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Friday, November 30, 2018




A Nativity Advent Christmas Tree
copy image, download, and print activity







Nativity Finger Puppets





Nativity Pocket Book Story

Cut out the 2 strips
Fold back and forth.
Staple on the left for a pocket book.





Copy the image, download and print.
Merry Christmas!





Wednesday, November 28, 2018




Christmas Tot Activities


Like stuffing a "Tt" teddy bear toy




Santa Clause Advent Calendar 
Glue on cotton ball each day until Christmas.



12 Days of Christmas Lessons

O is for the ornaments on the Christmas tree.
Make an ornament.
Sing: "Up On the Housetop"
The power is on- what things can be turned on. 
Christmas lights, lamp, and vacuum are just a few examples.

Which one is the odd one out. (Do this activity with the tots)

      





A mini story about being the odd one out.



Black & White



Learn shapes by building this snowman. Place one on another until you are finished. Be sure to use this with your magnetic board.
 
Make some  snowmen with Oreo cookies for a snack.


Summary: On & Off (Opposites), learning about odd, color-orange, learning shapes by building a snowman, and the power of on.

P is for the presents to you from me.

P is for party, painting, puzzles, Please-polite, and pairs. pictures, play, prizes and plus.
Practice saying please and thank you.  (Please pass a present. You then hand them  the present and they should say thank you.) 
song: "Just Say Please and Thank You"

Do the picture activity and have them name what comes in pairs. 


Here is a mini 4 page story about Santa's pairs.









Have a Christmas party and make a pinata with prizes.
This is a tradition from Mexico at Christmas. Hit with a small plastic bat or a stick.



You will need: A large inflated punch ball that you have tied in a knot. Some paper Mache in a styrofoam bowl for each tot. Some cut up square Christmas tissue paper. Give each tot large art paint brushes, a package of party hats, and prizes for the inside of the pinata.
The tots lay the tissues on the balloon and spread the paste with a brush. Make sure no balloon is showing. Let dry 2 days. Cut a small opening for the prizes. Fill and then tape over the top with mailer tape or furnace tape. Run a hanger through a hole in the pinata into the hole on the other side. Twist back together and tape with furnace tape or use heavy chord to run from one end to the other. Then use for your Christmas party. 

Make a french bread pizza for the snack and let them help.
Do this Pairs activity.



Make a present with their picture to take home.

summary: Learning to be polite by saying please, solving puzzles, finding presents are in a square box, counting the 10 presents under the Christmas tree, identifying p-p-pink, and counting the pairs that come in 2 will be some of what they learn. The tot's will paint.

Q is for Santa who is quick as a wink.

   Cut out the mask and eye holes. Add a large craft stick.

Summary: In "Twas the Night Before Christmas" Santa comes as Quickly up the chimney. Dance quickly and slowly to "Santa Clause is Coming to Town". Talk about how Santa is quiet. Practice being quiet. Place lunch sacks out with questions inside for the tot to draw and answer. The quilt is in the shape of a square. Santa wears a red suit. 

R is for Rudolph the r-r-r- Red


round nosed Reindeer whose nose did blink. 
Pick the red rocket and name the number. Then put the rockets in order.
 


                          Learn what is round
                                            (sing: The Wheels on the Bus Go Round...")
With their pointer finger, have the tots move them round and round as you say it.




(Practice the "Rudolph the Reindeer" song) 

*Remind them not to be rude.
Run in place to "Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer"


Mask
(Cut out the mask. Cut out eye holes & attach a large stick. I glued a red ornament on for the nose -Dollar Tree) 


Santa had 8 Reindeers until Rudolph 
*Play the song:"Rudolph..."  while counting the reindeer
(Learning to count 8 and 9 )

Do this Reindeer in a Row Activity  (Add the magnetic reindeer accordingly)


Here is Dasher in a row, 
then comes Dancer ready to go.
Prancer is next  and that makes 3,
Vixon is ready to the tee.
Comet is now in a row
then comes Cupid ready to go.
Donner has put his feet down in the snow,
Blitzen is number 8 and is ready to go.
Dasher, Dancer, Prancer Vixon, Comet, Cupid, Donner Blitzen. 
This team is in a row"
"Ho", "HO" Ho!" 
It is time to go!
That is unless there is fog then will come Rufolph to the head,
He will light up the sky with his round nose that is red.




*Have the tot do their mini book with your colored 4 page mini book. *Be sure to have a red  crayon to make the rings round the reindeer and to color red.


Summary: Red is the color for "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, a round circle is the shape for the shape of Rudolph's nose. They also will decide what is round using the cards. They will learn to make a circle ring to go around the reindeers they will count. The Numbers 8 plus one = 9 will be taught. Red is apples for the snack and round are pancakes for one option to use in this lesson. They will make and use the Rudolph mask to sing along with the song. Discuss the reindeers being rude in the movie. Rude does not feel good. Raise your right hand and teach them about left and right. You can play "Red Light, Green Light" to teach the color red.

S is for Santa and his sixth senses so smart and for the stocking stuffers and sack which uses touch in part. Don't forget the snowman who grow when it does snow. Build a shaping up snowman.

(Cut out the snowman parts and begin with one naming each shape.) 
*Use with a magnetic board after you have glued sticky magnet to the back.

(learning ordinals to the sixth)

Watch: "Frosty the Snowman"
Mask

10 Snowmen in a Row Activity Verse








 
verse
A Shaping Up Book            (8 1/2 x ll)







Here is a Microscopic Strip 6 pg. Book 
Copy the one page black white or  color to make the book for the tot. Cut out the 2 strips. Fold back and forth . Staple the book together.



 





Mini 4 pg. snowman book

Snow comes in what season? (Play the song, "Let it Snow" in the background
Spin the dial and talk about the seasons. Demonstrate how snow melts and changes to water.
   
        

Learn about your 5 senses
see, hear, taste, touch, and smell
(copy the sense cards and tape to the front of the sack.)
*Place items that use the sense in a baggy and then into the lunch sack.


Make 6 cookies or have 6 cookies in a sack with the six laminated cookies that are numbered. (Have them first smell the cookies, then have them see the cookies and see if they are right about what was in the sack. Lastly have them taste the cookies.) Count out the six laminated cookies and place in order.
   see- cut up squares with colors, show pictures to name
   hear- sounds taped, bell, etc.
   taste- sweet mandarin orange, salty chips, sweet cookies
   touch with hands- soft cotton balls, bristly brush
   smell- onion, peanut butter
*Which 2 senses start with the letter "s"?
Story:Santa's Sixth Sense
Learning about "S" and Senses with Santa


 

 

 

 

Make a Microstrip Book
                           (2 copied pages)
There is 4 strips to cut. Do not cut out each page. Fold back and forth in order. . Cut the cover page from the strip and staple to the front.


Learn the Santa and his 8 + 1 Reindeers by singing "Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer"





Make 8 Reindeer Masks, 1 Rudolph, and 1 Santa Mask 
Let the children use the masks as they sing:
"Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer"




Make stockings to be stuffed
Stuff the stocking with s-things





Punch the holes and begin by tying a knot with your foot and a half long string. Let the tots sew the stocking together.

Summary: S is for your 5 senses, s is for saying your sorry like in "Frosty the Snowman" song & movie. Build a shape snowman with a s-s-square hat, s-s- scarf and s-s-s sticks. Learn the number six along with subtracting by one with the '"Snowman" verse and magnetics. Snow is white and melts in the sun that changes into water. Make a sandwich and have a salad. Spin the dial and learn about the seasons.



T is for the top 10 toys under the Christmas tree. My head is on top of me. T is for traditions that everyone has in the world for fun, find out different traditions and do some.

The Christmas Tree Tradition



Put the trees in order from 1-10
song: "My Hands Up on My Head I Place"

Do this activity.
Open the 10 square presents under the Tree. Talk about if it is over or under. Each toy starts with a t-t

 

 

 

 
Here is a microstrip mini book to go along with this activity

Do not cut out each page.There are 4 strips to cut out that will be folded back and forth & stapled to make a book. Cut the cover page from the strip and staple on the front of the book.

black & white
 
Color version of this microstrip book
 


Count the 10 triangle Christmas trees.




It's time for a tea party with toast.

Stuff a Teddy Bear "Tt" Toy



Do Sticker ornaments or Bingo dot paint on these stand up Christmas Trees
Directions and patterns found in the Z lesson.


Copy the bear, Cut it out, staple or lace around, and then stuff with cotton balls.
 

Summary: T is for toys especially the teddy bear. T is for traditions like the Christmas tree that seem to go back to Germany as far as we can see.  Ten is the number learned. . Ten triangle trees they will have counted. Green are the triangle trees. The tots will name toys that begin with a "t".They will have a tea party.The tot's will learn to touch the top while also learning bottom. They will review things that come two at a time and review the 2 senses of touch and taste.

U is for Santa up on the housetop and under the Christmas tree. To underline is to make a line under something. You might need an umbrella when it snows. Place things under a napkin for the tot to guess. The sky is gray on a rainy day. Presents are square and in the shape of a rectangle. Review "The Top Ten Toys Under the Christmas Tree" found in "T" and talk about what would happen if the presents were not under the tree, but rather on it. Santa pulls the sleigh with 8 reindeer.  (This Santa goes Up & down the chimney) (Song: "Up on the Housetop")

Try to have an upside down tea party



Make this craft to practice for the program and to take home.
(song, "Up on the Housetop")

 
Look at them move Santa up.


Summary: You will learn the song, "Up On the Housetop". The tots will go up and down as they hear it in the song. Hide things under a napkin and have them guess what is under it. You can use the top ten toys under the Christmas Tree activity. They will learn the color gray for rain clouds. Learn about what is upside down by using the "Upside Down Story". What shape is the presents under the tree? Time to make a line under or underline using this mini U book.

V is for the village where Santa sits and for the visitors of the baby about three. 
What are vegetables?  (Let them circle or underline)


(Sing: "Go Round & Round the Village")
Let them decorate a village house you have made ahead and eat them for a snack along with some vegetables.



The graham cracker village takes 7 half square crackers. Make on a paper plate. Start with the half a square cracker for the floor. Pipe frosting on the sides and bottom of the cracker and stick around the floor cracker for the walls. The roof is a whole cracker broken in half. Glue together with the frosting. Let dry overnight so they are ready to decorate. 
decorate with: small packs of Skittles, Sixlets, M & Ms small pkg. and or Lifesavers. Each tot will have a piping bag made with a small baggy or small zip lock bag. Push about 4 tablespoons of frosting in the corner. Twist the bag and clip the corner of the frosting bag. Each tot now has a piping bag. Notice the piping bag on the left of the plate.


It is a great day to visit Santa at a village near you.

Village take home craft 
(copy to cardstock)
 

Or what of the village where the babe lay upon the hay?
Read: "The Visitors Came" with the big book and have them read along with their microscopic strip book. Act it out with the masks and do some Christmas songs with it or give them a microstrip "The visitors Came" book and finger puppets to follow along. Using the finger puppets, name the visitors.








(cut out the 2 strips) 
Cut the cover page apart from the 2 strips. Do not cut out each page, but only strips. Fold back and forth. Staple together for a mini 8 page book.


 











Make graham cracker villages for a snack

Summary: Learn about a violin while you listen to some music with a violin, what is a visitor? Count the visitors in the story.  Name the shape of a star and then count the points, yellow is a star, there was just one baby (power of one). 

W is for a winter wonderland window with snow.
Copy window. Cut out each square of the window 
Glue over a blue sheet of paper.
Tots add winter stickers (Dollar Tree)

What is the weather?
Winter or Spring Ww

Water comes from rain, and snow.
Talk about what lives in the water. Buy some animal capsules. Have a bowl of water and let the tot drop a capsule in the water. During the lesson wait for the capsule to open up and name the water animal. 
Weather dial






Discuss what has wheels.
 Sing: "The Wheels on the Bus". Wheels are round circles. Let them count out the Davinci Pasta wheels and place them over the number of wheels on each thing. Have them play with things that have wheels. Go over the mini book with the tots.

What has wheels?
mini book



Or 
What about the 3 Wisemen who knew where to go?



(Patterns to copy)

Or Use the Masks from the Nativity (3 wisemen)








Summary: W is for the winter weatherWater comes from the rain and snow which is white. Water that is frozen is ice, but when it melts it is water. They will have learned what to watch. There were 3 Wisemen. The tots will learn of the tradition of Wisemen. The 3 gifts were gold, frankincense, & myrrh in 3 square boxes, They will learn the color gold. The Wisemen were led by a star. Hide the star and let them search it like them from afar. Find out w-w- where it is. They will have learned what has wheels. With the Davinci pasta wheels, the tots will have learned to count the wheels

X is for the Polar Xpress and the xpress mail sent, 
that each tot watched as it went. 
(Send an invitation X-Press ) 

Put the Xpress mail page in a large envelope with Xpress on it.

Open it after the lesson and mini version of the Polar Xpress and work the page together.


*Have them come in pajamas & serve hot chocolate


Learn that x can makes the sound at the end as in six, fix, and box. Have a lunch sack with the number 6 and the word six. Have them point to the "x". Pick a tot to reach in the sack and pull out a baggy of 6 zoo animal cookies, 6 cookies for Santa (from the 6 senses lesson) and 6 Xpress trains. Have a small box with the word on it and ask what did Santa leave in the box under the tree. Open it to reveal the bell. For the activity they can decorate the box with the pattern included and have a bow for the top & a bell for inside the box.
                                                          (six 6 cookies)
           box  Do this activity.
Place these six trains in order (six has the last sound of x)

              
  


Do this X book together and let them take it home.
A mini "X" book
 (Copy and paste to Word)

(Have some train sets to play with.)
Make a Box ornament  Use with the Polar Xpress & be sure to put a bell in it.








Story or Movie: "The Polar Express" by Chris VanAllsburg
Complete this page when done with the story. 

Summary: X can be in the beginning like in their mini book and also at the end as in six, fix, and box. They will learn to use an x to x something out. The tot will enjoy counting the xpress trains from 1 to 6. The train in Polar Express was black. The bell is in the shape of a circle. The box was a square. 

Y is for the New Year, so give a countdown cheer!
Each tot needs a noise maker for the final countdown.


copy the letter Y page and have yogurt and and egg ready to crack and slop while you say the sound of "Y" that says yyyyyyy yellow, yogurt & yuck!






Your number for the day will be 12 for 12 months

   12 yule logs


Do this magnetic board activity to teach about the months and what happens that month.





Chinese New Year (sack dragon kite)
The dragon dance is to scare off the bad spirits and is done to welcome the new year. Fly these kites to the Chinese Dragon Music found on YouTube

 Pattern for kite


and make a pinata with the dragon pattern
Paste the dragon face to the flat part of the sack and fill with prizes. Poke the pinata that is in the center of the table.  until the prizes are exposed. Then share the party bag filler. ( use popcorn for filler if you like.



Count backwards and celebrate as if welcoming the new year.
Sing: "We Wish You a Merry Christmas & a Happy New Year"
Have some yogurt.

Summary: They will have learned traditions of the new year around the world. The tots will learn to count to 12. They will name the months of the year and what happens. They will have learned to count backwards from 10 -1. The flame of the yule log and an egg yolk is y-y- yellow. The world is round like a circle.


Z is for Christmas at the Zoo with one animal that begins with
 "z" too. (Zebra). A Zebra has black stripes.
Have them each read along. Find the "Z" animal at the zoo. in their "Zig Zag Zoo Christmas Tree" microstrip book.
 Cut out the 2 strips. Fold back and forth and then staple.

color version




Black and White Version


Spin and name a Zodiac zoo animal
Match the zodiac animal cards face up for the real young tots and down for more advanced naming of the zodiac zoo animals. Be sure to copy twice and then cut out the cards.

Zig Zag Z  (Cut on the Zig Zag paths)
or
Cut out the Zig Zag Tree (The tot will probably need help)

Magnetic Christmas Zoo Story- 
(Cut out and mount the flat sticky magnet on back.)




 

Make a zig zag Christmas Tree
Help them cut the zig zag tree.
Let them cut the zig zags



3D  (color one page)

 3


3d style (one page)
Summary: Learn to count to 10 and learn the colors green and red with the story. The tots will learn to cut and learn how to use scissors. The ornaments are round and the stripes on a zebra are black.They will name the zoo animals and decide which one starts with a z. 



That is summary of the 12 letters to Christmas one letter a day. Now it is time to sing & play.
Have a 12 Letters of Christmas Program




Program
 

 

 

 

 


 

Serve foods from each letter:
O- Mini Oreos, sliced oranges, P- pizza, pretzels, Q- Quaker snacks, R- red raspberries, S- Smokey sausages, sea food (shrimp), T- turkey sandwiches, tortilla chips and salsa, U- turn the cups upside down, V- vegetable (carrot), W-water, hot chocolate from the Polar Xpress hot chocolate lesson, Y yogurt gogurt or ice cream roll yule logs, Z- plate of zoo animal cookies.