At the beginning of December we made "Countdowns for Christmas" by connecting red and green strips of paper as links, with one gold at the top when you reach the bell. The bell had a poem about the countdown. The kiddos really LOVED making these, and were also able to practice their skip counting once they had the links put together.
Using these reindeer heads, I had the children trace their hand and we added them to each reindeer and skip counted by 2's, 5's, and 10's. They loved it, and had so much fun!!!
We read "Auntie Clause" and "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and we discussed gifts we could give without spending any money. In the computer lab the students created a gift box, and wrote 4 different gifts we could give for free from the heart.
I know some of my teammates have already posted pictures of this activity we do, but I really love this and wanted to share. My mentor teacher for 2 years, Beth Randall, gave us this idea for the students to make for their gift to their parents and families. I spray paint small puzzle pieces a dark green, and cut green circles from poster board, 1 for each student. Each student will need 10-15 puzzle pieces to cover the edge of the poster board circle. The students glue the pieces around the edge of the circle, and let dry. The picture can be added before the puzzle pieces or after, and as they dry I add red dots for the berries, and hot glue ribbon to the back so they can hang their ornament on their family tree at home. Love it!
