I'M DREAMING OF A WHITE CHRISTMAS!

 

I'M DREAMING OF A WHITE CHRISTMAS!

When I was a little girl I got ONE thing for Christmas. Seriously! One thing! And I was happy. I usually got a baby doll and I named her and I LOVED her. We put out popcorn and a beer for Santa. (My dad had a sense of humor and we didn’t know any better. I was probably in third grade before I realized that Santa liked milk and cookies.) We would hang up one of my dad’s socks and in the morning we’d find a few nuts, an orange, and a candy cane in it. 

Those were the days before television and advertisements. Our family had one bathroom and one car for six people and somehow it worked. We never went out to eat because there were no fast food restaurants. There were no books or cartoons about Santa, so my vision of him was created from my imagination and “The Night before Christmas.” 

Was I naïve? I didn’t know I was suppose to get tons of presents and leave out milk instead of beer. Ignorance really was bliss because I have such sweet memories. It’s also called selective nostalgia because I only remember the good things. I try to forget the family feuds and some of my disappointments. It does no good to recall the negative things.

That might be the secret to true happiness this holiday season. Forgive and forget the unkind words and hopes unfulfilled. Focus on the positive and things that you have in your control. Surround yourself with people you love, and ignore the ones you are not too crazy about.

I send you peace, love, joy, and hope!!!

Merry! Merry! Happy! Happy!

Now, I'm going to turn off my computer and make some holly jollies. I'll be back December 26th. Ho! Ho! Ho!

RAINBOW WISHES

As the 2025 school year winds down so does my brain. However, I wanted to give you something today that would be simple, meaningful, and full of LOVE and HOPE!

Karen Eldred shared this idea for Rainbow Wishes several years ago at a workshop. I think you'll all agree we need to do this now more than ever.

Close your eyes and make a picture of special someone in your brain. (Close eyes.) 

Rub your hands together slowly as you think of special someone. (Rub palms) 

Rub faster, thinking of everything you remember or love about them. 

Send them your LOVE. (Throw arms up in the air.) 

Grab the love and bring it back to your heart. (Cross arms over chest.) 

GOING CRAZY????

Are you going crazy right now? Well, here's a video that might help you destress and laugh with your students. When I was about to lose it I would sit down in a chair and slowly start singing this song. The first time I did it my students looked shocked and were speechless! They quickly realized Mrs. Feldman was just being silly and we ended up laughing together. After that when things got a little tense in the classroom I would sing this song and they would join in, relax, and smile!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BgDU5RpzUms

I Am Slowly Going Crazy
(Tune: "Reuben, Reuben, I’ve Been Thinking")
I am slowly going crazy, (Cross right ankle on left knee. Place right
elbow on right knee and place chin on palm.)
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, switch. (Cross left ankle on right knee and place
chin on left palm.)
Crazy going slowly am I, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, switch.
Continue singing faster and faster.

*Brainstorm other things you can do when you feel like you’re going crazy!

*Make a class book of “Things That Drive Us Crazy!”

READY FOR WINTER?

December 21st is known as the winter solstice or the first day of winter. It is the shortest day and longest night of the year. Although your students will probably have sugar plums dancing in their heads this week, you might want to add a touch of science to your lesson plans with these ideas.

Science
Ask your students what causes winter. (Accept their answers without judging.) Have one child pretend to be the sun and stand in the middle of the circle. Use a globe to demonstrate how the earth rotates around the sun. It takes 365 days or one year for the earth to go all around the sun. Demonstrate how the earth tilts on its axis away from the sun to cause winter. Why? What happens when the earth tilts toward the sun?




Signs of Winter
Brainstorm signs of winter. What happens to the temperature in winter? What happens to the plants? What happens to animals?


Vocabulary
Make an attribute web of winter words. Include winter clothing, sports, holidays, etc.

Animals Adapt
How do animals adapt in the winter? What animals hibernate?
What animals migrate? How do human beings adapt?




Habitats
Some habitats are very cold in the winter with ice and snow. Other habitats are warmer in the winter. Use a map of the United States and have children identify their state. Do they have ice and snow in the winter? Can they find a state where it’s warm and sunny in the winter? What do they think causes the difference?

Internet Search
Visit a weather site, such as weather.gov, to compare regional weather.

Nature Walk
Go on a nature walk and look for signs of winter. Let each child take a digital photograph of a sign of winter. Put these together to make a class collage.



Trees
Explain that evergreen trees stay green all winter. Deciduous trees lose their leaves in the winter. Can they find evergreen and deciduous trees on the playground? Can they find them in their yard at home?

Make a Book
Staple two sheets of paper and let children use descriptive writing to make a book called “Winter Is…”

Creative Writing
Invite children to write a story about “Old Man Winter.” I found this great writing paper free at www.teach-nology.com.



Read a Book
What’s your favorite winter book to read to your class?

ALL IS CALM?

Need a few new tricks to calm those excited children this week?

QUIET Man (Candace Reed)
Make "quiet man" with your fingers by sticking up pinky and pointer and touching thumb, ring man, and tall man. When the teacher holds up "quiet man" the children respond by making "quiet man" and focusing on the teacher.

Magic Triangle (Cathy Crady)
Remind children that they all have a magic triangle in their pocket. (Place pointers and thumbs next to each other to form a triangle.) When the children need to calm down ask them to take out their magic triangle and hold it in front of their mouth. Tell them to take a deep breath in through their nose, and then slowly blow through the triangle.




Body Check
Explain that it's important to listen with your eyes, ears, and bodies.

*Teacher: Are your eyes looking at me?
Children: Check!
Teacher: Are your ears ready to listen?
Children: Check!
Teacher: Are your bodies sitting quietly?
Children: Check!
Teacher: Are you ready to learn?
Children: Check!

Breath through Your Nose
Tell children to slowly breath in and out their noses. It’s surprising how this will calm them – and they won’t be able to talk!


Bubbles
Blow bubbles and see if the children can be sitting quietly before all the bubbles pop.

Self Control (Becky Gilsdorf)
Use this visual cue to help children who are out of control:

Cross hands over your chest. (Self)
Slide both hands down the sides of your body. (Control)
As the child repeats the movements silently it will calm them down.

BAKE COOKIES DAY

Need another idea to make through the week. Why not celebrate Bake Cookies Day with one of these activities.

Bake Cookies Day is December 16, but it's fun to bake cookies any day of the year. Here’s what holidayinsights.com says about today:

'Ya gotta just love Bake Cookies Day......... 


..... Christmas is for Christians 


..... Hanukkah is just for Jews 
.

.... Ramadan is for those of Islamic descent 


..... Kwanzaa is for those of African origin 


..... Native American Day is for American Indians


But, Bake Cookies Day is for EVERYONE! 


Play Dough
Put cookie cutters and play dough on a cookie sheet. Add a rolling pin (cylinder block), scissors, and plastic utensils.

Paper Ornaments
Put some cookie cutters, scissors, glue, and the scrap box out on a table. Let children trace around the cookie cutters, cut out their paper cookies, and then decorate with stickers or glitter pens. Punch a hole, tie on a string, and decorate the tree. 



Graph
What’s your favorite kind of cookie? Do a bar graph and tally the results. 



Recipes
Let children write their own “how to make cookies” recipes. 





Descriptions
Give each child a cookie and ask them to draw what it looks like. Next, ask them to write 2-5 sentences describing their cookie. Finally, they get to eat the cookie! 



What else? Read books or sing songs about cookies…or, just wait until a boring January day to do these things!! 


HOLIDAY GAMES

Need some ideas for your holiday party? These games are easy to adapt for any event. For example, instead of playing pin the red nose on Rudolph you could play pin the carrot on Frosty's nose. Rather than using sweet treats you could use pencils, stickers, or another prize.

Hint! Parents who are in charge of your party might appreciate these suggestions.

Pass the Parcel
This is actually a game a student from England taught me. Thus, “parcel” instead of “present.” My students LOVED this! Fill a box with sugarless bubblegum, pencils, small toys, or stickers. There should be enough for everyone in the group. Next, wrap the present over and over again with wrapping paper, tissue paper, or funny pages from the newspaper. Children sit in a circle and begin passing the “parcel” around as music is played. When the music stops that child gets to open one layer on the package. (If the package lands on someone who has already had a turn they pass it on to the person sitting next to them.) Continue the game until the gift is reached. That child then passes out the goodies to the rest of the group.

Hide and Hunt
Children love to hunt for things, so if the weather is nice you can hide jingle bells, snowballs (cotton balls), chocolate gold coins, small toys, etc. on the playground for the children to find. (If the weather is lousy, move it indoors. The kids won't care!)



*Divide the class in half. Let one group hide the objects for the others to find and then reverse roles.

Crackers
These won’t really crack, but they are lots of fun to make or give to friends. They can also add a special touch to a special holiday table.

You will need: cardboard rollers, wrapping paper, candy, small toys, curling ribbon
Cut the cardboard rollers into 5” sections. Fill with candy and little toys. Roll in wrapping paper, twist the ends, and tie with curling ribbon.

*This would be a nice gift to make for a nursing home or shelter.

Magic Number
Fill a clear jar or container with candy, cotton balls, or jingle bells. The person who guesses the closest amount is the winner.



Pin the Nose on Rudolph
Draw a reindeer on a poster or chalk board. Cut out red circles and have each child write her name on a circle. Put tape on the back of each circle. One at a time, blindfold each child and spin them around gently three times. Face them towards the reindeer and challenge them to put the nose on Rudolph. Who can get the closest?

Puzzle Pairs
Take old greeting cards and cut them in half like a puzzle. Give each child one half. Have them close their eyes while the other half is hidden in the room. Children tiptoe around the room until they find their matching puzzle piece and sit down.

Pantomime and Name That Tune
Children love to perform, so they always enjoy playing “Guess who I am?” with seasonal objects or toys. They can also take turns humming seasonal songs for their friends to identify.

Word Games
Write a seasonal word on the board. How many words can they create using the letters in the seasonal word?
Hint! Pair children for this activity to enable all children to feel successful.

Holiday Four Corners
You will need four seasonal pictures to tape in each corner of the classroom. For example, a snowman, bell, candy cane, and candle. One child is “it.” “It” hides her eyes and counts to ten as the rest of the class tiptoes to a corner. “It” then calls out one of the objects. The students in that corner are out and must sit in the “stew pot” (center of the room). “It” counts to ten again as the students tiptoe to a new corner. The game continues until one child is left. That child becomes the new “it.”

IT'S A WRAP

Encourage the children to make their own gifts and then save some money and let them make their own wrapping paper and cards.

Wrapping Paper
With tissue paper, paper plates, paint, and cookie cutters you’ll be all set to create your own wrapping paper. First, fold a paper towel and place it on a paper plate. Pour paint on the paper towel. Let children dip the cookie cutters in the paint and print on the tissue paper.
*Recycle paper grocery sacks to use as wrapping paper.



*Let children paint with pine boughs on newspaper to create wrapping paper.

*Use fruits or vegetable prints to create one of a kind wrapping paper.




Gift Tags
You’ll need card stock, an ink pad, fine tip markers, and ribbon to make these gift cards. Cut cardstock into 2” x 5” rectangles. Fold in half. Children press their thumb on the ink pad and then print on the front of the card. Let them add details
with markers. Punch a hole and tie on a ribbon.

Greeting Cards
Let children use fingerprints or handprints to make “one of a kind” holiday cards. They can also make a colorful collage by gluing bits of wrapping paper to a blank card.

HOW MANY DAYS?

It’s getting close to winter break! I wonder if the children know that you are even more excited than they are! Here are some math activities to keep them engaged over the next few days.

Magic Number
Children stand in a circle and begin counting off. When you get to 25 (Christmas Day) that child must sit down. Continue counting until one child is left.

Mingle Jingle
Children tiptoe quietly around the room as they whisper, "Jingle, jingle." When the teacher calls out a number, they must form groups with that amount. Those students who are leftover can do a jumping jack or other silly movement. Continue having the children mingle and jingle and form different sets.




Shopping

Materials: advertisements from toy stores, grocery stores, or discount stores, paper, pencils, scissors, glue


Write questions similar to those below on a chart. Children fold a sheet of paper into fourths and then write a number in each section. Then they look through the advertisements and cut out an object that answers each question.

1. What costs less than $10.00?
2. What costs more than $100.00?

3. If you had $20 what would you buy for your family?

4. What would you like to buy for yourself? How much does it cost?


5. Draw a T-chart on the back. On one side write "wants" and on the other side write "needs." Children cut out pictures (or write words) for things they actually need and things they'd like to have.

Seasonal Shapes
Take a walk around the school and look for different shapes in seasonal objects. Can they find a circle? Triangle? Rectangle? Square? Cube? Cone? Sphere?
*Let them make a shape collage by cutting objects out of advertisements and catalogs.

CRAFTS AND SCRAPS

Need a few center ideas to keep the kids busy?

Recycle Catalogs
It breaks my heart to think of all those beautiful trees that went into making all the catalogs and advertisements you receive this time of year. Recycle them by integrating a cut and paste activity with skills you want to reinforce.

Letters - Find things with a particular sound.
Shapes - Cut out geometric shapes they find.
Words - Cut out words that they can read.
*Can they find words and make a sentence?

Wrapping Paper Tear
Take in scraps of wrapping paper and put them in a tub. Invite children to tear them and then glue them to a paper plate to make a collage.




Mystery Jar
Every year I get out my decorations and find a hand full of little holiday "junk." Put it in a jar and turn it into a learning activity.
*Children can draw what they see.
*Children can make a list of the items.
*Children can write stories using the items as prompts.

Scrap Box
Want to keep children focused in a positive direction. Put out a scrap box with construction paper and other art media and challenge them to create cards for family members.

LET'S ALL DO A LITTLE SINGING

People sing because they are happy and they are happy because they sing! Let's do a little clapping and singing with these songs.

Use this link to download these books and songs free:

http://www.drjean.org/html/monthly_act/act_2013/12_Dec_css/

Holiday Cheer (Tune: "We Wish You a Merry Christmas")
Let's all do a little clapping,
let's all do a little clapping.
Let's all do a little clapping
to spread holiday cheer.

Let's all do a little jumping...snapping...blinking...laughing (Let the children suggest different movements. Tie in with the concept of VERBS.)

End by singing:
Let's all do a little smiling,
let's all do a little smiling.
Let's all do a little smiling,
and be kinder this year.


Jingle Bells
Chorus:
Jingle bells, jingle bells, (Pretend to hold bells and shake.)
Jingle all the way.
Oh, what fun it is to ride
In a one horse open sleigh. Hey! (Fist in the air.)
Jingle bells, jingle bells, (Pretend to jingle bells.)
Jingle all the way.
What fun it is to ride and sing
In a one horse open sleigh.

*Have children sit on the floor facing the same directions. Demonstrate how to hold the person’s waist in front of you. As you sing the song sway forwards and backwards to the beat as if riding a sleigh.

S A N T A (Tune: “BINGO”)
There is a jolly bearded man (Put arms out in front of you
And Santa is his name-o. like Santa’s tummy.)
S – A – N – T – A,
S – A – N – T – A,
S – A – N – T – A,
And Santa is his name-o.


He lives at the North Pole… (Clap instead of saying “S.”)
His wears a suit all red and white… (Clap for “S” and “A.”)
He makes toys for girls and boys… (Clap for “S,” “A,” “N.”)
He drives a sleigh with 8 reindeer… (Clap for “S,” “A,” “N,” “T.”)
He’ll visit you on Christmas Eve… (Clap for all letters.)

*Write the letters S A N T A on paper as shown. On the back of each sheet draw a hand. Turn over the hands as you sing.


My Dreidel
I have a little dreidel, (Pretend to hold out palm with a dreidel.)
I made it out of clay;
And when it’s dry and ready,
Then dreidel I shall play.
Oh, dreidel, dreidel, dreidel, (Clap as you dance in a circle like a top.)
I made it out of clay.
Oh, dreidel, dreidel, dreidel,
Now dreidel we shall play.

Holiday Alphabet
Deck the room with letters and sounds,
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la.
Read and use them all year round,
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la.
Listen up and then you’ll know,
How the letters and sounds do go.
Start with A and end with Z.
Happy holidays for you and me!
A for angels, /a/ /a/ /a/,
B for bells, /b/ /b/ /b/ /b/ /b/ /b/
C for candles /c/ /c/ /c/ ...



Kwanzaa – December 26-January 1
Chorus: Kwanzaa is coming
We’ll celebrate with gifts and lights.
Kwanzaa is coming
For seven days and nights.
We’ll unite and come together
With people everywhere.
We’ll work and help each other
To show how much we care. (Chorus)

GIFTS MADE BY KIDS

Here are some gifts that any child would be proud to make and give. Please remember to let the children DO the projects themselves. They need to reflect the children’s individuality and efforts.

PENCIL CAN
Materials: juice or vegetable can, glue, pasta, spray paint
Directions: Remove the label from the can. Let children glue pasta (bow ties, spirals, macaroni, etc.) around the can. Spray paint gold or silver.
Adaptation: Children can also cover a can with construction paper. Next, let them create a collage on the can with pictures and words cut from magazines.


KEY RACK
Materials: wood scraps (4” x 10”), markers or paints, picture hangers
Directions: Let children decorate the wood with markers. Attach picture hangers to hold the keys.



COUPON BOOK
Materials: paper, markers, pens, construction paper, ribbon
Directions: Each child will need 3 sheets of paper. Cut the paper into fourths to make 12 pages. On each page, children write (or dictate) a different job they could do for their parents, such as set the table, give a back rub, clean their room, etc. Make a cover from construction paper. Hole punch in the upper left hand corner and tie with a ribbon.

PICTURE FRAME
Materials: cardboard, puzzle pieces, glue, photograph
Directions: Cut cardboard into 4” x 8” picture frames. Let children glue puzzle pieces around the edges. Tape a photo to the back.
Adaptations: Add a magnetic strip to the back so it can be hung on the refrigerator.
Decorate with buttons for mom and say “Cute as a button!”
Decorate with golf tees for dad.
Stack colored craft sticks to make a frame.




NOTE CARDS
Materials: cardstock, black felt tip pen
Directions: Cut an 8 ½ x 11” piece of paper in half. Fold in half and ask child to draw a picture of her family with a felt tip pen on the front. Open and place two pictures at a time on the copy machine. Make 5-10 copies on cardstock. Cut apart, fold, and tie with a decorative ribbon.

HOLIDAY HANDS

There's nothing quite as sweet as little hands and little feet! You can trace around your children's hands and cut them out, or let the children dip their hands in paint and print.

P.S. These hand and feet projects make great bulletin boards. The hand tree or wreath could be used on your door. The reindeer could be used for "Teacher's name Herd." Or, how about "Teacher's name Little Angels."

Hint! Use fabric paint and make holiday shirts with handprints and footprints.