Happy Holidays

As we close 2007 and look toward the holidays, Kindergarten classes are filled with all the trappings of holiday cheer. Most of the Kindergarten classrooms dedicated at least one morning this week to holiday crafts. The teachers decided on 5-6 projects, such as a holiday hat/crown, a decorated cookie/cupcake/holiday shape, crafts of tracing and cutting and gluing, playdough with holiday colors and smells matched with holiday cookie cutters, holiday frames, letters to Santa, food for the reindeer, ornaments. Below are some of the centers enjoyed by our little holiday merry makers this week.

On another day children and teachers came dressed in pajamas and had hot chocolate while they heard the story of the Polar Express and recieved the gift of a bell to hang around their neck. Other classes made gingerbread houses or gingerbread boys as they read The Gingerbread Boy. Classes made a gift fortheir families, added a card during Writers' Workshop and decorated a bag as holiday wrapping paper. They sang and read poems and stories -all with a holiday theme, much like Kindergarten classes everywhere. They created memories. I know my own tree is filled with those precious holiday school crafts and frames. My personal favorites were always the ornaments that came with the child's picture and I touched them fondly and smiled as I hung each one this year now that my kids are grown. You can see some of my favorites below.

One of my new favorite holiday activities this year was found in Cheryl Dillard's classroom. On the last 12 days before the holiday, she hangs a holiday bag for each child with his/her name on it. If the child has a "white" day (which means they don't loose any clips for poor choices) then she adds a small treat to the bag (a piece of candy such as a candy Kiss or miniature candy cane, a small trinket such as a rubber ball, holiday sticker, etc). On the last day each child gets to take home their holiday treat bag!

Finally, school is out for 2007. Children are sent home with visions of sugerplums dancing in the head and teachers are home for a rest! Of course, it is also a time of reflection and planning for the new year... 2008 - here we come!