[JoannB]

Okay, ladies. Generally, I have no problems with these kinds of things, but I'm drawing a blank here.

My DH signed me up (well, he said he'd do it... but, we all know who is REALLY going to do this) for a thing in my DD's 5th grade class. The idea is to read the kids a Christmas book (such as "Polar Express" -- but I can't choose that one, it's already been taken) and then do an activity with the kids -- something to do with the book.

Ack! I don't know very many great Christmas books for kids - I am going to go to the Bookstore one of these days and peruse Children's Christmas books, but until then...

HELP!

The books that have already been chosen are: "Readheaded Robbie's Christmas Story", "I wish to be a Christmas Tree", "Jolly Postman's Christmas" and "The Polar Express."

Any ideas? You guys are so creative -- and I couldn't start this project without enlisting your help. My DD thinks that "Mooseltoe" would be a fun book to do, I'm just at a blank for an activity that will go with it.

Thanks!!

[KBT]

Our new favorite is The Elf on the Shelf. It is great! You could then make elves or elf ornaments or take pictures of the kids and make them into elves...

What a fun project

[Shelbi]

One of my favorites is
A wish for wings that work an opus Christmas story By Berkley Breathed
You can get it at Amazon.

Give me a minute to think of a crafty thing.....
Um "what gifts did got give you"?

[JoannB]

Oh, fabulous -- thanks for responding! I'm going to look up both of those books! Any other ideas? Thanks Kim & Michelle for responding! I'm heading to the book store tomorrow, for sure, to check those out.

[angelaNussbaum]

This one is a family favorite : Snowmen at christmas, by Caralyn Buehner

Lots of fun in that book. you could do anything from making snowmen, to making cocoa, decorating a cookie, to making a "carol" book ... lots!

(there is another version that is just as cute.. Snowmen at night
and while its not exactly christmas, it does celebrate winter... )

hope that helps ya

i'll think of some others... i pack the xmas books away and i havnt pulled them out.


Oh a fun one.. "i know an old lady who swallowed a bell" Very cute... not sure on craft... maybe a bell thing? but that might be like polar expres.. hmm...

Angela

[angelaNussbaum]

Mooseltoo... you could make those.. umm.. raindeer candy cane things? but call them moose canes?


here is a moose food craft: edible christmas moose

or for the glop maybe the teacher will let you do a science experiment and you could make some goo: Here is a recipe for silly putty
Silly Putty

2 parts white glue
1 part liquid startch
small mixing bowl
- Combine glue and startch in bowl , mix well. Let dry until putty is workable (couple of minutes, you could read the story again?). You may have to add a bit more glue or starch.

[angelaNussbaum]

oooh this is cool.. you can make them "pretend to be" moose's.. meese? .. whatever

Candy cane reideer (martha stewart!)

[KellyChron]

So I went browsing around Barnes & Nobel.com and saw a few that looked cool...

Mrs. Claus Explains It All by Christi Love (answers questions real kids have asked about Santa... including what Santa's favorite cookie is)

Jingle Bells, Homework Smells by Diane deGroat (finds other things to do instead of doing his homework... )

The Lump of Coal by Lemony Snicket *you could do some charcoal drawings

[sarabethp]

These sound like such fun books. I'm going to have to get more Christmas books around here. All we ever read or watch at Christmas time is Polar Express. (I don't let the boys watch it between New Year's and Halloween and I hide the book during that time too LOL)

[ChristinaP]

What if you found a Reindeer book (Olive the other Reindeer) and had the kids mix up some reindeer food you could make a really pretty (digi scrapped of course!) label with the poem on it.

[Reyn]

For a teaching assignment during college (the group was 2nd grade) I read a book can't remember the book something gingerbread and we did a gingerbread glyph. The school I was assigned to had a large population of at-risk kids and MANY of them came to school hungry every day. So I bought gingerbread cookies (Little Debbie Cakes) and milk for a morning snack. I wish I had time to have made them from scratch. It went over very well.

Go to www.abcteach.com or www.lessonplans.com and search there. They have so many great book ideas with crafts. You may have to sift through several to find something you are interested in.

* A glyph is like a coloring sheet that has directions say if you like peppermint color the eyes blue, if not color them green. Can be adapted from coloring to glueing to painting to whatever you want to do with it.

[JoannB]

You ladies are FABULOUS!!! These ideas are knocking my socks off! I knew I could count on you all to come up with some wonderful ideas -- thank you thank you thank you!!!

I'm so excited! I don't know which idea to choose! I'm loving them all!

[KBT]

I totally forgot about the Snowmen at night books- I think they are embeded I spy types of books as well! We have them both and haven't dragged them out since last winter! Those are fun ones!