Christmas for Early Years Part 2 Jan Homden Consilium Education 1/12/2015
Sing Along with songs from: Join in with this great selection of Christmas songs just so suitable for children in Early Years. Catchy tunes with colourful, animated visuals, and the children can follow the words to the song on the screen. Click on the pictures to follow the links The Christmas Tree Song Sing along as you help to decorate the Christmas tree. The Dancing Christmas Tree Song the children will enjoy singing along and following the actions as they dance to this song. The Santa Claus Song We all love you Santa Claus. 1 P a g e
Santa Claus Song 2 Santa is just a regular guy.. maybe But then he teaches reindeer to fly! Jingle Bells the children will enjoy singing along with this version. Santa's on his Way Just in case the children were worried Santa wouldn t make it no chimney - don t worry, Santa is a magic man! Rudolph and the Snowman Merry Christmas everyone! 2 P a g e
Ideas for the Tuff Spot, Sand and Water Trays Make instant snow. Add water to this powder and watch it grow. 100g pot - makes over 7.5 litres. Create tactile, non-toxic, fluffy snow that even feels cold for small world play. Add plastic Arctic creatures and an igloo or two! For ages 4yrs+. Or make Frozen Foam Dough click on the picture below to follow the link to Kimberly at natural beach living. You need - 12 oz box of corn starch, 10 oz bottle of shaving cream. Mix it up gently and put it in the freezer for a few hours until it sets. Make sugar cube dens. Empty several boxes of sugar cubes into the tuff spot and add 3 large pairs of plastic tweezers. Children have to only use the tweezers (no hands) to lift the sugar cubes and try to stack them to build dens for the polar bears! 3 P a g e
Spray shaving foam into the tuff spot and leave a tray of items the children could use for mark making or making tracks. To extend the shaving foam play - I loved this idea from: Brisbane Kids click on the picture below to follow the link What could be more fun than two wonderful textures and temperatures than ice and shaving cream? In a container add food colouring to water and give it a stir. Pour the coloured water into an ice tray. Place in the freezer until frozen. Pop out the ice cubes into the shaving cream and let the fun begin as the coloured ice begins to melt. In the Water Tray defrost ice balloons Pour water into balloons and leave in the freezer overnight - (add food colouring to the water for different coloured ice balloons) 4 P a g e
How does the ice feel? Write the children s suggestions on icebergs cut from paper/card to display near the writing table. What will happen to the ice if we leave it in the tray? To extend the play add Arctic creatures to the water before freezing and have the children rescue them using various utensils. Click on the picture to follow the link to Jen s blog where she created a frozen ocean. Children used coloured water and coloured salt to aid the defrosting of the ocean. Fill old glue bottles with water and add a drop or two of food colouring Make coloured salt (shake 2 tablespoons salt and one or two drops of liquid food colouring in a jar or bag). Children experiment with the water and salt to defrost the frozen ocean and then use the spoons and plastic tweezers to rescue the animals. Socks in the Sand Tray Add some festive socks to the sand tray along with different sized spoons and pegs. Leave a set of bucket scales nearby. Children have to use the spoons to fill their sock with sand, secure the top with a peg and weigh it. Who has the heaviest sock? Who has the lightest sock? 5 P a g e
Bucket scales Festive pegs Different sized spoons Sparkles in the sand tray Empty out the sand and instead add bags of salt to the sand tray. Into the salt add festive sequins, sparkles, jewels and leave several sieves and scoops. Children have to scoop and sieve to find their treasure. Festive sparkles Make sandy Christmas Cakes or Mince Pies for Santa! 6 P a g e
Add plastic mixing bowls, scoops, whisks, assorted baking tins to the sand tray and leave containers of e.g. buttons, pasta, dried beans/lentils and shells so the children can add ingredients to their cake or use the buttons, shells, etc. for decoration. Make Reindeer Food to sprinkle on the lawn Sprinkle on the lawn at night The moon will make it sparkle bright Santa s reindeer fly and roam This will guide them to your home Click on the Reindeer Food images to follow the links for recipes from Kidspot and That s Country Living 7 P a g e
Get the children to help you to scatter the ingredients into an empty sand tray. Leave spoons and small zip lock bags or little jars so they can stir the ingredients and fill their bag or jar. On the writing table leave copies of the poem which the children have to cut out, then punch a hole in the corner (using a single hole punch), decorate and tie on with ribbon to their jar or staple on to their bag. A Present for your children to give to their parents EASY CHOCOLATE TRUFFLES AND/OR EASY CHOCOLATE BRITTLE Make a selection of truffles or chocolate brittle with your class. Perhaps some parents might like to help with this. Easy recipes from Kids craft room and Homemade gifts made easy. Click on the truffles or chocolate brittle to follow the links. After a night in the fridge pop the truffles or chocolate brittle into clear or festive cellophane bags and tie with twine or ribbon. Children could also make a festive label to thread onto the ribbon. I loved these novel tag ideas from: https://www.pinterest.com/ragenrat/christmas-gift-tags/ 8 P a g e
Frosty the Snowman Tag Candy Cane Gift Tags A very personal card for each child to make For more ideas have a look at: https://www.pinterest.com/explore/kidschristmas-cards/ With love from your special reindeer! Happy Holidays! Mount each child s photograph on either red or green card. The children cut out and glue on their handprints for antlers and glue a circle of red card on to their nose. Inside they write their own message. A happy snowman card for the very young to create from cotton wool and felt. Decorate with shiny stars or snowflakes. Found on littleilluminations.blogspot.co.uk or Found on kidsplayandcreate.com 9 P a g e
Continuing the button theme from last month I loved this idea from AWorkofHeartSA.etsy.com The children could make their own smaller version from corrugated card to hang on their bedroom door. Pre-cut the card and using the smooth side children glue on buttons with craft glue. Or, as a holiday activity the children could help Mum or Dad to make the Button Adorned Christmas Tree (as shown) to hang on their front door. Click on the picture to follow the link Another holiday activity found on: funcraftskids.com Wrap up warm and take the family for a walk in the woods to collect the sticks to make this special Christmas Tree to hang on your wall. The children can order the sticks (shortest longest). Join the sticks with festive string then use a glue gun to fasten baubles, ribbon, stars, etc. Children will enjoy sorting through the Christmas decorations to find suitable trinkets! Click on the picture to follow the link 10 P a g e
A Christmas Poem by Ken Nesbitt Dear Santa, this Christmas my list is quite small. In fact, I need practically nothing at all. My list is so short and so easy to read because there's just one thing I actually need. A reindeer for Christmas is all I require; a reindeer, of course, who's an excellent flier. I really don't care if it's Dasher or Dancer. I'm okay with Cupid or Comet or Prancer. Please don't think I'm greedy; I only want one. You won't even miss him, and I'll have such fun. I promise I'll feed him and treat him just right, and take him out flying around every night. You see, I'm not selfish. So, for my surprise this Christmas, please bring me a reindeer that flies. But if my request is a bit much for you, I guess that an ipod will just have to do. Wishing everyone a very Happy Holiday. With all best wishes for Christmas and the New Year. Jan 11 P a g e