2020 has been a wild year with many inconsistencies. This holiday season I want to make sure the children are surrounded with the warmth and comfort of tradition.
Kids in Classroom 7 were already talking about Christmas and Santa in the summer months! This December is filled with holiday activities. The children kicked off the month with ornament making and tree decorating. We have our own classroom tree that we created ornaments for and a big tree in the lobby that all the kids at Kids’ Point decorated with handmade ornaments.
I have brought in my Elf on the Shelf, Jane, who will be making sure everyone is listening to their teachers and adults at home. She has some pranks up her sleeve that help keep the magic alive.
We are also singing lots of Christmas carols. One of our favorite songs to sing when we are waiting on others is “Jingle Bells”.
This is my first year celebrating the holidays at Rainbows, but I heard the gingerbread house building project is something you just can’t miss! Determination, concentration and lots of laughter filled the room as we constructed a “perfect” gingerbread village.
Of course, we will have popcorn and a holiday movie. We will also make hot chocolate in the crockpot before naptime, and wake up to the warm smells of it in the classroom.
To celebrate this season of giving, we will be making our Top Secret presents for special adults in our lives. The final week when we only have 3 short days together we will be making and decorating Christmas cookies. We will be using a simple sugar cookie recipe. It will teach the kids math with the measuring and it will be a nice sensory activity. We’re using a big batch recipe! Fingers crossed it works out. This will be followed by a pajama party on Tuesday, and a gift exchange on the 23rd. The kids are so excited, and so am I.
I am so happy I can help keep the magic alive for kids this season. I remember growing up and being a part of so much fun at my school during the holidays. I hope this season turns into a memory for my students!
Here are links to the activities above:
Crockpot Hot Chocolate: https://www.onegoodthingbyjillee.com/crockpot-hot-chocolate/
Sugar Cookies: https://www.food.com/recipe/large-batch-sugar-cookies-398308
Written by Robin Carmichael, Early Childhood Special Education Teacher
