students count out the correct number of candy
canes to match the number and stuff them in the
stocking.
Stocking
Sequencing:
When the stockings above are not in use, you can
let them play a dual role in reinforcing number
sequence. Hang a mini "clothesline" on the
bottom of a bulletin board along with clothespins
and the students can hang the stockings in the
correct order.
You could
create an interactive bulletin board by putting a
paper fireplace and mantle on the board along with
some pushpins. Hang a flat-sided basket at
the bottom of the board on the "floor" and place
the stockings in the basket. The students
could practice hanging the stockings on the mantle
in the correct order.
You could also
program the stockings with 1st, 2nd, 3rd or first,
second, third, etc. More advanced students
could use this activity with stockings with random
2 or 3 digit numbers and sequence them smallest to
largest or largest to smallest. You could
also have them order odd numbers or even numbers;
counting by 2s, 5s, or 10s.
Candy
Counting:
I found
a pattern for a candy jar somewhere (probably in a
Mailbox book) with a sprig of holly at the neck.
(And I guess it could be a cookie jar as well.
This particular mat didn't make it home with me
for the holidays so that I could scan in the
picture.) I copied one per page onto 20
sheets of light blue construction paper and
colored the holly and ribbon. Each jar was
then programmed with a number. Students
count out the correct number of individually
wrapped peppermint rounds into each jar.
Candy Jar
Mats:
You
can also use the candy jar pattern from above to
make addition math mats. Place two jars side
by side with a plus sign in-between.
Students place the correct number of candy in each
jar to work each math fact. For instance ...
2 + 2=
Student would
place two pieces of candy in the first jar and two
pieces of candy in the second jar. Then
count all the candy to find the answer.
You can also
make vertical math mats for working vertical math
problems.
Fact Mats:
The mats
could also be used to reinforce creating and
writing facts. Give each student a mat with
a specific number of pieces of candy and have them
write as many addition facts as possible using the
candy pieces.
Story Mats:
The candy jar pattern can also be used for working
story problems. For instance ...
Jan put 5
pieces of candy in the jar. Along came her
brother and snitched two of the pieces. How
many pieces of candy does Jan have left?
Students would
use the mats to put in 5 pieces of candy as you
read the problem, then remove 2 pieces to find the
answer.
More advanced
students could use the mats to work the problems
that you'd written on numbered index cards.
Then they'd record their answers on an
appropriately numbered response sheet. You
could also have them write the number sentence as
well as the answer.
Even more
advanced students could use the mat and a specific
number of candy to create and record their own
story problems, along with the answers.
Candy Cane
Counting:
Copy two candy cane patterns (minus the stripes)
onto white construction paper. Cut out and
glue each candy cane onto a half sheet of red or
green construction paper. Using a red
marker, add a specific number of stripes to each
candy cane. Make as many candy cane mats as
needed. (5, 10, 15, 20) Program 3x5
index cards cut in half with a number to match the
stripes on each candy candy. Laminate all.
Students count the stripes on each candy candy and
match to the correct number card.
Triangular
Trees:
Christmas
trees offer a good opportunity to reinforce the
concept of triangles. You can have students
create a Christmas tree using a green triangle
glued onto a piece of construction paper.
They can add on a tree trunk and presents with
markers or bits of construction paper.
Provide them with sequins and metallic cording to
decorate their trees.
You can also
reinforce rectangles (tree trunk) and squares and
rectangles (presents) and well as circles
(sequins).
Cone Trees:
Cone
trees are excellent for reinforcing the cone
shape. Each student will need a waffle type
cone (ones with the straight edges), green
frosting and M&Ms or other round type candies such
as Skittles, a craft stick, and a small paper
plate. Have each student turn their cone
upside down on the plate and totally cover it with
the icing. Then add the candy as decoration.
Recipe cards for this can by found in The Mailbox
Dec/Jan Kindergarten 2001 - 2002 (I was using this
idea years before seeing it in The Mailbox)
Another
Cone Tree:
Another type cone tree can be made from old
magazines. I remember making these in Jr.
High. Take a magazine and fold the right
hand corner of the page straight into the binding
of the magazine. This should form a sharp
point on the left side of the page at the top.
Crease the page well. Keep doing this
through the whole magazine. The magazine
should start to fan out and look like a tree.
When all the pages have been folded, including the
covers, spray paint green.
Measuring:
Provide
students with different size Christmas trees and
have them measure them using standard or
non-standard measurement. The trees can be
photocopied onto construction paper, then added to
half sheets of construction paper. If you
want to make really big trees, you can add them to
different sizes of poster board.
Sequencing:
Students
can also use the trees above to order them from
smallest to largest and vice versa.
Shape Sort:
Divide a file folder into 4 columns and place a
die-cut rectangle, circle, square, and triangle at
the top of each column. Provide students
with picture cards of Christmas items to sort into
the appropriate column.
Circle -
cookie, wreath, candy. lollipop, ball, ball
ornament
Square -
different types of gift boxes, block, cookie
Rectangle -
different types of gift boxes, cookie
Triangle -
Christmas tree, cookie
Cylinders:
Use an
assortment of candles to reinforce the concept of
cylinders. Students can use them to sort,
sequence, count, add, subtract, etc.
They can even
create their own "candles" by painting toilet
tissue rolls and using red and orange washable
markers to add color to a coffee filter.
Then place the coffee filters on a brown paper bag
and spray them with water. The colors will
begin to bleed together, so there's no need to
have the students color the whole filter.
Once the filters are dry, have them scrunch them
up from the center and stuff them into the end of
the toilet paper roll. You might want to add
a line of glue to the top if you don't want the
"flames" to fall out. The candles can also
be glued to a small paper plate as a base if
desired. If doing this, you can dress them
up by adding sprigs of holly and hot gluing it on.
Candy Cane
Patterns: Candy
canes are perfect for working on AB patterning.
After working on some of the other more
hands-on-type activities, we advance to using the
candy cane pattern below for a couple of
additional patterning activities. The
student is provided with a candy cane such as the
one below, but it's totally white. They're
also provided with red and white rectangular
shapes with they glue onto the candy can pattern
to form the colored candy cane.
If needed,
this activity could be made easier by providing
the student with a COLORED candy cane and the
colored rectangular shapes and they'd just have to
match the colors and glue them down.
Another day
they would be provided the totally white candy
cane pattern again, then they're to color the
candy cane in the AB pattern using crayons or
markers. If needed, you can leave the model
(that's what this is) on the board for the
students to use when coloring their candy cane.
Holiday
Counting Mats:
Students
count out holiday counters to match the number on
the card.
Counting
File Folder Activity:
This is
a file folder activity that we made using the
Ellison die-cuts. Students count how many
berries and match to the correct holly leaf.
The other picture shows how we store the pieces on
back of the file folders. When taping them
on, we use two strips of clear packing tape and
insert our hand inside the bag so that it leaves
some excess room for the students to be able to
stick their hand in the bag without tearing if off
the file folder. This storage system seems
to work very well for us. BUT, you won't get
the same results using scotch tape because it's
much too fragile.
Light
Patterns:
Use the pattern from the "Name In Lights"
activity above to create a math patterning
activity as well. Create an assortment of
lights and provide them as well as twine,
leather thongs, or yarn with a stiff "needle" of
masking tape attached to one end. Anything
that would be stiff enough for the students to
string the lights in a pattern. They can
create their own patterns or you can specify
what type of pattern by indicating the pattern
to be done on a programmed light (the light
would say AB, or AAB, etc.) The student
would then create a pattern of the specified
type. For others who aren't to the
creating stage, they could copy a pattern
already supplied for them or extend a pattern
already started. You might even make
pattern cards using the light pattern for them
to copy or extend.
Santa
Mats:
These
counting mats were made from purchased notepads.
I just programmed each page with a number and
had them laminated. My suggestion would be
though to glue them onto construction paper or
cardstock and then laminate them. The
laminated only pages are somewhat flimsy.
The kids just count out the correct number of
Christmas counters to match the number.
Tree
Mats:
I made
the pattern for this myself. Each tree
fits on half a sheet of construction paper
turned horizontally. The students count
out enough Christmas lights for the tree to
match the number. The Christmas lights
came from Big Lots and were sold on a strand of
gold cording. My aide cut them off the
cording, as well as some mini-ornaments that
came the same way. I also purchased a
bunch of miniature wrapped presents to use with
these mats as well, or when time allows, I'll
make mats with decorated trees to use with them.
Counting
Activity:
These
trees were made from Ellison die-cuts and are
"decorated" with mini stickers. The
students count the stickers and then find the
star with the appropriate number to finish
trimming the tree.
Stocking
Patterns:
We made a lot of these Ellison die-cut stockings
to use for patterning. After we finished
gluing the tops on the stockings, we laminated
them for durability. Some were programmed
to be used for specifying types of patterns to
be done. Then there are plenty of
stockings to use for patterning. Students
can even use them to create their own patterns
as there are several other colors as well.
These were
created to be used in a pocketchart or on the
table or floor. One example: I have
3 stockings in the pocketchart. Each one
is labeled. One is AB, one is ABB, and one
is AAB. Students will choose from 4 colors
of stockings to create the AB and ABB pattern.
They will extend the AAB pattern that I've
started. You could even put the stockings in
the pocketchart in the specific patterns and
have the students match the stocking with the
pattern indicator to the patterns. This is
a great way to differentiate your activities.
These
stocking indicators are even more basic that the
first ones. The A stocking shows students
that the A part of the pattern will be red, and
the B socking shows them that the B part of the
pattern will be green. This also helps
some of those students who haven't quite caught
on yet about what the "A/B" thing is all about.
Candy
Cane Graphing:
Provide, or have parents send in, different
kinds and flavors of candy canes. There
are many available now. Put them into a
Christmas basket and have each student choose
one. Have the different flavors/kinds
already listed on a large graph. Have
students identify or show one-by-one which candy
cane they chose and either indicate it on the
graph, or actually tape the candy cane to the
graph. (You can indicate the chosen candy
canes by either coloring in squares or even
taping on candy cane cut-outs to form a
pictograph) After discussing the graph and
which type was chosen more/less, etc., let the
students eat their candy cane.
Candy
Patterns:
You
can also use the different kinds of candy canes
referred to above (along with other types of
Christmas candy such as tiny candy canes,
peppermint rounds, etc.) to pattern.
Yes/No
Graph:
Provide
a T-graph for students to indicate their answer
for the question ... Do you like peppermint?
Cookie
Counting:
Make
several types of Christmas cookies using
construction paper or felt. If using
construction paper, laminate the cookies and add
magnets to the back. The felt cookies can
be used on the felt board.
Divide a
large cookie sheet or the felt board into grids
and label them with a number 1 - 10 or whatever
numbers you're working on. Program each
square with a felt or construction paper number.
Students count the correct number of cookies
into each square according the number.
Estimation Jar:
Fill a
small jar with multiple small Christmas oriented
items such as small candy canes, peppermints,
ball ornaments, wrapped Christmas candy, mini
Christmas erasers, etc. (Only one kind of
item goes in at a time though) Beside the
jar, place a small container and a stack of
small notes and a pencil. Have students
write their name on a piece of paper along with
their estimate at how many items are in the jar
and place their paper in the container.
Once everyone has had a chance to make an
estimate, remove the estimates from the
container and graph the answers. Then
reward the student(s) who guessed correctly with
some of the candy.
Christmas
Tree Bingo:
Make a
pattern of a tree and then trace milk jug tops
onto it to make circles. Copy the tree
onto green construction paper. You should
make as many copies as you'd like bingo cards.
Afterwards, program the circles with numbers
using a Sharpie marker. Laminate.
Use the milk jug tops or peppermint rounds as
the markers when playing.
You can play
the traditional way by calling out a number and
if the student has that number on their card,
then they cover it with a marker. Or, you
can call out addition or subtraction facts, and
if the student has the answer to the fact on
their card, then they cover it. Which ever
way you decide to go, you'd need to have some
way of keeping up with what you'd called out;
whether you write the numbers down as you go, or
you use pre-programmed cards.
One Tree,
Two Trees:
use this rhyme in your pocketchart and
Poetry Journals to
reinforce number words. Make a second set
of cards with the numbers and have students
match the numbers to the number words. You
could also make a book to go with it as well.
One Tree,
Two Trees
(One Potato,
Two Potatoes)
One tree,
two trees,
Three trees,
four.
Five trees,
six trees,
Seven trees
more.
Eight trees,
nine trees,
Ten trees to
decorate.
Let's get
busy,
It's getting
late!
~ Author
Unknown
Christmas
Count:
Victoria,
at Kinder Korner, made a song chart
for this chant and posted it on her website.
I used the chant to make a song chart (or should
I say Chant Chart) of my own because I have a
student who's still having difficulty
identifying the numbers 6 - 10. So when I
made my chart, I made the numbers in red, and
the rest in green (or black, I can't remember).
Then I added decorations. Anyway, the
student who needs the number reinforcement says
the numbers when we do the chant, and the rest
of the group says the words ... kind of like a
"sound off" thing. And this particular
student thinks this is real neat because he's
"special" and it helps him out because he's also
very shy and the youngest of the group. :)
1, 2
I'll wait for you
3, 4,
With toys galore
5, 6
Santa come quick
7, 8
Don't be late
9, 10
Merry Christmas, again.
~ Author
Unknown
We also
added it to our Poetry Journals as well.
So I added the coloring book clipart to the
bottom for them to color.
Morning
Meeting:
During
Morning Meeting, we do an Ordinal activity and a
Patterning activity each day. I have cards
programmed with ordinals through tenth and 10
different cut-outs. These go in the
pocketchart. I pick the card from the
front of the stack and the students identify
which cut-out is that ordinal place. The
cut-outs that I use depend on the skill and
themes that we use. So you can see in the
picture that the cut-outs are for shapes and
Christmas.
The pattern
for December is AAABBB, so our pattern for this
week was to extend the AAABBB pattern of red
light, red light, red light, green light, green
light, green light. The pattern is posted
by the number (the number signifies the sequence
of the task in our Morning Meeting routine) and
then the pattern is extended on the next row.
Odd/Even:
Sort mini
presents labeled on the bottom with a one or two
digit number into EVEN or ODD stockings.
10 Days
of Christmas:
Print out each counting worksheet from these
links and compile into a 10 Days of Christmas
book. (you can do one page a day and learn
the song verse) Sing the song verses below
to the 12 Days of Christmas. To sing the
song, I'd suggest making a pocketchart version
so that the students don't have to try and turn
pages while they're singing. When
finished, they'll have their own book to read
and count, and be able to sing the song as well.
Note: when I printed the pages it cut off half
of the numbers on bottom. Test and make
adjustments before printing pages.
10 Days
of Christmas
On the first day of Christmas my teacher gave
to me, a Santa in a red suit.
http://www.kidzone.ws/math/christmas/k-1xmas.gif
On the eighth day of Christmas my teacher gave
to me, 8 hanging stockings, 7 gingerbread
people, 6 Christmas trees, 5 ornaments, 4
holly leaves, 3 Christmas bells, 2 Christmas
gifts, and a Santa in a red suit.
http://www.kidzone.ws/math/christmas/k-8xmas.gif
On the ninth day of Christmas my teacher gave
to me, 9 flying reindeer, 8 hanging
stockings, 7 gingerbread people, 6 Christmas
trees, 5 ornaments, 4 holly leaves, 3
Christmas bells, 2 Christmas gifts, and a
Santa in a red suit.
http://www.kidzone.ws/math/christmas/k-9xmas.gif
On the tenth day of Christmas my teacher gave
to me, 10 candy canes, 9 flying reindeer,
8 hanging stockings, 7 gingerbread people, 6
Christmas trees, 5 ornaments, 4 holly leaves,
3 Christmas bells, 2 Christmas gifts, and a
Santa in a red suit.
http://www.kidzone.ws/math/christmas/k-10xmas.gif
~
song adapted by Cindy Montgomery
|

~
Resources ~
The
Mailbox
- Dec/Jan 1994
- 95 Pre/Kindergarten
* The Twelve
Days of Christmas playing cards
The
Mailbox
- Dec/Jan 1997
- 98 Kindergarten
* Recipe Cards
for Candy Cane Cup
The
Mailbox
- Preschool Dec/Jan 1998 - 1999
* Winter
Holidays Shape Book
The Mailbox
- Dec/Jan 1998 -1999 Kindergarten
* Santa
Ornament
* Put Your
Name in Lights (name necklace)
The Mailbox
- Dec/Jan 2000 - 2001 Kindergarten
* Present
Puzzler (pattern block pattern)
The Mailbox
- Kindergarten Dec/Jan 2001 - 2002
Video:
Annabelle's Wish
December
Reproducible Kindergarten Activities by The
Mailbox (TEC967)
* A Very Merry
Mouse booklet (position words)
* Christmas
Icons game
* Who Is
Santa's Helper? puzzle
* Ornament
Artist (visual perception)
* Trim the
Tree (following directions)
* Dandy Candy
(sets)
* Santa's Sack
(beginning sounds)
* other
Christmas ideas
Worksheet
Magazine
- Kindergarten Nov/Dec/Jan 1989 - 90
* Santa Puppet
Teacher's
Helper
- Kindergarten Nov/Dec/Jan 1993 - 94
* Christmas
Mini-Book
Teacher's
Helper
- Kindergarten Nov/Dec/Jan 1995 - 96
* Light Up the
Season (beginning sounds)
* Pretty
Pinecones (beginning sounds)
* A Tired Tree
Trimmer (beginning sounds)
Teacher's
Helper
- Dec/Jan 2000 - 2001
* Deck the
Halls! (patterns)
Teacher's
Helper
- Kindergarten Nov/Dec/Jan 2001 - 2002
* Jingle Bells
(song stretcher)
* Money
Matters (money review)
* O Christmas
Tree (picture graph)
SCHOOLDAYS
- Nov/Dec/Jan 1985 - 86
* Little
People Book The Twelve Days of Christmas
|
An
Elf's Tale
By Tyree
Dillingham
It was six
o'clock at the mall, and I was as exhausted as an
elf on Christmas Eve. In fact, I
was an
elf and it was
Christmas Eve. That December of my sixteenth year,
1995, I'd been working two jobs to help my parents
with my school tuition and to make a little extra
holiday money. My second job was as an elf for
Santa to help with kids' photos. Between my two
jobs, I'd worked twelve hours straight the day
before; on Christmas Eve, things were so busy at
Santaland that I hadn't even had a coffee break
all day. But this was it - only minutes more, and
I'd have survived!
I looked over at
Shelly, our manager, and she gave me an
encouraging smile. She was the reason I'd made it
through. She'd been thrown in as manager halfway
through the season, and she'd made all the
difference in the world. My job had changed from
stress-filled to challenging. Instead of yelling
at her workers to keep us in line, she encouraged
us and stood behind us. She made us pull together
as a team. Especially when things were their
craziest, she always had a smile and an
encouraging word. Under her leadership, we'd
achieved the highest number of mall photo sales in
California.
I knew it was a
difficult holiday season for her - she'd recently
suffered a miscarriage. I hoped she knew how great
she was and what a difference she'd made to all
her workers, and to all the little children who'd
come to have their pictures taken.
Our booth was
open until seven; at six things started to slow
down and I finally took a break. Although I didn't
have much money, I really wanted to buy a little
gift for Shelly so that she'd know we appreciated
her. I got to a store that sold soap and lotion
just as they put the grate down. "Sorry, we're
closed!" barked the clerk, who looked as tired as
I was and didn't sound sorry at all.
I looked around
and, to my dismay, found that all the stores had
closed. I'd been so tired I hadn't noticed.
I was really
bummed. I had been working all day and had missed
buying her a present by one minute.
On my way back
to the Santa booth, I saw that Nordstrom was still
open. Fearful that they, too, would close at any
moment, I hurried inside and followed the signs
toward the Gift Gallery. As I rushed through the
store, I began to feel very conspicuous. It seemed
the other shoppers were all very well-dressed and
wealthy - and here I was a broke teenager in an
elf costume.
How could I even think I'd find something in such
a posh store for under fifteen dollars?
I
self-consciously jingled my way into the Gift
Gallery. A woman sales associate, who also looked
as if she'd just stepped off a fashion runway,
came over and asked if she could help me. As she
did, everyone in the department turned and stared.
As quietly as
possible, I said, "No, that's okay. Just help
somebody else."
She looked right
at me and smiled. "No," she said. "I want to help
you."
I told the woman
who I was buying for and why, then I sheepishly
admitted I only had fifteen dollars to spend. She
looked as pleased and thoughtful as if I'd just
asked to spend $1,500. By now, the department had
emptied, but she carefully went around, selecting
a few things that would make a nice basket. The
total came to $14.09.
The store was
closing; as she rang up the purchase, the lights
were turned off.
I was thinking
that if I could take them home and wrap them, I
could make them really pretty but I didn't have
time.
As if reading my
mind, the saleslady asked, "Do you need this
wrapped?"
"Yes," I said.
By now the store
was closed. Over the intercom, a voice asked if
there were still customers in the store. I knew
this woman was probably as eager to get home on
Christmas Eve as everybody else, and here she was
stuck waiting on some kid with a measly purchase.
But she was gone
in the back room a long time. When she returned,
she brought out the most beautiful basket I'd ever
seen. It was all wrapped up in silver and gold,
and looked as if I'd spent fifty dollars on it -
at least. I couldn't believe it. I was so happy!
When I thanked
her, she said, "You elves are out in the mall
spreading joy to so many people, I just wanted to
bring a little joy to you."
"Merry
Christmas, Shelly," I said back at the booth. My
manager gasped when she saw the present; she was
so touched and happy that she started crying. I
hoped it gave a happy start to her Christmas.
All through the
holidays I couldn't stop thinking about the
kindness and effort of the saleswoman, and how
much joy she had brought to me, and in turn to my
manager. I thought the least I could do was to
write a letter to the store and let them know
about it. About a week later, I got a reply from
the store, thanking me for writing.
I thought that
was the end of it, until mid January.
That's when I
got a call from Stephanie, the sales associate.
She wanted to take me to lunch. Me, a
fifteen-dollar, sixteen-year-old customer.
When we met,
Stephanie gave me a hug, and a present, and told
me this story.
She had walked
into a recent employee meeting to find herself on
the list of nominees to be named the Nordstrom
All-Star. She was confused but excited, as she had
never before been nominated. At the point in the
meeting when the winner was announced, they called
Stephanie - she'd won! When she went up front to
accept the award, her manager read my letter out
loud. Everyone gave her a huge round of applause.
Winning meant
that her picture was put up in the store lobby,
she got new business cards with Nordstrom All-Star
written on them, a 14-karat gold pin, a 100-dollar
award, and was invited to represent her department
at the regional meeting.
At the regional
meeting, they read my letter and everyone gave
Stephanie a standing ovation. "This is what we
want all of our employees to be like!" said the
manager who read the letter. She got to meet three
of the Nordstrom brothers, who were each very
complimentary.
I was already a
little overwhelmed when Stephanie took my hand.
"But that's not the best part, Tyree," she said.
"The day of that first store meeting, I took a
list of the nominees, and put your letter behind
it, with the 100-dollar bill behind that. I took
it home and gave it to my father. He read
everything and looked at me and said, "When do you
find out who won?"
"I said, 'I won,
Dad.'
"He looked me
right in the eye and said, 'Stephanie, I'm really
proud of you.'"
Quietly, she
said, "My dad has never said he was proud of me."
I think I'll
remember that moment all my life. That was when I
realized what a powerful gift appreciation can be.
Shelly's appreciation of her workers had set into
motion a chain of events - Stephanie's beautiful
basket, my letter, Nordstrom's award - that had
changed at least three lives.
Though I'd heard
it all my life, it was the Christmas when I was an
elf - and a broke teenager - that I truly came to
understand that the littlest things can make the
biggest difference.
from Chicken
Soup Daily Serving |

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11.13.03
last
updated 11.24.09 |
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