Christmas Time in the Classroom
By Paul Buckley
Christmas time always puts a little bit of a hop in your step. All of
the carols, food, and lights are hard to ignore and poor spirits are
hard to keep up with all of the merriment in the air. However, as we get
older, it is inevitable that Christmas just does not mean the same thing
to us that it did when we were children. Having children around at
Christmas time is truly magical, and if you are lucky enough to have,
say, a whole classroom full of them, you are bound to be a busy happy
grown up for the Christmas season.
Children’s curiosity and creativity are challenged at this very special
time of year. Most of them are truly enchanted by the mysterious Saint
Nick, and they all want to make something special to give their parents
or grandparents since they obviously don’t have expendable income of
their own just yet. Obviously there are a number projects that you can
do with a classroom of young children around the Christmas season. Some
are more difficult than others, and some require a lot more clean up,
but they are all worthwhile when you see the smile on their proud faces.
For younger children, simple things like placemats and greeting cards
are a great way to give your kindergarteners a special way to say Merry
Christmas to their loved ones. Greeting cards are easy: just get multi-colored
construction paper, glitter, markers, safety scissors, glue sticks and
other small craft supplies, and let the kids go crazy. If you have very
young children, you can write the special messages that they’d like for
them. Placemats are also a great way to engage younger children in a
simple gift that will last a long time. A large piece of construction
paper can be decorated as your student sees fit and then laminated by
you to create a long lasting memory. My father still has the placemat I
made him in kindergarten, nearly twenty years ago.
For older students, more intricate projects like popsicle stick
birdhouse ornaments and origami swans are a little bit more challenging.
Also, by crossing two popsicle sticks and joining them with glue you
have the beginning of a beautiful ornament. Next, give the students a
strand of yarn that they can wrap around each of the four prongs of the
popsicle stick cross one at a time in a clockwise order until the entire
stick are covered in yarn. The winding makes a beautiful pattern,
especially if you give the kids a multi-colored yarn.
Of course there are some things that are classics no matter what age you
are. Paper snowflakes that you can make by simply folding a piece of
paper into quarters and chipping away patterns into the tiny square are
a timeless decoration staple for any classroom. Try switching things up
a little, and have the kids make their Christmas snowflakes out of
multi-colored construction paper. Remember, no two snowflakes are alike.
Paul Buckley has published a website packed full of fascinating and
useful articles, stories and ideas certain to make this you best holiday
season yet. Happy Holidays.
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