Christmas Listening

While watching Santa Buddies last night, I got a great idea for a fun Christmas listening activity for Brooke that I think all my children will enjoy. In the movie, Santa said, "Ho, Ho, Go!" Kate noticed it and repeated it since she thought it was funny. And my idea was born. I'll take common Christmas phrases and change one phoneme (sound) and have Brooke listen and then repeat what I said "wrong."
objective:
a. listen for beginning consonant sounds
b. recognize common Christmas phrases

Points to Remember:
1. Create a list of phrases before you begin this activity. It is hard to think of them as your playing but easy to think of them before. Make sure the phrases are familiar to your child. Don't use mistletoe if your child has never heard the word before.
2. Blends are often hard to hear....try not to change the blends. For example, in the phrase "Little Drummer Boy" don't change the /dr/ sound. Change the /l/ in little or the /b/ in boy instead.

Lesson:
1. Say, "We wish you a fairy Christmas"
2. Your child will say, "Not fairy, it should be Merry
3. Say, "Rudolph the bed-nosed reindeer"
4. You child will say, "Not bed- nosed, it's red-nosed."
5. Continue to play with other phrases and even re-use some phrases by changing a different phoneme

Modifications:
1. Try changing ending consonant sounds
2. If your child enjoys the game, change more than one phoneme and see if she can find both changes.

Phrases:
Christmas lights
Advent calendar
Christmas tree
Santa Claus is coming to town
silent night
ho ho ho
candy cane
gold, frankincense and myrrh
baby, it's cold outside
I'm dreaming of a white Christmas
Frosty the snowman
We wish you a merry Christmas
Here comes Santa Claus
Jingle Bells
Polar Express
hot, hot hot chocolate
let is snow
deck the halls
have a holly jolly Christmas
Happy birthday Jesus
away in a manger
have yourself a merry little Christmas
joy to the world
the wise men travelled far
run run as fast as you can, you can't catch me I'm the gingerbread man
snowflake

Day 20

Day 20

Today we read Little Drummer Boy by Ezra Jack Keats

In the book, the little drummer boy has no money to buy a gift for Baby Jesus so he plays his best song for Jesus. We talked about the "best" gifts we could give Baby Jesus. I was hoping to get a song, dance, or guitar solo from my kids but ended up with a Taggie, sleepy bear, and all of Jake's stuffed animals. To a child, those are precious gifts!

We turned on the Little Drummer Boy song from the ipod and marched and sang.

Day 19

Day 19

A few years ago, I began keeping a separate Christmas tree as our "Jesus tree". We have our typical Christmas pine tree with all sorts of keepsake ornaments from a swimsuit Santa to a happy tooth!

But I wanted to keep a special tree that allowed our family to focus on the real meaning of Christmas - Jesus' birth. So, I use a wire tree to hang ornaments of Jesus' birth. The tree sits in the entryway of our home. We see it every time we go up or down the stairs and guests see it as soon as they enter our home.

Here are a few of the special ornaments that hang on the tree:

I purchase a new ornament every year and I would love to have enough ornaments to decorate our entire real Christmas tree one day!

Today as part of our Christmas Advent activities, we will talk about why these ornaments are so special!

Day 18 - Christmas Advent

Day 18

I found my girls acting out the Christmas story this morning. I heard someone yelling: "Baby Jesus get over here!" and went to find out what was happening!

Brooke is Mary, Kate is Joseph and Tex is Baby Jesus. They even filled a wagon with presents for Baby Jesus!

Day 17 - Christmas Advent

Day 17

Today we had candy canes in our Christmas Advent calendar. We read the book, The Legend of the Candy Cane by Lori Walburg.

Then we played with red, peppermint playdough. you can find my playdough recipe here. Add some red food coloring and peppermint extract.

Day 16 - Christmas Advent

Day 16
Today we read the books we made!

It is wonderful to hear your children read (or make-up by the pictures read) the real Christmas story!

Day 15 - Christmas Advent

Day 15

Read 1 John 4:9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

How do we know that God loves us? Discuss how Jesus' birth was how God showed his love for us. God gave us Jesus at Christmas because God loved us so much; what can you give God for Christmas?
These are my children's answers:
Jake: my sins (which I think is a really good answer)
Brooke: gold (I'm glad she has been listening to the Christmas story)
Kate: my Taggie (her prized possession)

We talked about how we could God our hearts at Christmas since what God really wants is for us to live in heaven with him.

Read The Tale of Three Trees

Day 14

Day 14

Read Matthew 2:13-23 about Angry King Herod trying to kill baby Jesus.

Make a page of the Nativity book: King Herold tried to kill baby Jesus. God protected Jesus
Read A Star so Bright: A Christmas Tale

Day 13 - Christmas Advent

Day 13

Read Matthew 2:1-12: The Visit of the Magi

Make a page for your book: "The Wise Men came to bring gifts to Jesus."

Read The Visit of the Wise Men by Martha Jander

Day 12 - Christmas Advent

Read Luke 2: 21-38

Make the name Jesus with glitter!

Read Sing, Glory, Glory! Jesus is Born by Gail Pawlitz and Santa, Are you For Real? by Harold Myra

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Day 11 - Christmas Advent

Matthew 2:1-12

Make a page for your child's book. The page reads, "A big star shown over the stable." The kids used red, orange, and yellow tissue paper squares to decorate the star.

Read and listen to the CD of Follow the Star by Rachel W. N. Brown

Day 10 - Christmas Advent

Day 10

Read Luke 2:8-20 about the Shepherds in the field

Make a lamb with a hand print, cotton balls and google-eyes. The page reads "Angles told the shepherds, "Jesus is born! You will find him lying in a manger."


Read God Gave Us Christmas by Lisa T Bergen

Day 9 -Christmas Advent

December 9

Read Luke 2: 6-7

Make page 6 of the book: A stable, manger, animals, Jesus that reads “ Baby Jesus was born in a stable."

Read The Nativity by Jule Vivas. The artwork was a little weird (and graphic) so we probably will not read this one again! :)

Day 8 -Christmas Advent

Day 8 - Christmas Advent

Read Luke 2:6-7

Make a nativity using toast, peanut butter, graham cracker, marshmallows as a snack today

The marshmellow is baby Jesus wrapped in a blanket and the pretzels are the stable!

Make page 5 of your child's book: The page reads” There was no room at the inn”

Read This is the Stable by Cynthia Cotten

Day 7 -Christmas Advent

Day 7 - Christmas Advent

Read Luke 2:15
Discuss how Mary and Joseph probably had a 4-6 day journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem (by foot, on a donkey, or by being pulled in a cart) in order to be counted in the census. What might this have been like for Mary since she was so close to giving birth to Jesus?

Make page 3: Donkey picture that reads: Mary and Joseph had to travel to Bethlehem. Mary rode on a donkey.

Read Mary’s First Christmas Story a Learning Bible Stories is Fun Arch Books

Day 6 - Christmas Advent

Day 6 - Christmas Advent Activities
Read Matthew 1:18-24

about an angel telling Joseph that Mary would have a baby named Jesus.

Color a picture on page 2 of the book. It will read: Mary and Joseph were very happy. They had a lot to do to get ready for the baby. We used felt as their head garments.

Read The Beginner's bible The Very First Christmas

Day 5 - Christmas Advent

Day 5
Today we watched Carolina Mountain Christmas Spectacular at our church.

It was wonderful performance with a strong focus on Jesus. The kids enjoyed it....for the most part'; it was 2 hours and 20 minutes - but they stayed interested.

We will get back to our Bible readings tomorrow.

Day 4 -Christmas Advent

Day 4
Read Luke 1:57-80 and Matthew 3:1-11 about John the Baptist. There was a lot of reading today so I handed out some Christmas Ring-Pops to keep 3 little mouths quiet while we read.

Let’s play a 'Prepare the Way' game. Ahead of time, gather all the family members clean socks. Mix them together and then spread them out on the floor. Your kids pretend to prepare the way for Jesus by getting rid of all the socks that are in the way. Children take turns finding a matching pair of socks, picking them up, and clearing the way for Jesus!

Let’s read The Christmas Story by Julie Downing. It is a cute rhyming book with questions to ask your child and a prayer.

Day 3 - Christmas Advent

Day 3
What did we read about yesterday? We read about an angel telling Mary she would have a baby named Jesus. Today, Mary is so excited that she visited her cousin, Elizabeth. Elizabeth is also going to have a baby. We will read about a song that Mary sang because she was so happy that God chose her to be Jesus' mom.

Read Luke 1:39-56

Let’s get out the microphones and musical instruments to practice singing just like Mary about the good news of Jesus’ birth.

Read One Starry Night by Jan Goodfrey and Honor Ayers
Watch Shrek the Halls - not a biblical Christmas movie but a fun movie to watch!

Day 2 -Christmas Advent

Day 2 - Christmas Advent

The children will be making a book based on The Story of Christmas by Patricia A. Pingry. Today they will complete page one. Once all the pages are completed. Laminate and staple together to make a personal book for your child.

Read Luke 1:26-38

Let’s do an angel craft on page one of the Christmas book you are making. It will read: An Angel told Mary that she would have a baby named Jesus.

Let’s read The Christmas Story by Patricia A Pingry