First, we made two ornaments to decorate our classroom Christmas tree. For our Santa face, the kids traced their hand (mitten hand, not a glove hand). They flipped it around to make Santa's hat and face using crayons and cotton balls.
The second ornament involved creating a pattern block design with a twist. The pattern blocks each had a value: green triangles = 1, blue diamonds = 2 (because two green triangles fit on a blue diamond), red trapezoids = 3 (because three green triangles fit on a red trapezoid), and yellow hexagons = 6 (you guessed it... six green triangles fit on it). So first they created their design, and then they flipped the ornament over and wrote out the matching addition math equation on the back! They did an awesome job with both, and our tree looked wonderful!
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| Can you envision the hand shape? |
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| 2+2+2+2+1+1+1+1=12 |
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| Our beautiful classroom Christmas tree! |
Another neat activity we enjoyed was reading MANY different versions of the classic tale of the Gingerbread Man! We did a lot of comparing and contrasting (discussing similarities and differences) and then wrote on the shape of a gingerbread man. The kids wrote about where they thought their gingerbread man might be running, since this idea is never explored in any of the books. They then decorated a cover gingerbread man, stapled the two together, and we put them on our bulletin board!
Another great activity was our Christmas gift writing. We discussed the idea of choosing a gift for someone special. We took time to brainstorm a special person in our lives, and what would be something that person would LOVE. We then wrote "If I were a Christmas gift, I'd be a _______ for ______" on the shape of an ornament. They turned out very cute and were a great way for them to think about what others would like rather than themselves.
Of course, Christmas wouldn't be complete without wreaths! The kids did a lot fine motor practice cutting out all the paper holly, bow and berries, but they looked adorable hanging from our ceiling!
This year I tried a new activity and I am totally excited about how they turned out! We did a self-directed drawing activity of an elf from the North Pole. I lead the kids through a drawing one small step at a time. When their drawings were finished, they spent time coloring him/her the way they envisioned their elf to look! We then filled in a little information sheet about our elves. The kids decided the name, age, favorite food and drink, job at the North Pole and hobby of their elf. They also decided what activity their elf enjoyed participating in during the summer! They then wrote a story about their elf using the answers to their questions. Check out a few of the drawings and accompanying stories below! I am definitely doing this activity yearly! They turned out awesome!
Now on to the culminating party! We again had very generous moms send in special treats for us! Aubree and Dominick were very excited and proud to share with the class. A big thank you goes out to Jayme Hamstra and Trisha Valentine!
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| Snow men made out of mini powdered donuts! So cute and yummy! |
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| Such a talented mom! Trisha provides our cupcakes for every occasion! |
Each child was asked to bring in a new wrapped book to exchange with a classmate for Christmas! This is a great way to promote the love of reading and the kids were so very excited! We played a game to determine who got each book. We sat in a circle and passed a gift around as I played Christmas music. When the music stopped, the person holding the gift opened it! The kids were VERY excited and yelled out each child's name when it was their turn! It was adorable to witness. They also did a great job expressing their thanks to the person it was from, and the giver responded with 'you're welcome'! (Manners are always an important skill to practice). Here's a great photo of the group holding up their new books!
The kids then opened their gift from me! Each child received a candy cane, a new set of markers, box of 24 crayons, and a spiral notebook! They were very happy with their gifts, and couldn't wait to use them.
I also want take a moment to thank you for the thoughtful gifts you gave me for Christmas! I will enjoy all the chocolate, candy, hot chocolate, gift cards, ornaments, lotions, nail polish, slippers and other pampering items, school supplies, and so much more! I feel truly blessed with not only great students, but generous, thoughtful, caring parents as well! My heart is full!
We ended our morning playing Christmas Bingo! They used red/green M & M's as bingo markers. Of course, they got to eat them after the game!
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| Zariah, Mason, Kayla, Seth, Allex, Nolan, Avery and Tahner |
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| Nick, Aubree, Dominick, Lucy, Carson and Avari |
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| Makenna, Nick, Jared, Kai and Benny |
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| Kaleb, Billie, Cohen, BreAnna, Ryan, Carsyn and Madilyn |
Finally, as we end 2017 and begin 2018, I want to take a moment to thank you for sharing your children with me! We have a wonderful group who truly cares about learning and treating each other kindly! First grade is a HUGE year of growth, and they work very hard every single day! All of you are an important part of that growth at home, reinforcing all that we do at school. When you take the time to sit down and read the WEB book with your child each night, assist with math homework, practice math flash cards, get your child to bed on time, feed them a healthy breakfast each day, and so much more, it makes all the difference in the world for your child's academic growth. So thank you, thank you, thank you! Please help keep that hard work from slipping back over the holidays by reading a bit and practicing those flash cards!
Enjoy your holidays and family time! Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
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