As you know, kids spend a lot time thinking about what they want for Christmas. Last week, we focused on others and the spirit of giving.
For our parent gift, we made
M&M Cookies in a jar. Easy, fun, and will hopefully inspire some family baking. (Note - the recipe I linked to is NOT the one we used, but it looks really good. Ours came from a fellow teacher, and I don't have it here with me as I'm writing.)
This simple flip-up book encouraged the kids to think about what their family members might like for Christmas. They wrote the name of the recipient on the tag, then flipped it up and drew a picture of the gift and labeled it. We got some good writing in this way, too. It looks like a lucky brother is getting a Star Wars ship! (In case your wondering, this was made using a legal-sized sheet of paper folded in half and then the front flaps were snipped. There are 4 present boxes on each sheet. Once you make a master, just copy.)
Our friends across the hall were stitching up these cute Christmas tree decorations to give to family. To save time, the felt trees were pre-cut for the kids and Christmas-themed foam pieces were used to decorate the tree. Phoebe just happens to be in this class and made the cutest tree!
We made the classic
Christmas Mouse for our 3rd grade Reading Buddies. Can I just tell you how much I love this project!? It's independent, fun, and always looks cute. We discovered that if you're short on time, hot gluing on the eyes and nose is the way to go.
As we crafted, wrote, and prepared for others, the kids were very excited and talked about how surprised their parents and Reading Buddies were going to be. I think it's important to have children be part of the giving process. Let them help to select presents, wrap gifts, and deliver special treats to others. Enjoy the spirit of giving!
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