Christmas in Bethlehem

Learning goal: Jesus was born in Bethlehem long, long ago.

• Reading= Little Porcupine’s Christmas by Joseph Slate, God Gave Us Christmas by Lisa T. Bergren and This Is the Season: Beloved of the Year by Simon Dewey. Letter of the day= J is for Jesus.
• Science= Look at pictures from the day you were born. Talk about the care a baby needs as you discuss a collection of baby items. (Place items in a bag and use your hands to guess what they are.) Wrap a baby Jesus in swaddling clothes and prepare a soft manger for him to sleep in.
• Art= Create a model of the city of Bethlehem by decorating 2-D gingerbread houses. For inspiration, locate Bethlehem on a map and describe how Bethlehem might have looked on the night Jesus was born. Show a variety of fine art depicting the holy family (e.g., Raphael’s Madonna and Child).
• Play= Remove pieces from a nativity one-by-one and allow children to guess which item is missing. Or, dress up like wise men or shepherds and search for a hidden baby Jesus. Sing "Away in a Manger" softly then louder as the seeker gets closer to the hiding place.
  

Santa’s Five Senses

Learning Goal: We have five senses to help us learn and play.

• Reading= Santa’s Suit by Kate Lee, I Smell Christmas by Mercer Mayer and Santa Claus: The World’s Number One Toy Expert by Marla Frazee. Number of the day= 5
  
• Science= Set up stations representing the five senses in different rooms of the house (see ideas below). Introduce the senses as you make dice having pictures of a nose, ear, hand, eye, tongue and a heart (to represent intangibles like love and generosity). Roll die to determine which station you go to first and so on. When you roll a heart, hug someone you love and wish them a merry Christmas.
  
• Art= Decorate your own wrapping paper. Put paper in the bottom of a box. Add textured balls dipped in paint. Tilt the box to roll the balls across the paper and make a pattern. Or, cut out a gingerbread man from sandpaper. Dress him up like Santa Claus using a variety of textured materials (velvet, felt, cotton, pom-poms, foil, leather or plastic-wrapped black paper). Try rubbing a cinnamon stick over the sandpaper to add scent.
  
• Play= Visit the five senses stations. 1) Hands guess objects hidden in a long sock or stocking. 2) Eyes go on a “reflection” walk (e.g., mirrors, silver spoons, water, a pizza cutter, a bell, ornaments, the stove). 3) Ears play hide-and-seek. The hidden person rings a bell to help seekers locate her. 4) Nose guesses Christmas smells while blindfolded. 5) Tongue tastes ingredients as you bake Christmas fudge (e.g. salt, sugar, lemon juice, unsweetened chocolate).

Reindeer Games

Learning goal: The world has many different environments. The south and north pole are very cold all year long.

• Reading= Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer by Eileen Daly, How Santa Got His Job by Stephen Krensky and The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg. Letter of the day= R is for reindeer.
• Science= Show where the north and south poles are on a globe. Explain that these places are very cold; they have snow and ice all year long. What kind of animals can live here? Use photographs to talk about the adaptations of arctic animals (e.g., reindeer, penguin, polar bear and seal).
• Art= Make reindeer hats, jingle bell bracelets or thumbprint reindeer. Thumbprint reindeer can be done on a slice of wood from your Christmas tree trunk and hung as a keepsake ornament.
• Music= Listen to your favorite version of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and sing along!
• Play= Pretend to be different arctic animals using simple props and play hide-and-seek. Or, pull children on a blanket around the house and pretend to go on a sleigh ride.

Oh, Christmas Tree!

Learning Goal: Evergreen trees have pinecones and never lose their leaves.

• Reading= If You Take a Mouse to the Movies by Laura Numeroff, Why Christmas Trees Aren’t Perfect by Richard H. Schneider and Dream Snow by Eric Carle. Letter of the day= C is for Christmas.
• Science= Bring a tree branch, pine needles and pinecones to touch and smell. Show the circles on a sliced off tree trunk; count the rings to determine how old your Christmas tree is.
  
• Art= Paint a pinecone green and decorate it like a Christmas tree with glitter and sequins. Or, make a handprint Christmas tree from 6-10 upside down green handprints. Add a brown trunk and yellow star on top. Adhere popcorn with glue to decorate.
  
• Music= Listen to George Frideric Handel's Messiah. Sing other favorite Christmas songs.
  
• Play= Find things made of wood and play with them: furniture, toothpicks, paper, wooden spoons, toys, musical instruments, etc. Or, take a trip to the woods and cut down your own Christmas tree! (Don't forget to bring Dad.)

Pilgrims & Indians

Learning Goal: A good friend helps others.

• Reading= Thanks for Thanksgiving by Julie Markes, The Story of Thanksgiving by Nancy J. Skarmeas and The Little Red Hen by Jerry Pinkney. Letter of the day= I is for Indian.
  
• Science= Demonstrate the steps of bread making. Handle the wheat, grind it to flour, smell the yeast, watch it rise, knead the dough, and eat the bread!
• Art= String beads on a necklace and decorate Indian headbands with feathers. Or, decorate placemats or tee-pees by dipping corn on the cob in paint and rolling it across a large piece of paper.
• Music= Dance to Native American music donning your beads and head dresses.
• Play= Act out the story of the first Thanksgiving: sail on the Mayflower ship (the couch), build a new home (with blocks or couch pillows), teach hungry pilgrims to plant corn (with shovel and kernels of corn), share a friendship feast (set the table) and thank God for your many blessings.

Fun fact: The first Thanksgiving feast was held in the fall of 1621 at Plymouth, Massachusetts.

Turkeys & Feathers

Learning goal: Turkeys (and other birds) have feathers.

• Reading: Run, Turkey, Run! by Diane Mayr, Setting the Turkeys Free by W. Nikola-Lisa and Animals Should Definitely NOT Wear Clothing by Judi Barrett. Letter of the day= T is for turkey.
  
• Science: Play with feathers (i.e., describe how they feel, drop them to the ground). Who has feathers and who doesn’t? Feathers keep birds warm, help them fly and look very beautiful. Similarly, mammals have hair to keep them warm. Use a magnifying glass to find hair on your arms and legs. We humans are mammals, but we also wear clothes to keep us warm.
• Art: Make handprint turkeys. Or, use a salad spinner, paint and a paper plate to do spin art. Use the painted plate as "feathers" for a Thanksgiving turkey. Add a brown paper body and eyes. Use pipe cleaners to make a beak, wattle, and legs. Show Claude Monet’s The Turkeys. Help children glue feathers onto their turkey projects for a final touch.
  
• Play: Give each child a paper feather cut-out when they name something they’re thankful for. While blind-folded, try to pin the feather on a turkey. Or, play a high-flying game of football!

Fun fact: Birds are feathered reptiles with adaptations for flight.

My Family Tree

Learning goal: Humans (and animals) closely resemble their parents. The characteristics of an organism can be inherited (such as hair color) or learned (such as riding a bicycle).

• Reading= Is Your Mama a Llama? by Deborah Guarino, I Wish My Brother Was a Dog by Carol Diggory Shields and What Grandmas (Grandpas) Do Best by Laura Numeroff. Letter of the day= G is for grandparent.
• Science= Look at pictures of your family. Using a mirror, find traits you share in common with Mom and Dad (e.g., brown eyes and dimples like Mom, blonde hair and a tongue that curls like Dad). Then try this fun, hands-on activity that demonstrates how traits (represented by colored pom-poms) are passed from parents to offspring in a gingerbread family. See instructions and printable gingerbread pedigree.
  
• Art= Make a handprint family tree (shaped like an evergreen). Start with a parent's large handprints at the bottom and work your way up to the top ending with the smallest handprints in the family. Alternatively, make a pedigree mobile using pictures of your family. Start with a large picture of your child at the top. Hang smaller pictures of Mom and Dad from the bottom corners. Finally, hang pictures of the grandparents. Tie Mother’s parents to her picture and Father’s parents to his picture. Tip: Tie the mobile together in advance so children can just cut and glue pictures in the appropriate places.
  
• Music= Work at stations below as you listen to the William Tell Overture by Gioachino Rossini.
• Play= Set up stations where kids can pretend to be Mom and Dad. 1) Shave like Dad with whip cream and popsicle sticks, or dress up like Mom (make-up and all). 2) Match socks and toss them into a laundry basket. 3) Sweep the kitchen floor and wash plastic dishes with a sponge. 4) Clean windows using a water-filled spray bottle. You could even try washing the car!

Fun fact: Thanksgiving day has also been declared National family history day.