Handprint Calendar


 Hello Friends,

Making a calendar for kids to give their parents is always a fun idea. I thought that I would share with you some of the hand print ideas that I have used with my kinders. I purchase blank calendar templates from Discount School Supply.  I do one month a day with every child in my classroom. I call them over to me two or three at a time. I paint their hands and let them dry before they add details with crayon and/or oil crayons.

Here is the first set. 











Here is the second set. On this set, I cut paper from construction paper and attached it to the top of the calendar with glue stick before printing the hands.














Until next time!

Blessings,


Christmas Around the World Let's Make a Book - For Younger Children



Hello Friends,

Teaching kids about how the customs that we do at Christmas can be traced back to other countries is such a nice way to keep kids excited about Christmas, while at the same time harnessing the energy into a fun, but educational experience.

If you read my blog, you know that I like to have my kids create a paper book project that they illustrate, take home, and discuss what they learned with their families. My book has evolved over the years. I have added and revised much of the pages. Sometimes my students use a cut paper technique...


 and other times, we do directed drawing.


We always start with a suitcase talk that discusses what we need for a trip and what we would LIKE to have. I have a filled suitcase full of items such as pj's, a toothbrush, socks, a coin purse (this is always an interesting discussion because do KIDS really need money... hmmmmm......) , shoes... and I have also added items such as a chocolate candy bar, a toy, a book, and mittens... once again, another interesting discussion... Do we NEED those mittens? Well, it depends on our destination, right? And then we load up our suitcase, find our plane, and head off to our destinations!



Another thing I like to discuss are the flags of the world. It is nice for our kids to understand that each country of the world has a different flag.






If you would be interested in my Christmas Around the World resource, you can find it by clicking the image below.


Until next time!

Blessings,







The First Christmas - Let's Make a Book for Young Children




Hello Friends,
   I recently finished revising my "The First Christmas - Let's Make a Book." I love teaching the true story of Christmas. There is so much Santa in the world now and the reason that we have Christmas is lost. BUT..... Santa Claus is a part of the lives of many of our children, so I wanted to add some pages in my resource that addressed Santa in a low key way.


These pages promote a wonderful discussion of how even Santa Claus loves the story of the First Christmas.


After our discussion, I read the Christmas story from my children's Bible. We then take each character in the story one by one and discuss the importance of each one. We end the unit with the understanding that Christmas is the birthday of Jesus and that we celebrate Christmas every year because of His birth.



I like for my students to create their own illustrations for their books, so I show them step-by-step directions for creating each character.


But... I know that time can be limited in classrooms, so I do use coloring pages sometimes!


So that's it for now... If you think this resource is something that you could use OR if you already purchased it and want to download the revisions, click on the image below.

https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/The-First-Christmas-For-Young-Children-Lets-Make-a-Book-1586777
Until next time!

Blessings,