hmschooln Posted July 28, 2010 Share Posted July 28, 2010 Okay I know this is way early, but I'm trying to plan our Christmas schedule for this year and I want to change things up this year. We plan to take a break from our regular schedule (except math and maybe history) and do kind of Christmas theme. For latin we're going to try and translate the latin version of the Grinch, we've got Color the Classics Christmas version, make candy of course:001_smile: and do a few craft type things, Holly Jolly Mad Libs and read a Christmas Carol. But I need ideas for science. I thought about learning about Faraday the month before and then covering his Christmas lectures, and doing the experiment where you make a snowflake in a bottle, but I don't know what else.:confused: Also any suggestions on what to use to cover the history of Christmas and Christmas around the world? Any other ideas for any subject(math, english, reading,whatever) or just something fun. Thanks:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
justasque Posted July 28, 2010 Share Posted July 28, 2010 I like to do geometry for math. Things like making symmetrical designs on Christmas cookies, building the Platonic Solids and decorating them as ornaments. Christmas concerts and other performances (dance, etc.) for music & the arts of course. Designing our own Christmas cards for art - OK I gave this up many years back but it's an idea. We've done lino cuts or just drawn a pic and had it copied onto nice card-stock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wy_kid_wrangler04 Posted July 28, 2010 Share Posted July 28, 2010 Are you watching How The Grinch Stole Christmas in July again?? :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ereks mom Posted July 28, 2010 Share Posted July 28, 2010 Okay I know this is way early, but I'm trying to plan our Christmas schedule for this year and I want to change things up this year. We plan to take a break from our regular schedule (except math and maybe history) and do kind of Christmas theme. For latin we're going to try and translate the latin version of the Grinch, we've got Color the Classics Christmas version, make candy of course:001_smile: and do a few craft type things, Holly Jolly Mad Libs and read a Christmas Carol. But I need ideas for science. I thought about learning about Faraday the month before and then covering his Christmas lectures, and doing the experiment where you make a snowflake in a bottle, but I don't know what else.:confused: Also any suggestions on what to use to cover the history of Christmas and Christmas around the world? Any other ideas for any subject(math, english, reading,whatever) or just something fun. Thanks:001_smile: I like to use this book for Christmas Around the World activities. I'm eagerly watching to see what other responses you get. :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Whereneverever Posted July 28, 2010 Share Posted July 28, 2010 Do you do Advent? I've found adding in Advent teachings and activities really adds to the richness of Christmas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoVanGogh Posted July 28, 2010 Share Posted July 28, 2010 The first three years we homeschooled, I planned elaborate Christmas studies. We did great the first year, but the last two years felt like total failures - I planned too much and felt like it added a lot of stress. Last year I decided to take the entire month of December off and just enjoy the sights and sounds of the season. It was so much fun - we baked, went on a lot of field trips, etc. The only semi-educational thing we did was listen to a Christmas CD in Latin. (Veni Emmanuel from Classical Academic Press.) DS learned one song in Latin - yeah! This year I hope to find that 'happy balance' - somewhere between planning too much and doing too little. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmschooln Posted July 28, 2010 Author Share Posted July 28, 2010 Are you watching How The Grinch Stole Christmas in July again?? :D LOL I don't know what you're talking about.:blush::lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmschooln Posted July 28, 2010 Author Share Posted July 28, 2010 The first three years we homeschooled, I planned elaborate Christmas studies. We did great the first year, but the last two years felt like total failures - I planned too much and felt like it added a lot of stress. Last year I decided to take the entire month of December off and just enjoy the sights and sounds of the season. It was so much fun - we baked, went on a lot of field trips, etc. The only semi-educational thing we did was listen to a Christmas CD in Latin. (Veni Emmanuel from Classical Academic Press.) DS learned one song in Latin - yeah! This year I hope to find that 'happy balance' - somewhere between planning too much and doing too little. :D Normally we do take December off, but we thought this year it might be fun. Did you enjoy Veni Emmanuel? I've had my eye on that and have so far managed to hold off.:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmschooln Posted July 28, 2010 Author Share Posted July 28, 2010 Thanks for all the replys. Off to check some out.:auto: Please keep them coming.:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoVanGogh Posted July 28, 2010 Share Posted July 28, 2010 Did you enjoy Veni Emmanuel?I love it! My DS? Not as much. He tolerates it. ;) He likes his music a bit more upbeat. There were 2 songs that he enjoyed very much, the others were "too sllloooow!"The booklet that comes with it has lyrics in Latin and English, so we used that quite a bit for vocabulary. DS is still young so I was just excited that he could pick out words he knew in the songs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wy_kid_wrangler04 Posted July 28, 2010 Share Posted July 28, 2010 LOL I don't know what you're talking about.:blush::lol: Mmmmm hmmmmm ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mathmom Posted July 28, 2010 Share Posted July 28, 2010 I like to use this book for Christmas Around the World activities. I'm eagerly watching to see what other responses you get. :001_smile: Thank you so much for this resource. We will be finishing up a year of World Geography in early December. This book looks like the perfect finishing touch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted July 29, 2010 Share Posted July 29, 2010 I just skimmed the thread but my dh made crystal Christmas tree ornaments with borax and pipe cleaners last year with our co-op kids for science. They ranged in age from 8-17 and they all enjoyed it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wy_kid_wrangler04 Posted July 29, 2010 Share Posted July 29, 2010 My 9 y/0 dd looked at these with me and thought they were all very cool! ;) Now we might have to do something similar Here are some Christmas around the world unit study ideas Here are some more Christmas around the world unit studies with booklists Here is another Here are yet some more unit study ideas Here are some lapbook ideas Here are some crafty/gift ideas Here are some more unit study ideas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmschooln Posted July 29, 2010 Author Share Posted July 29, 2010 :DThank you all. Still open to any other suggestions too.:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karen in CO Posted July 29, 2010 Share Posted July 29, 2010 For Christmas my kids go to ski school for a week. It is terrific and very educational. :) I really do count it as school. Anyway, you could add winter sports to your time if you couldn't do ski school. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2_girls_mommy Posted July 29, 2010 Share Posted July 29, 2010 How old are you looking for? I was thinking about for math. Last year we had a lot of Christmas themed math worksheets for my K and 2nd graders. They are not hands on or anything. But at least they had holiday designs on them. My mother prints them out at places like ed helper and uses them for her classroom. She always saves me some. I would think if you google Christmas math worksheets you could get some. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoyfulMama Posted July 29, 2010 Share Posted July 29, 2010 My favorite book for Advent ideas is Before and After Christmas. For math, you can always calculate distances between places, calculate shipping costs, budget for shopping/gift giving, math for baking, estimate the number of lights/ornaments that might fit on a tree vs actual. For LA, you can have the kids write cards/letters and thank you notes. Grammar, handwriting, and spelling all in one. If you want to highlight spelling words, make them seasonal. Of course there are some great seasonal stories that you can read, and you could always pull vocabulary from there, or do copywork or dictation. Last year my dd9 memorized Twas the Night Before Christmas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmschooln Posted July 29, 2010 Author Share Posted July 29, 2010 How old are you looking for? I was thinking about for math. Last year we had a lot of Christmas themed math worksheets for my K and 2nd graders. They are not hands on or anything. But at least they had holiday designs on them. My mother prints them out at places like ed helper and uses them for her classroom. She always saves me some. I would think if you google Christmas math worksheets you could get some. Looking for a about K and 4th grade. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hmschooln Posted July 29, 2010 Author Share Posted July 29, 2010 Hmm I'm contributing to my own thread, but I found a letter writing idea where the child writes a letter to the Grinch to persuade him that Christmas isn't a bad thing.:001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
half-dozenroses Posted July 29, 2010 Share Posted July 29, 2010 Christmas!! I feel hardly ready for August!! :lol: Something our family has really enjoyed was reading Jotham's Journey, and last year Bartholomew's Passage as an Advent devotional. We all just loved and really got hooked on the story line! Maybe a lapbook like What is Snow? for science? A few years ago we did a lapbook on the Symbols of Christmas and that was fun. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtonito3 Posted July 29, 2010 Share Posted July 29, 2010 I want Christmas season to remain focused on the whole reason for the season. But like you I either plan too much or do too little. I'm looking for a balance...so please keep the ideas coming... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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