Christmas

Wow... only one post this school year!  I had no choice but to check back here when a spammer invaded.  Great that there is such a thing as 'block'!!

I always try to keep Christmas at school from turning into a craft fair.  There is just too much lost when you give in to doing every cute and neat idea around.

We started our celebration with a countdown calender.  The students each water-coloured (y'all know that water-colour paints are my favourite colouring medium!) a sheet of paper for the background.  This activity is still connected to the Kindergartens' colour unit.  We only started mixing colours the last two months.  I take out the specific colours I want them to use from their palettes.  That way they are limited.

The first time we did this they had the primary colours.  I waited for and loved to hear the first,  "I made orange!".  They did not expect it.

They then coloured a picture of an angel I found on the net, and cut out and assembled a booklet of numbers and a title.  This was an activity I did a few years ago and lost.  I was anxiously searching for it when it occurred to me that I can make my own!

The next week, we spent a few days on window stars.  These we made with kite paper.  The Kindergarten students folded an easier one than the rest of the class.  I helped them with assembling.  The grades 1-3 were on their own with this activity and did just fine.  We now have brilliantly colours stars adorning our windows.  The students of-course are eagerly waiting to take them home.

Once they had done the one-coloured star, they ventured to different colour combinations.

As you can see from outside the windows, we have almost no snow this year.  That made it possible for us to have a real Christmas tree in our class this year.  One of our families graciously brought it back for us when going to get their own tree.

I tried to keep it natural by limiting the decoration.  The children think it wonderful!