WEEKLY REWIND + CHRISTMAS ORNAMENT IDEA

Holy holly berries, y’all!!  This week was IN to the SANE!  Did you feel it too? Since we didn’t get that one week buffer of November before hitting December, the changeover seemed extra crazy this year . . . definitely the quickest week we’ve had all year.  I finally got all of the fall/turkey stuff off of my walls and we made some serious progress in the Christmas department.  The kids were in heaven I tell ya.  It was also report card week. Needless to say, I fell asleep on the couch last night at 7:15.  Thank goodness I generously let my husband pick the movie yesterday . . . the little I caught of Pacific Rim was plenty 🙂

So, after my fancy and rather needless introduction . . . let me get on with it!! Here’s a peek at what we have been up to for the past five days.  {Warning – I am a weekend blogger so these things tend to get LONG.  However, I promise that it’s worth the read – lots of ideas and a few freebies!!}

ONE – GINGERBREAD FUN
We had such fun with oodles gingerbread activities this week.  We stared off with Teaching with Love & Laughter’s freebie Gingerbread Pack {How I Eat A Gingerbread Cookie}.  The kids were in heaven eating those cookies . . . laughing and yellin’ out when they would eat a bite (I was in heaven too)!  We followed up our sweet eats with her corresponding step-by-step writing activity. They loved it . . . thanks Lori 🙂

Told you they were in heaven! They kept running up to show me the part they ate . . . I was crackin’ up!

The following day, I hit ’em with their first in-depth creative write . . . Just Another Day in the Life of a Gingerbread Man.  I asked them to give me three to four sentences.  They came up with the most creative things.

One of my favorites . . . “A gingerbread grl was running to the byootesalon to get pritier.”

My other favorite . . . “He wint to find his grlfrend, bot her a Reding Ring, and she sed yes!”

Finally, we furthered our adjective study with a fun little Adjective Cookies Word Hunt and follow-up Craftivity.  It was perfect for a Friday afternoon.  Next week I’ll hit ’em with adjective cookie center games!

The teamwork was contagious in our room yesterday! Love my sweet babies so much 🙂

For the craft, the kiddos got to select an adjective and design a GB Man that fit that word . . . they had a ball and they look awesome in the window!

“Sad” is dead on this year – love the tear.

“Evil” is classic boy! He even gave me his best impression – This is how he would look if he ran into his Evil GB Man!!

These make me giggle every year!

All of these activities are in my Baking Up Adjectives Pack {creative write, hunt, craftivity, and the center activities}.  It’s priced to NOT break the bank.

TWO – PEPPERMINTS
We introduced compound words this week and what a better way to do this than with PEPPERMINTS??!!  The kiddos picked this up rather quickly as we played games, tackled some paper-pencil practice, and completed a cute as all get out craftivity.  Next week I will toss even more peppermint-flavored center games and independent practice their way!

Compound Connection! A super fun Mix + Mingle Game

Our big buddies helped us with this one! We heart our 7th grade friends 🙂

Uh . . . so stinkin’ cute!

Our new holiday standards-based bulletin board!

These ditties are all part of my We’re Sweet On Compound Words Packet. Again, this is priced for a teacher’s salary . . . oodles of activities for only $4!

THREE – HANUKKAH
I actually did Hanukkah up right this year.  We spent 3 days on this celebration and the kids really loved it.  I combined activities in Rachelle’s amazing Holidays Around the World Packet and Lyndsey’s new It’s A Holiday Globe Trot With Scott Collection.  It was glorious I tell you!  These packets are seriously mind blowing!!!  We even made potato latkes.  Okay, so they were just hash browns with salt and pepper that I smashed together after they were cooked, but the kids absolutely ate it up {nice pun, Dolling}!

An old Mailbox Menorah Craft! Not sure which edition I got this out of – sorry 🙁

What the Teacher Wants thrilled my babes. The adapted Dreidel Game was such a hit in our room (link above)! Thanks Rachelle!!!

Awesome country pages are in Lyndsey’s packet (link above). They were perfect for a center rotation 🙂 This is my new favorite from A Year of Many Firsts!

My attempt at Potato Latkes (school-cookin’ style) I forgot a spatula – so typical. I had to run down the hall and ask teachers in my wing during lunch. Sure, this one was used to paint with at one point, but I was desperate. I washed it real good . . . promise 🙂 #chefdollingstrikesagain

FOUR – WORD PROBLEMS
I had to get the number turkeys off of the wall stat.  So, we rolled with Wrapped Up in Word Problems all week.  It was the perfect warm up to our fact family math lessons this week – it covered all the biggies . . . addition, subtraction, missing addend, and both addends unknown.  The kids did a stellar job and they really “got” what I was dishin’ their way!  When we finished all of the pages, we made it into a little flip book . . . with a present cover!

Crafting it up after all the problems were complete! Just look at that page on her name tag! Swoon – such quality work 🙂

The math board looks so festive! Don’t think I have just 15 kids though – a girl could dream. The rest are on my door 🙂

Common Core Math goodness is hidden inside!

To check out this craft and oodles more just like it, take a look-see at my latest packet … A Common Core Christmas {A Holiday Flavored Math Collection}.

FIVE – PARENT GIFT
I started gettin’ ready to make my annual Christmas parent gift.  I bought all of the junk this week and my mom and her friends are all set to come in to help the kids do this one on Tuesday.  {That’s pretty lucky, huh . . . they are all retired teachers and love to pop in during Christmas time!}  This awesome little ornament is always a mommy and daddy favorite – they always comment on these.  It does take two rounds to complete, but it is pretty inexpensive and the kids always love making them.  I put the free recipe and the step-by-step directions below.  I’m not sure where it originally came from, but I got it from one of my mom’s teachin’ BFFs . . . Thanks Tina 🙂

They love getting to put on the “berries.”

Yikes . . . scary photo Mrs. Dolling! I promise to take a picture of a kid version this year 🙂

CLICK HERE to download this freebie 🙂 Thanks for the cute frame, Tales From Outside the Classroom!

**Have children who don’t celebrate Christmas? Simply switch out the food coloring to a new color and hot glue a magnet on the back 🙂

Alright, if you’re still with me . . . THANKS!  I know this was a doozie of a post, but hopefully you picked up a fun idea or two 🙂  Have a wonderful day.  I am off to drink a cup of tea as this is what we woke up to this AM . . .

SNOW . . . in NorCal 🙂