Christmas Around the World

 
 

     Hey there parents! I hope you are all surviving the craziness of these days leading up to Christmas. I know personally I am so relieved to be finished with this last week of big lesson planning for the next couple of weeks so I can try to really be in the moment with my family. I stoill habe some Christmas shopping to do, house cleaning to get done, and christmas family meals planned and prepped and most importantly figure out the best time to go to Christmas Mass.

      Also, today is my little sister's birthday, so if you are reading this...HAPPY BIRTHDAY! We love you and miss you lots!

   
     This past week we did a huge review week so most all of these activities are repeats of my child's favorite activities from my past weekly themes. You can go back and look more in depth of them in the weekly theme tab to the right.

     Also we are still following the advent nativity activity I shared about in my last weekly theme post about the Many Names of Santa.

    Along with review this week I introduced a littld more geography with my child and researched about some different countrues and how they celebrate Christmas. I showed him pictures of different things I found online from my phone as I explained at his level the different cultures and traditions at a glance.
   
     If you have great ideas for helping young ones get into other cultures in this way please comment. I think I was struggling with a little burn-out this week trying to get lots of things packed into this week...

Monday:U.S.A./Uppercase A-O Review/In-depth Review of Aa-Cc Vocab/Review Numbers 1 & 2
Books:Andy Alligator by Sarah Albee
Curious George Rides A Bike by H. A. Rey
An Early American Christmas by Tomie dePaola

Songs:Prepare the Way, O Zion
Angels We Have Heard On High
Jingle Bells
White Christmas

Activities:
Advent Nativity activity and end prayer time with the hymn Prepare the Way, O Zion

Find all the Uppercase letters A-O that I hung up throughout the house Sunday evening after my kid went to bed.

Review Aa vocab words from a picture dictionary. Play with abacus and put beads in groups of 1 or 2...coumt how many numbers in each group.

Review Bb vocab words. Play with bubbles

Review Cc vocab words. Spend time playing with corn kernals.

Introduce Christmas traditions from U.S.A.. (I suggest starting out any big geopgraphy themed week with your child's home country. It will be the least abstract idea for their minds to work around)

Today is the feast of Our Lady of Loretto. If you read my post about ginger bread houses you would know this activity of building/decorating a ginger bread house did not go as planned, but maybe next year.

Tuesday:Argentina/Number 1-10 review/In-depth Dd-Ff Vocab Review/Review Numbers 3 & 4 
Books:Pooh and the Dragon by Ann Braybrooks
Green Eggs and Hamby Dr. Seuss
I Love You Stinky Face by Lisa McCourt

Songs: Down In Yon Forest
Drummer Boy
Oh Come Oh Come Emmanuel
Feliz Navidad

Activities:
Advent Nativity Prayer Activity and finish with Down In Yon Forest

Draw on pieces of paper groups of different shapes to represent numbers 1-10. Help child match up the right group to its matching written symbol. Count the shapes put loud together as you go along

Review Dd vocab words and play with play dough

Review Ee vocab words and do some exercises together. My son and I worked out in our own ways to one of my zumba dvds

Review Ff vocab words and play with finger paint

Intro about Argentinian Christmas. Since the Pope is from Argentina I thought it would be interesting to learn about his country's traditions.

Wednesday: Mexico/Lowercase a-o Review/ In-depth Gg-Ii Vocab Review/ Numbers 5 & 6 Review
Books: How The Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss
The Cat In the Hat by Dr. Seuss

Songs:Oh Savior Rend the Heavens Wide
You're A Mean One, Mr. Grinch
Deck the Halls
I'll Be Home for Christmas

Activities:
Advent Nativity Prayer and end with the hymn oh Savior Rend the Heavens Wide

Find the lowercase letters a-o that were hung up next to their matching uppercase letters

Review Gg vocab words and play with our gears

Review Hh vocab words and play with the play people and houses

Review Ii vocabulary and play with the toy insects in the dry rice

Intro Mexican Christmas traditions. Since it is the feast of Our Lady of Guadelupe I found this appropriate.

Thursday:Italy/In-depth Review of Jj-Ll Vocab
Books: Jonah and the Big Fish by The Clever Factory
Peekaboo Kisses by Barney Saltzberg
Chicken Little by George Bridge

Songs: Comfort Comfort Ye My People
Joy to the World
I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
Little St. Nick

Activities:
Advent Nativity Prayer. End with the hymn Comfort Comfort Ye My People

Review Jj vocab words and work on some jigsaw puzzles

Review Kk vocan words and play in the kitchen sink

Review Ll words and climb on the home step ladder

Intro Italian Christmas traditions. Today is St. Lucy's feast day so I thought it was a good countrt for today. Drive around looking at Christmas light displays.

Friday:Aa-Oo Vocan Review/in-depth review of Mm-Oo vocab/Germany
Books: I Love You, Little Monkey by Alan Durant
The Nose Book by Al Perkins
Ouch! Moments by Michael Genhart

Songs: Hark! A Thrilling Voice
Away In A Manger
Silent Night
O Holy Night

Activities:

Advent Nativity Prayer and end with the hymn Hark! A Thrilling Voice

Review all of my kid's Aa-Oo vocab coloring pages and work together to match them up with the right letters hanging up in the house.

Review Mm vocab words and play with magnets

Review Nn vocab words and play with sime noodles

Review Oo words and play with oatmeal

Intro Germanic Christmas Traditions.