For those of you who read my November blog post... it was a cliffhanger, I know. I'm sure all of you have been on the edge of your seats all holiday season, just waiting for me to post the rest of the Holidays Around the World activities. Well, my friends, your wish is about to come true! Hehe...
I believe I ended with telling you about the passport applications and decorating our suitcases. The good news is everyone's passport applications were approved and passports were distributed shortly after (I'm not sure how this happened, but I did not get a picture of these... I'm so sad about that because they came out really cute!). The kids took their passports and suitcases with them to all the different places that they travelled. And let me tell you... these kids are well travelled!! We visited Canada, Africa, India, Mexico, Isreal, Germany, Holland, Italy, and Australia. We had a blast!! In each country the kiddos found that place on the map of the world, which was on the back of their suitcase, got a stamp on their passport, learned about the holiday that is celebrated there, and did some sort of activity based on that holiday. Our bulletin board quickly began to collect different crafts that were made in different countries. Take a look!
There is a string leading from the craft to the place on the map that the craft represents. You can see the stockings from America, the broom from Italy (represents La Befana, the magical witch that drops gifts in the children's shoes), the poinsettia from Mexico, the windmills from Holland, the handprint menorahs from Isreal, and the Kwanzaa mat from Africa. We had a special Holidays Around the World Day, where all the first grade classes rotated from classroom to classroom, or should I say country to country. Mrs. Bowker's classroom was Holland and the students made the windmill (pictured above), Mrs. Fernau's class was Isreal and the students made a Star of David (not pictured), Mrs. Gilgallon's class was India and the students made a Diwali clay candle (not pictured), and my classroom was Mexico where the students made the poinsettia flower (pictured above). It was a fun and busy day! One of my favorite places to talk about is Australia. The kids were so interested to learn that Christmas is during the summertime in Australia. They wrote about what they would do if their Christmas was in the summer. Ironically, this year the weather was not too far off from being summertime weather! I think it's as close as we will ever get... what a great real life experience! :)
I love how the kiddos wrote about going to the beach, going swimming, building sand-men, and making sand-angels. How clever!
We also had a great time during our parent- led craft day. Four of our fabulous parents came in with all the supplies and directions needed for their crafts. It was obvious that a lot of time and energy went into planning, and we really appreciate it. They were all so different, and I just love the way that they all turned out.
They made Christmas Tree ornaments with Alex's mom.
They made Holiday tile coasters with Paige's mom.
They made little reindeer with Lydia's dad.
They made beaded snowflakes with Leal's mom.
Don't you love the way they all turned out?! This is one of my favorite days. It's so nice to have the parents in and I am always so impressed with their creative ideas!
Another one of my favorite things to do in December is helping the kids apply to be an elf. They fill out their application (fingerprints and all... so Santa knows it's really us!), write a cover letter, and make their little elf people. Of course, I only send the applications and cover letters of the children who REALLY DO want to be an elf. After all, it is a tough job! You have to go to school all day, and then head to the North Pole at night to help Santa make toys. I tell them it is very rewarding and lots of fun. You get to eat milk and cookies, listen to Christmas music, hang out with cheerful people, and be Santa's eyes and ears during the school day! But in the end, it is their choice. Look at our elf applications and our adorable elves. I wonder if anyone was chosen this year! I have to say, the letters were very persuasive! Be sure to click on the pictures so you can read these letters!
On the last day, before the holiday vacation, we took part in our annual sing-along. As always, it was a great time filled with laughter, singing, and overall excitement. The first graders did a great job singing Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer. I'm sure you can feel the excitement in this photo... and aren't their little reindeer hats adorable?
I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday with your family. My little elf, Clark, sure loved his first Christmas!
