Christmas Theme Unit

   I love to have my students do a  variety of Christmas projects in my classroom.  We do lots of Christmas art projects, bake special Christmas treats, make gifts for the Senior Citizen Brunch, and make gifts for our families.  This year my class and Miss Peterson's class will make and serve cookies and coffee during the intermission at the Parent Christmas program!

   Even though there is lots to do with the projects we do have our regular classes.  Below is a listing of activities that we will complete during our language group time.

   Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Vocabulary -  Christmas, holiday, Santa Claus, tree, star, ornament, gift, snow, stocking, candy cane

   We use the vocabulary words in many different ways.  A favorite way is by playing bingo games with the words.  Once the cards are made we can pull the game out anytime during the day and play a game or two.  Check some of my other theme units for vocabulary ideas.

   All during the unit we reads lots of Christmas related books.  I try to have a variety of Christmas books available throughout the classroom.  I also try to read several Christmas Accelerated Reader books to the children.

Discussion Topics -

-What can you give to someone?  Lead students through a discussion about gifts they can give others.  Gifts that cost money or gifts that do not cost anything (ex. helping with dishes, etc.)  Students will write sentence strips about the gifts.  (Ex. I will give my mom the gift of taking out the garbage without being told.  I will give my little sister the gift of playing a game with her. etc.)

-Our Family Christmas Tree   All children enjoy telling about what they do to get ready for Christmas.  Lead children through the group discussion.  Make a Christmas web to include the many things they do to get ready for Christmas.  Students will make a web and copy 5 things from the large web.  Color a Christmas tree.

-Christmas Rhyming   Read The Night Before Christmas, discuss the many rhyming words in the book.  Use a large Christmas tree outline, students will write the rhyming words on ornaments and glue to the tree.  This tree is put up in our language development area.

- Christmas Alliterations  (for printout see extras below)  Review beginning sounds of words.  Give the students a Christmas word, they tell more words that begin with the same sound.  For example, I say tree, students may say tinsel, tiny, tingle, ten.  We try to rearrange the words to make sentences:  Ten tiny, tinsel trees tingle.  Students copy the sentences on Christmas shape paper.  To extend the activity have the students illustrate the sentences.

- Writing a description   Students will draw a picture of a wrapped up Christmas present.  Next, they use words to describe the gift to someone else, who in turn tries to draw the same picture.  Ex. My gift is huge. It is a square.  It has a big red bow on top.  It is wrapped in green paper with red and white stripes on it.  Exchange descriptions with someone, see if they can draw the picture just like yours.

-Christmas Acrostics - students are given a paper with a Christmas word written down the side.  They think of Christmas related words that begin with the letters.

Worksheets -

It's Christmas (an original worksheet)

Cooking -

Christmas Trees
*cone shaped ice cream cones
*1/2 c margarine
*2 c confectioners sugar
*2 tsp milk
*green food coloring
*decorations (candy, raisins, sprinkles)

1. Combine sugar, margarine and milk in a bowl, blend well.
2. Add food coloring to tint the frosting green.
3. Cover the cone with the frosting.
4. Use the decorations to "trim" the tree!

Poems -

Arts & Crafts Projects -

Christmas Trees
Green construction paper, glue, red paint, old Christmas cards, misc. collage materials. Cut out large Christmas tree shapes from green construction paper. Decorate the Christmas tree: you can dip a finger in in red paint and make fingerprint ornaments, you can use various collage materials, such as glitter, buttons, fabric scraps, to decorate as desired. 

SNUGGLE SOCK gift idea
Materials:
tube sock
fabric paint
rice
What to Do:
Fill a tube sock (white) with rice with a cute face fabric painted on
the end and tied on the other end. With it include this cute poem:

        A Gift For You!
This is called a "snuggle sock".
We made it just for you.
It's good for all your aches and pains,
Cause it makes you feel brand new.
Just pop it in the microwave,
And turn it up to one,
And then before you know it,
Your "Snuggle Sock"
is done.
Now take it to the Living Room,
And lay down on the couch,
And press your toasty "Snuggle Sock",
On the nagging little "ouch".

- Fold over reindeer - use brown paper folded in half, cut a triangular head, attach popsicle stick antlers, add details with black crayon, see photo at  http://www.thekcrew.net/christmasartreindeer.JPG 

- Torn paper wreath - cut out the center of a paper plate.  Children tear small to medium size pieces of green construction paper, glue to the ring

Games - 

Santa Claus Scramble...
 Write the letters S-A-N-T-A C-L-A-U-S on individual index cards.  Do this four times, making four sets, or forty cards.  Place the cards in a brown paper bag.  To play - have the players divide into two teams on opposite sides of the room.  Pass the bag that contains the letters.  The teams alternate in picking a letter.  The first team to combine their letters to spell SANTA CLAUS wins!

SANTA SANTA YOUR PRESENT IS GONE - GAME
Materials:
Present: a sm. box wrapped up
Santa's hat: big enough to fit over the eyes & works like a blindfold.
Procedure:
1.Select one child to be Santa & ask her to wear the hat.
2.Show the children the "present" & tell them that "this present fell off Santa's sled & they have to look for it."
3.While Santa is blindfolded & seated, place the gift somewhere in the room.
4.Remove the hat from Santa & ask the child to search for the lost present. As
Santa gets close to the present ,have the children say, "Happy Holidays."
5.Once the present is found, let another child have a turn at playing Santa.

Santa Claus Scramble
Write the letters S-A-N-T-A C-L-A-U-S on individual index cards.  Do this four times, making four sets, or forty cards.  Place the cards in a brown paper bag.   To play - have the players divide into two teams on opposite sides of the room.
Pass the bag that contains the letters.  The teams alternate in picking a letter. The first team to combine their letters to spell SANTA CLAUS wins!