Tag Archives: Christmas

Christmas Resource Roundup!

This will be my twenty-first December of teaching Christmas related lessons!  Quite a few of those have been with online resources.  Here’s the roundup of my Christmas themed resource and idea blog posts (all have been recently checked and updated!)

Here’s a free printable of the “Holiday” related list of December’s Special Days                   CHRISTMAS THEMED SPECIAL DAYS

This is my collection of Advent and Christmas Countdown, cross curricular resources from a few  years ago.  These made everyday until Christmas even more special     https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2013/12/06/countdown-to-christmas/

And another cross curricular Christmas Countdown and Advent Resource List     https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2014/12/06/learning-christmas-with-countdowns/

We have learned about Christmas traditions from around the world.  It was an awesome study!  We used these resources –                                                                    https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/?s=melting+pot

Christmas Sciences!  Here’s a fantastic collection of Science resources to add to your Christmas learning!                                                 https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2013/12/13/how-holidays-are-made-and-other-christmas-science-lessons/

Christmas Break Fun –  Collection of Christmas themed online games and unplugged activities   https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2013/12/20/christmas-break-fun/

How about a research project about Elves?              https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2015/12/11/questioning-elves/

Hanukkah Activities and Resources   https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2017/12/12/hanukkah-oh-hanukkah/

Need some holiday humor?  I’ve got that too!

https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2017/12/11/homeschool-humor-the-almost-christmas-break-edition/

https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2017/12/18/homeschool-humor-the-christmas-break-edition/

https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2017/12/18/homeschool-humor-the-christmas-break-edition/

Merry Teaching and Learning!

betty jo

Learning Resources For Special Days In December

December has such wonderful learning opportunities.  Here’s a helpful resource list for learning from the December calendar.  And, check back often throughout the month for updates, edits, and more resources!

BIG List of holidays, birthdays, themes, and historic dates for December https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2020/11/29/special-days-in-december/

Free Printable  –  Special Days in December

My favorite calendar based learning resources for any month   https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2016/07/31/learning-resources-for-special-days/

This will be my twentieth December of teaching Christmas related lessons!  Here’s my collection of Christmas Resource Lists!                      https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2018/12/01/christmas-resource-roundup/?fbclid=IwAR1gf3z8qw3cfnsTW8iXnDn0b40RdnQHWQ_nAHRdm8oGDhcQScArL0N8pFM

President’s with birthdays in December

  • Dec. 5 – Martin Van Buren born 1782
  • Dec. 28 – Woodrow Wilson born 1856
  • Dec. 29 – Andrew Johnson born 1808

Resources for all Presidents –  https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2014/02/14/resources-for-presidents-day/

December Statehood Anniversaries and Country Independence Days:

  • Illinois – Dec. 3, 1818
  • Finland Independence – Dec. 6, 1917
  • Delaware – Dec. 7. 1787
  • Tanzania Independence – Dec. 9, 1961
  • Mississippi – Dec. 10, 1817
  • Indiana – Dec. 11, 1816
  • Republic of Upper Volta Independence – Dec. 11,1958
  • Kenya Independence Day – Dec. 12, 1963
  • Pennsylvania – Dec. 12, 1787
  • Alabama – Dec. 14, 1819
  • New Jersey – Dec. 18, 1787
  • Nepal Independence – Dec. 21, 1923
  • Libya Independence – Dec. 24, 1951
  • Iowa – Dec. 28, 1846
  • Texas – Dec. 29, 1845

Geography Resources  –                                     https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2017/07/29/special-days-and-geography/

December’s Daily Specials

Dec. 1  –  Cookie Cutter Day  –  Craft Projects                                           https://www.redtedart.com/cookie-cutter-craft-ideas/

Dec. 2 – Missionary Mary Slessor born 1848 – Find a biography suitable for most any reading level  http://www.wholesomewords.org/biography/biorpslessor.html

Dec. 2 – CT Studd born 1860  Pick one of these biographies to read  http://www.wholesomewords.org/biography/biorpstudd.html

Dec. 3  –  Galileo invented the Telescope 1621 –  Galileo Resources   https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2013/04/25/galileo/

Dec. 4  –  World Wildlife Conservation Day  –  Endangered Species Index   https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/directory

Dec. 5  –  Bubblegum Day  –  Resource and Project List   http://www.franw.com/2011/09/bubblegum.html

Dec. 6 – Mitten Tree Day – Video story                                                     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0EODSI1vGOA&list=RD0EODSI1vGOA&index=1

Then donate a pair of gently used or new mittens to a clothing charity.  Also, if you have any mixed matched mittens, (I know we do),  don’t toss them, use them for these cute mitten puppets  http://craftsbyamanda.com/2014/03/easy-mitten-puppets.html

Dec. 6 – St. Nicholas Day  –  Biography, Traditions, Games, and Stories  http://www.stnicholascenter.org/pages/home/

Dec. 7 – Letter Writing Day – How to Write Christmas Letters and Printables  http://www.blessedbeyondadoubt.com/write-christmas-letters-free-templates/

Dec. 7 – Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day 1941 —  Lesson Plans and Classroom Activities   http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/calendar-activities/pearl-harbor-attacked-japanese-20363.html

Dec. 7  –  Sculptor/Artist Marie Grosholtz Tussand born 1761  –  Museum Website with a peak at “What’s Inside”                                                                     https://www.madametussauds.com/london/en/

Dec. 8  –  First Greeting Card printed 1843  –  The History of Christmas Cards             https://www.whychristmas.com/customs/cards.shtml

Dec. 8  –  Pretend to be a Time Traveler Day  –  Creative Writing Assignment                 https://layers-of-learning.com/more-creative-writing-time-travel-style/

Dec.9 –  Debut of A Charlie Brown Christmas 1965 – “Peanuts” Learning Resources and Activities  https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2014/10/02/peanuts/

Dec. 9 – Petrified Forest National Park established 1962 –  http://www.nps.gov/pefo/index.htm

Dec. 10  –

Dec. 11 – Northern Lights Recorded for First Time 1719 –  http://www.kidsastronomy.com/Aurora_article.php

Dec. 12  –  Ginger Bread House Day  –  Resources and Activities   http://www.franw.com/2017/12/gingerbread-activities.html

Dec. 12  –  Hot Cocoa Day  –  Recipe and Projects       http://www.franw.com/2013/12/homemade-hot-cocoa-mix.html

Dec. 12 – Poinsettia Day –  Resources and Activities            http://www.franw.com/2017/12/poinsettia-resource-page.html

Dec. 13 – Ice Cream Day – Resources, Activities, and Recipes – http://www.franw.com/2011/07/ice-cream.html

Dec. 13  –  Santa Lucia Day  –  Origins and Traditions  https://www.whychristmas.com/cultures/sweden.shtml

Dec. 14 – Christmas Bird Count Week begins – Resources and Activities – http://www.franw.com/2014/03/bird-watching-activities.html

Dec. 16 – Missionary Amy Carmichael born 1867 – Learning ideas and resources  http://www.playeatgrow.com/2012/05/grow-amy-carmichael-may-missionary.html/

Dec. 17 – Missionary Isobel Kuhn   Read a short biography about her http://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/timeline/1901-2000/the-kuhns-rainy-season-bible-school-11630767.html

Dec. 31 –  New Year’s Eve  –  https://stilllearningsomethingnew.com/2016/01/01/new-years-resources/

My apologies for not having a quick resource for the other special days in December, but we take our winter break before Christmas and continue it through New Year’s Day.

betty jo

Questioning Elves

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Once again it started with a simple question, , “How did elves end up in Christmas traditions?”  And so the research began!  Below are the online resources and activities we linked to as we discovered the origins, lore, secrets, and magic of elves.

Elves make appearances in Norse mythology, Shakespeare, and Tolkien. Those tell of elves in forests, but not at the North Pole helping Santa!  Elf Origins and History – http://www.livescience.com/39689-history-of-elves.html

After hundreds of years of elves being a part of Germanic paganism, the beliefs carried over to the Scandinavian people.  “The perception of gnomes largely depended on whether a person was naughty or nice”  Read more about it here and find out how by the mid 1800’s elves had made a place in our Christmas traditions  http://www.theholidayspot.com/christmas/history/elves.htm

To keep our elf studies in the proper perspective – http://www.christianity.com/christian-life/christmas/how-you-can-have-genuine-joy-and-hope-this-christmas.html

Leadership lessons from one of our favorite Christmas movies, Elf  https://dculberh.wordpress.com/2013/12/23/five-leadership-lessons-from-elf/

Several Elf Documentary (?) Videos –   http://www.santatelevision.com/?s=elves

Listen to The Elves and the Shoemaker  http://www.storynory.com/2007/12/16/the-elves-and-the-shoemaker/

Christmas Elf Jokes, Mischief, and Ideas –  http://www.elfcrazy.com/christmas-elf-jokes-for-kids/

My friend, Fran, has some fun elf ideas  – http://www.franw.com/2011/12/santas-elves.html

Elf Pal Academy offers themed activities that can be fun and educational  (several resources here for my younger boys)  http://www.northpole.com/Academy/

“Elf on the Shelf”? No, but We’re enjoying looking at social media photos of the creative things parents are doing.  However, as we wrap up (pun intended) our Christmas studies, we used a few of these suggestions for “Kindness Elf” activities.  http://www.theeducatorsspinonit.com/2013/12/kindness-elves-free-printables-for-busy.html

With all of the added activities, caroling, parties, crafts, baking, shopping, and decorating of the season, we have certainly been as busy as elves!

Elves ended up being an unexpected but appropriate, interesting, and fun study to close out our homeschooling semester.

Merry Learning!

betty jo

 

 

 

 

Special Days in December, 2015

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Click here for Special Days in December updated for 2019

 

 

 

Learning Christmas with Countdowns

countdownfull_thumb%255B1%255DAre you extra busy this time of year?  We are!  Our calendar is filled with Christmas program rehearsals, a holiday workshop, caroling, and parties.  We’re decorating, crafting and baking.  And of course, there’s light displays to drive by, extra shopping, and gifts to wrap and deliver.  Oh yeah, there’s homeschool lessons, too.

Not only are we counting the days down until Christmas, we’re counting the days left in our semester.  I know some homeschooling families that take off the month of December, as nice as that sounds, it isn’t for us. We keep on learning through December, and we have about two more weeks of homeschooling before we’ll be ready for a break .   However, with the added busy-ness, regular lessons won’t give us the time we need to pursue the activities that make this time of year so special.

Below are  the online links to Advent and Christmas countdowns that we are using for quick lessons that are helping us check off our daily subjects.  Not only have the kids been liking these (probably because it’s extra computer time and the studies are short), I like them too.  It’s wonderful to have a break in lesson planning and to devote my “teacher time” to all the activities December brings.  It’s fun knowing that we have surprises waiting for us to learn about each morning.  And since these resources are brief, we have the afternoons for all those extras.

For Bible references and a little related trivia each day until Christmas – http://www.jamtrust.org/resources/adventcalendar/AdventCalendar.html

Learn Something “Christmassy” every day for 25 days  –  http://www.whychristmas.com/adventcalendar/

Countdown with Math –  secondary grade levels (6-12)  –  http://nrich.maths.org/11330

Countdown with Math – primary grade levels (1-5)  –  http://nrich.maths.org/11078

For Science, a Chemistry Countdown  –  http://www.compoundchem.com/2014advent/

Unlock a New Game Each Day Until Christmas  – http://www.santagames.net/calendar/index.htm

World Geography and Cultures  – Read about Christmas traditions around the world  (We used this as a study link last year and it’s great!)  –  http://projectbritain.com/Xmas/calendar/index.html

Liverpool Museum has a historic display to share each day – http://www.liverpoolmuseums.org.uk/christmas/advent/

For even more Christmas Advent and Countdown resources

I hope you enjoy your final learning days until the holiday break.  I wish you Merry Homeschooling!

betty jo