December Highlights

Oh my goodness.  It's been a few weeks since I've blogged.  I blame December.  It's the craziest month of the year...and also when we do our parent teacher conferences, which makes it even crazier!  I know I'm not alone, right? So, here's a peek at some things we've been up to.

We spent a week reading various versions of the Gingerbread Man.  I don't know why I love this story so much, but I do. The kids always love it too!  We worked on our retelling skills and made some super cute retell hats. I love watching them march out of the building at the end of the day with their silly little hats.  We also worked on our comparing/contrasting skills, and character traits.  Of course, we also snacked on gingerbread cookies while we worked.  Hehe.



This is our class elf, Candy Cane.  Last year, I joined the Elf on the Shelf (in the classroom) bandwagon and I am continuing the tradition this year.  My kids are loving it!  Our elf arrived on December 1, and we've been having fun with him ever since.  This was the kids' favorite elf antic, for sure!


They were so excited to come in and find all the candy canes!


They were even more excited to take one home with them at the end of the day.

One day, our elf brought us this super fun math coloring project from Pink Cat Studio.  The students made one in class and then they also got to take one home.


Ok, that's enough elf talk.  This week, my students finished up their parent gifts.  How cute did these little pots turn out?  You can read all about them here.


We also spent some time reviewing cause and effect.  My Christmas Cause and Effect pack was the perfect fit!  The kids already have Christmas on the brain, and it was great being able to tie that to our learning.
 
The week for Winter Break is always rough. The kids are antsy and lacking focus.  And, let's face it, teachers are tired!  Well, that was my day exactly when I decided to lead my students in a directed drawing of Rudolph.  This idea originally comes from ARTventurous, and it is adorable!


After drawing Rudolph, they traced it with a Sharpie.  Then, they used oil pastels to color it in.  This was our second attempt with the pastels this year, and this time, they got it!  #theynailedit #lasttimenotsomuch

This past weekend, I put together some gifts for my parent volunteers.


I was inspired by this pin.  I filled each mason jar with Chex Mix Muddy Buddies, glued on three buttons, and tied some fabric around the lid to look like a scarf. They are supposed to look snowman-ish (hopefully you picked up on that-haha). Anyhoo, they turned out pretty cute, and they were so easy to make!

Happy holidays everyone!  I will be back soon with another monthly round up of ideas.  Stay tuned!


Share It: