Holiday Reads: Nativity

On our first day of Holiday Reads, we read several Nativity books and worked in small groups to make a giant Nativity in the hallway.  Working at an Episcopal school, we are able to talk about the Nativity openly.  I have to say, the kids exceeded our expectations and were so thoughtful in their work.  I have noticed so many kids from other grades stopping in the hallway today to read and admire our work.

We divided the class into 8 groups of 2, each group was given a specific part of the nativity scene:  Mary, Joesph, baby Jesus, shepherds, and the kings (3 of these), and an angel/.  First, they wrote a sentence about their part on sentence strip then they painted it.  If the group got finished early, they helped to make other needed things like animals and a star.

 The next morning, we cut out the paintings and put them up on the wall.

Jill and I made a large stable out of brown paper in the hallway.  The kids had fun placing the various parts of the nativity and then retelling the story.

To round out the Nativity theme, everyone wrote about what gift they would bring baby Jesus.  We listened to the song "Little Drummer Boy" and talked about our talents and how we could give of ourselves.  The kids were so thoughtful and sweet.  These "presents" are hanging on our classroom wall.

"I will play with baby Jesus."

"I will dance for baby Jesus."

There are so many good Nativity books out there.  Here are the books we read:

Original Nativity Story from the Adventure Bible

A Baby Born in Bethlehem by Martha Whitmore Hickman

Tonight You are my Baby:  Mary's Christmas Gift by Jeannie Q. Norris