The Christmas season has officially begun and we have a lot to do to get ready for all the festivities we have planned. This week we light the first candle of the Advent Wreath, the candle of peace. We reflect on the gift of peace that Christmas brings us and we get ready for Christ’s coming into the world on Christmas Day.
Jj is for Jesus! We will explore letter Jj this week as we prepare for Christmas. We will also explore a number of holiday traditions in our classroom this upcoming week. We will learn more about the holiday tradition of Christmas cookie making with a special unit of study themed around the classic Christmas cookie character, the gingerbread man. We will read stories, create math patterns, build ten frames, sing songs and create art inspired by the tale of the gingerbread man. We will also explore an author study of Jan Brett and her “Gingerbread Baby” book series. On Wednesday, we will have a special gingerbread cookie decorating party. Donations and volunteers are welcome!
Another holiday tradition we will celebrate in our classroom is our friend, Elfie. Elfie, the Christmas “Elf on a Shelf” has returned from the North Pole to spread Christmas joy (and some Christmas mischief too) in our classroom this Advent season. He will be reporting back to Santa each night and possibly even bringing back some North Pole souvenirs to share with the children.
Our classroom needs to be decorated to get ready for Jesus’ birthday on Christmas. We will decorate our classroom in holiday decor, create ornaments and have a special tree decorating / lighting party on Friday – St. Nicholas’ Day. We will explore the legend of the real Santa Claus and receive gifts from St. Nick to remind us of Jesus’ love for us.
We are looking forward to a fun week exploring holiday traditions and beginning our celebration of the season of Advent!