AnneGG Posted November 12, 2023 Share Posted November 12, 2023 Anyone want to share their Christmas/Winter/December school plans? I need fresh ideas! We’ve done holidays around the world, A Christmas Carol, The Nutcracker and other random tidbits like holiday games from AAR and the free morning basket plans from Pam Barnhill. Has anyone ever tried Read Aloud Revival Premium’s Christmas School? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gil Posted November 12, 2023 Share Posted November 12, 2023 We continue to study as usual. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HomeAgain Posted November 12, 2023 Share Posted November 12, 2023 What about a book study from HomeschoolShare? We did the Christmas alphabet one year, doing short studies or activities every day that went along with the letter. It got us some creative 'field trips' and diving into different aspects of the season. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Clarita Posted November 12, 2023 Share Posted November 12, 2023 We read through "Unwrapping the Greatest Gift" by Ann Voskamp. I put out our collection of Christmas books. I do plan to read Mr. Popper's Penguins and Heartwood Hotel: The Greatest Gift next. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
historically accurate Posted November 12, 2023 Share Posted November 12, 2023 I don't know what ages you have, but some things we did over the years: Full unit studies we did: American Girl Holidays - read through each of the original historical Christmas/Hannukah books; we did a lapbook iirc. Did only the Before/Five in a Row winter & Christmas themed books during the whole month of December. We did this one a couple of years past FIAR (which I only used for Kindergarten-1st grade); it was a nice break from our other curriculum. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Little Women Years we only did Holiday Circle time: Wrapped a whole bunch of holiday themed picture books (I used library books to come to 24) and read one each morning. You could just read a chapter from a longer book for older kids. Memorized Night Before Christmas. Then did school as usual. Years we did a Weekly Friday Christmas thing: Weekly Holiday film: Watched a film weekly. For Grinch and Polar Express, we also read the books and did venn diagrams on book vs. movies Weekly Holiday Craft: Gingerbread house-building, holiday themed LEGO creations, winter themed artwork, holiday baking. Hogwarts Christmas - made wands & other crafty things for Christmas, learned some spells, imagined what they'd wish for in a magical world, etc. You could probably make this a full unit study, but we only did 1/2 day for 4 weeks. My kids are now 11th and 12th grade - no fun winter holiday studies now. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boymama5 Posted November 13, 2023 Share Posted November 13, 2023 The past few years we’ve enjoyed Campfire curriculums Christmas studies (one is a Biblical Christmas following the shepherds and another on carols). this year we’ll be doing the Gentle and classical Christmas and Truth in the Tinsel for my youngest. My older ones will doe Unwrapping the Names of Jesus and Jothams journey (a tradition). we’ll also do some more picture books and projects. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnneGG Posted November 13, 2023 Author Share Posted November 13, 2023 Thanks everyone! I haven’t quite decided how immersive I want Christmas school to be this year. A big part of me just wants to keep it simple with books, card making and cookie baking. Every weekend in December is jam packed, it might be nice to not have a big to do list everyday during the week. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nm. Posted November 14, 2023 Share Posted November 14, 2023 I was thinking about the library thing… I hate wrapping paper but maybe I can “wrap” one in a fabric bag each night. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
notwhatineeded Posted November 14, 2023 Share Posted November 14, 2023 15 minutes ago, Nm. said: I was thinking about the library thing… I hate wrapping paper but maybe I can “wrap” one in a fabric bag each night. What about gift bags? You could put them up to reuse next year (or even wait to wrap a few things and use them again this year). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nichola Posted November 14, 2023 Share Posted November 14, 2023 (edited) On 11/13/2023 at 8:12 PM, Nm. said: I was thinking about the library thing… I hate wrapping paper but maybe I can “wrap” one in a fabric bag each night. … Edited April 24 by Nichola 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nm. Posted November 18, 2023 Share Posted November 18, 2023 On 11/14/2023 at 4:38 PM, Nichola said: I bought some 12 x 16 cloth bags on Amazon one year, and they’ve been the perfect size for picture books. They’re reusable and easy to put out every year. My kids take turns choosing a book each day leading up to Christmas. I found old christmas material at my moms to make some with! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted November 19, 2023 Share Posted November 19, 2023 (edited) We used Cindy Rollins’ book, Hallelujah, an Advent devotional using Handel’s Messiah, one year as the foundation for our “Christmas school”. We researched Handel, oratorios, and baroque music, made some of the recipes in the book and enjoyed the “How we celebrate”’ articles. We added some selections from her booklist to our collection. Edited November 19, 2023 by ScoutTN 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnneGG Posted November 19, 2023 Author Share Posted November 19, 2023 @ScoutTN great suggestion! I’d forgotten about that book. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quietgarden Posted November 19, 2023 Share Posted November 19, 2023 We are doing the following fun things the last week or so of school before our Christmas break: Math: The Great Gingerbread House Project https://www.edutopia.org/article/great-gingerbread-house-project/ Writing: Gingerbread House for Sale https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Holiday-Writing-Activity-for-Middle-School-Gingerbread-House-for-Sale-2867123 And because we are in SOTW volume 3, Read aloud picture books: Baker's Dozen, A Colonial American Tale and An Early American Christmas Independent reading: The Best/Worst Christmas Pageant Ever Science: Reindeer Unit Study and Winter mini-lessons from Mystery Science 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dianthus Posted November 19, 2023 Share Posted November 19, 2023 14 hours ago, ScoutTN said: We used Cindy Rollins’ book, Hallelujah, an Advent devotional using Handel’s Messiah, one year as the foundation for our “Christmas school”. We researched Handel, oratorios, and baroque music, made some of the recipes in the book and enjoyed the “How we celebrate”’ articles. We added some selections from her booklist to our collection. This looks wonderful, but I'm not catholic and it appears Cindy Rollins is. Have non catholics used this? Is it non denominational? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted November 19, 2023 Share Posted November 19, 2023 4 hours ago, Dianthus said: This looks wonderful, but I'm not catholic and it appears Cindy Rollins is. Have non catholics used this? Is it non denominational? Cindy Rollins is Protestant, but included a couple of the feast days to include some Orthodox and Catholic traditions. I am Protestant (Presbyterian) and used the book two years ago with my teens. We skipped the St. Lucia stuff but we have always included the real St. Nicholas in our Advent picture book selections. St Nicholas has Eastern Orthodox origins, but the Dec 6th celebration is common all over Europe, including in countries with strong Protestant heritage like Germany and the Netherlands. As with any devotional or teaching resource, use what works for your family and skip what doesn’t. The daily selections have Scripture, followed by text/lyrics from Messiah, with listening time length noted. Each week has a section written by Greg Wilbur, a Protestant church musician, on what to listen for. Each week also has a hymn, a poem, and suggested Bible memory verses. The church calendar is not Catholic or Protestant. It predates the Reformation by many centuries. Many American evangelical, non-denominational churches have lost connection with church history and are unfamiliar with the seasons of the church year. Liturgical churches are typically more connected to this. Thomas Banks, who wrote the intro article about the Christian calendar, has a Catholic background and is married to Angelina Stanford, who is Orthodox. The Lessons and Carols service referenced in the book is Anglican. Handel was raised Lutheran and became Anglican when he became an English citizen. 2 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnneGG Posted November 20, 2023 Author Share Posted November 20, 2023 7 hours ago, quietgarden said: We are doing the following fun things the last week or so of school before our Christmas break: Math: The Great Gingerbread House Project https://www.edutopia.org/article/great-gingerbread-house-project/ Writing: Gingerbread House for Sale https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Holiday-Writing-Activity-for-Middle-School-Gingerbread-House-for-Sale-2867123 And because we are in SOTW volume 3, Read aloud picture books: Baker's Dozen, A Colonial American Tale and An Early American Christmas Independent reading: The Best/Worst Christmas Pageant Ever Science: Reindeer Unit Study and Winter mini-lessons from Mystery Science Love It! This has been my Christmas school style in the past. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dianthus Posted November 20, 2023 Share Posted November 20, 2023 (edited) 6 hours ago, ScoutTN said: Cindy Rollins is Protestant, but included a couple of the feast days to include some Orthodox and Catholic traditions. I am Protestant (Presbyterian) and used the book two years ago with my teens. We skipped the St. Lucia stuff but we have always included the real St. Nicholas in our Advent picture book selections. St Nicholas has Eastern Orthodox origins, but the Dec 6th celebration is common all over Europe, including in countries with strong Protestant heritage like Germany and the Netherlands. As with any devotional or teaching resource, use what works for your family and skip what doesn’t. The daily selections have Scripture, followed by text/lyrics from Messiah, with listening time length noted. Each week has a section written by Greg Wilbur, a Protestant church musician, on what to listen for. Each week also has a hymn, a poem, and suggested Bible memory verses. The church calendar is not Catholic or Protestant. It predates the Reformation by many centuries. Many American evangelical, non-denominational churches have lost connection with church history and are unfamiliar with the seasons of the church year. Liturgical churches are typically more connected to this. Thomas Banks, who wrote the intro article about the Christian calendar, has a Catholic background and is married to Angelina Stanford, who is Orthodox. The Lessons and Carols service referenced in the book is Anglican. Handel was raised Lutheran and became Anglican when he became an English citizen. Thank you. We usually observe St Nicholas Day but not St Lucia. It does sound like a lovely advent study. How long would you expect each day's lesson including reading and listening? I am considering stopping our Sonlight history for the month and focusing on Christmas and Hanukkah studies. I always read A Christmas Carol and Best Christmas Pageant Ever. I would love a Christmas Carol (eta, the songs not the dickens) study too. Edited November 20, 2023 by Dianthus 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted November 20, 2023 Share Posted November 20, 2023 I’d say about 10-15 minutes, generally. The Scripture passages are printed in the book so can be read from there, though I had my kids look them up in their own Bibles. The listening portion is 3-11 minutes. We added a few unit study school things, but not lots. My kids were in 11th and 8th grades when we used this and the 8th grader was in school. We did it mostly in the evenings, sometimes mornings, since my 8th grader didn’t have to be at school too early. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted November 20, 2023 Share Posted November 20, 2023 On 11/12/2023 at 11:10 AM, historically accurate said: I don't know what ages you have, but some things we did over the years: Full unit studies we did: American Girl Holidays - read through each of the original historical Christmas/Hannukah books; we did a lapbook iirc. Did only the Before/Five in a Row winter & Christmas themed books during the whole month of December. We did this one a couple of years past FIAR (which I only used for Kindergarten-1st grade); it was a nice break from our other curriculum. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe Little Women Years we only did Holiday Circle time: Wrapped a whole bunch of holiday themed picture books (I used library books to come to 24) and read one each morning. You could just read a chapter from a longer book for older kids. Memorized Night Before Christmas. Then did school as usual. Years we did a Weekly Friday Christmas thing: Weekly Holiday film: Watched a film weekly. For Grinch and Polar Express, we also read the books and did venn diagrams on book vs. movies Weekly Holiday Craft: Gingerbread house-building, holiday themed LEGO creations, winter themed artwork, holiday baking. Hogwarts Christmas - made wands & other crafty things for Christmas, learned some spells, imagined what they'd wish for in a magical world, etc. You could probably make this a full unit study, but we only did 1/2 day for 4 weeks. My kids are now 11th and 12th grade - no fun winter holiday studies now. Ooo, my ds functions younger and has some narrative language issues that make middle grade picture books or chapter books quite appropriate. I'm liking these ideas, especially the ways to kick it up a notch!! He finally CAN understand the story line and language, but he's not drawn to it and wouldn't watch those fiction movies by choice. So it can be fun and educational here! LOL Christmas movies, love it!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted November 20, 2023 Share Posted November 20, 2023 13 hours ago, Dianthus said: I would love a Christmas Carol (eta, the songs not the dickens) study too. I like this idea!!! I *thnk* I have a Joni Erickson Tada book for this but I bet there are more. I need something on the lighter side. Her stuff tends a little heavy/bio for my ds. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted November 20, 2023 Share Posted November 20, 2023 (edited) On 11/19/2023 at 11:47 AM, quietgarden said: Reindeer Unit Study 😂 Ok, that sounds fun. We were just saying we need to move science back in the rotation. Where do I find this? 😂 Edited November 20, 2023 by PeterPan 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted November 20, 2023 Share Posted November 20, 2023 Our botanical garden has live reindeer during their Christmas lights exhibit. Fun to see them for real. I like Jan Brett’s book The Wild Christmas Reindeer. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quietgarden Posted November 23, 2023 Share Posted November 23, 2023 (edited) On 11/20/2023 at 10:09 AM, PeterPan said: 😂 Ok, that sounds fun. We were just saying we need to move science back in the rotation. Where do I find this? 😂 Hi PeterPan! I would go with this link that lists a printable unit study for $7.99. It is from the same package I purchased in 2021 but it is much cheaper! This is a really good price for all the info she provides. https://www.etsy.com/listing/889684312/reindeer-winter-unit-study-arctic-animal?click_key=a2be32b0f05cd3e97de43cc6e2043acd02980c2c%3A889684312&click_sum=7ee63269&ref=shop_home_recs_2 I bought the pack that includes the reindeer antler and the lichen (at the time that was ONLY product available - but not sure I would have sprung for the full deal if I had an option. And now it has gone up in price (A LOT). I think I paid $45, which also seemed like a lot, but we really loved getting the lichen and the reindeer antler portion and I was impressed with the unit study. So much so that we used portions in 1st grade, skipped a year, and will do it again with some of the activities that were too much for him then. Getting two years out of it, and having the antler portion (and possibly the lichen if it doesn't decompose!), to keep in the Christmas box seems worth it. But if I had had the $7.99 option I would absolutely have gone with that!! At this current price though, I think I would want to share the cost with a friend or two. https://www.etsy.com/listing/872010094/alaska-reindeer-box-winter-activity-box?gpla=1&gao=1&&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=shopping_us_-toys_and_games&utm_custom1=_k_CjwKCAiAjfyqBhAsEiwA-UdzJOPXfX7GQqvaZFNYKtT2mpliJMq4ofJK2k84d1l8-f8R6Pj1oGVsaBoCjwgQAvD_BwE_k_&utm_content=go_12665398257_121762925993_511610210343_pla-314535279060_c__872010094_140176376&utm_custom2=12665398257&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAjfyqBhAsEiwA-UdzJOPXfX7GQqvaZFNYKtT2mpliJMq4ofJK2k84d1l8-f8R6Pj1oGVsaBoCjwgQAvD_BwE Edited November 23, 2023 by quietgarden Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilverMoon Posted November 24, 2023 Share Posted November 24, 2023 We've done Harry Potter unit studies before, but mostly we just school like normal. We do add a fun advent calendar like Legos, escape room, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmeilaen Posted November 27, 2023 Share Posted November 27, 2023 What about Read-Aloud Christmas School? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnneGG Posted November 28, 2023 Author Share Posted November 28, 2023 On 11/23/2023 at 10:21 AM, quietgarden said: Hi PeterPan! I would go with this link that lists a printable unit study for $7.99. It is from the same package I purchased in 2021 but it is much cheaper! This is a really good price for all the info she provides. https://www.etsy.com/listing/889684312/reindeer-winter-unit-study-arctic-animal?click_key=a2be32b0f05cd3e97de43cc6e2043acd02980c2c%3A889684312&click_sum=7ee63269&ref=shop_home_recs_2 I bought the pack that includes the reindeer antler and the lichen (at the time that was ONLY product available - but not sure I would have sprung for the full deal if I had an option. And now it has gone up in price (A LOT). I think I paid $45, which also seemed like a lot, but we really loved getting the lichen and the reindeer antler portion and I was impressed with the unit study. So much so that we used portions in 1st grade, skipped a year, and will do it again with some of the activities that were too much for him then. Getting two years out of it, and having the antler portion (and possibly the lichen if it doesn't decompose!), to keep in the Christmas box seems worth it. But if I had had the $7.99 option I would absolutely have gone with that!! At this current price though, I think I would want to share the cost with a friend or two. https://www.etsy.com/listing/872010094/alaska-reindeer-box-winter-activity-box?gpla=1&gao=1&&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=shopping_us_-toys_and_games&utm_custom1=_k_CjwKCAiAjfyqBhAsEiwA-UdzJOPXfX7GQqvaZFNYKtT2mpliJMq4ofJK2k84d1l8-f8R6Pj1oGVsaBoCjwgQAvD_BwE_k_&utm_content=go_12665398257_121762925993_511610210343_pla-314535279060_c__872010094_140176376&utm_custom2=12665398257&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAjfyqBhAsEiwA-UdzJOPXfX7GQqvaZFNYKtT2mpliJMq4ofJK2k84d1l8-f8R6Pj1oGVsaBoCjwgQAvD_BwE I was looking at her Northern Lights Cards a few days ago! All of her things look lovely. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted November 28, 2023 Share Posted November 28, 2023 The Well-Read Poem podcast is doing a series of Advent/Christmas themed ones and I bet The Daily Poem will too. Some will be good for kids to listen to. Nice to have a not-mom reader sometimes! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScoutTN Posted November 28, 2023 Share Posted November 28, 2023 On 11/27/2023 at 2:28 PM, pmeilaen said: What about Read-Aloud Christmas School? If I still had kids at home, this would be tempting! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmeilaen Posted November 28, 2023 Share Posted November 28, 2023 Quote 18 hours ago, ScoutTN said: The Well-Read Poem podcast is doing a series of Advent/Christmas themed ones and I bet The Daily Poem will too. Some will be good for kids to listen to. Nice to have a not-mom reader sometimes! We used to listen to "The Daily Poem" a lot and loved it. Thanks for mentioning the other podcast. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dianthus Posted December 1, 2023 Share Posted December 1, 2023 I ordered both the Hallelujah devotional and The Carols of Christmas. I'm returning Hallelujah and only doing the carols. Just skimmed both tonight and feel Hallelujah would be a bit boring for my kids and too much of the same throughout. Maybe if all were older. So my plan is to do The Carols of Christmas (will double some days since it is written for 4 weeks, but each day is short so that is easily doable), and read The Best Christmas Pageant Ever before we read A Christmas Carol. Anyone have Christmas craft ideas? We did 3D snowflakes a couple years ago so would like to do again. We hung them in our hallway. I also bought some kits from the craft stores but wondering about more creative ideas with basic materials? Trying to think of which subjects to drop. We need a reset yet are behind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AnneGG Posted December 1, 2023 Author Share Posted December 1, 2023 9 hours ago, Dianthus said: Anyone have Christmas craft ideas? We did 3D snowflakes a couple years ago so would like to do again. We hung them in our hallway. I also bought some kits from the craft stores but wondering about more creative ideas with basic materials? This is not super creative but you might like the simplicity…… We started making our own wrapping paper yesterday. It’s just brown kraft paper and the kids draw and/or paint it to make their own. We also started making a Christmas village with milk cartons and paper bags. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Penderwink Posted December 4, 2023 Share Posted December 4, 2023 We read Christmas picture books, and have some Christmas themed craft packs and scissor skills books. We listen to and will learn some Christmas songs. Also Christmas baking, letter to Father Christmas, making Christmas cards and simple gifts (rolling beeswax candles, decorating a mug etc.) There are some fun places to visit locally like a Christmas market and a theatre show. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oliviasophie Posted December 11, 2023 Share Posted December 11, 2023 I always find the ideas on twinkl for this time of year are fab! https://www.twinkl.com.au/resources/australian-resources-3---4-festivals-and-celebrations/december-events-festivals-celebrations-and-events-topics-3-4-australia/australian-resources-3-4-festivals-and-celebrations-christmas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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