Christmas table activites- preschool style

Here are some random table activities that have made their way out the past two weeks.  Also, I've got a bunch of Christmas ideas from the past four years or so and they are easier to find now.  I have a Christmas tag as well as a J tag (for Jesus).  Those are over on the right side (web version only), down the page a little way.

The DIY light box got some new items on it.  I drew some Christmas trees on some overhead film my sister passed on to me.  We used the plastic dot pieces (formerly used as bingo pieces) to give the trees ornaments.

These baking tins are from My grandma.  She knew I'd use them.  I have green and red glass beads in the basket.  The tweezers are from the 'ants in my pants' game. 

These stars are those plasticy ice cubes.  They are from a red, white, and blue set, but I just pulled the red and white. The tongs are kitchen tongs purchased at goodwill for a quarter or less. I think the icecube trays were from there or a garage sale.

Our little people nativity set found a spot on the table.  I feel like there is a missing piece, but am not sure.  I think the shepherd is playing the part of Joseph. He must have skipped town.  The kids haven't said anything.

The Christmas sensory box has been a favorite.  

This one has an eye spy sheet with it and the kids seem to enjoy that.

This wasn't technically a table activity, but we tried the toothpick 'poking' with the younger kids and most thought it was fun.  It's one of those activities where some classes love it and others are like, 'I don't get it, why are we doing this?'  There are always a few kids that love it and can't get enough of it though.

With the pre-k kids, we usually do letters, but I went with a picture for the younger ones.  It helps get them in the correct pencil hold position as well as works on fine motor practice.  It quiets them nicely and keeps them in one spot, which is usually a plus. 

For this page, they liked looking at the back to see the poking design.  That doesn't work as well for letters because they're backwards.  We even had some team work action going on. 

This is a circle time activity turned table toy.  One day during circle time, I placed a cookie cutter in a stocking and had a kiddo feel it.  They made a guess which shape might be inside, then pulled it out.  They found the right spot for the cutter on our poster and the next friend got to have a turn with a new cutter placed inside the stocking.  Now it's out just as a matching activity.

I just made these letter cards up this weekend.  They'll only get one week to be out this year. The letters are from Confessions of a Homeschooler.  Hers are big enough to glue on a bottlecap.  These were printed out with two pages on a printed sheet, so they came out smaller, just the right size for my clear glass beads.  I modge-podged them on the flat side.  The pictures are from Prepared, Not Scared and the cards are from Moms Have Questions Too.

This felt tree came out on candy cane day and has been out all week.  The kids can just decorate as they choose. 

Last year after Christmas, I got boxes of cards for 10 cents.  I bought all they had!  They've been out for the kids to make Christmas cards for family and friends. They are really enjoying it.   I have to keep an eye on one friend; she grabs a marker and draws waves on as many cards as she can find.  One day she went through at least half a box of 36 cards.  Good thing the cards were cheap!

I have many other Christmas things to get up here, but I've have about 27 projects going on, with little sign of slowing down.  I can't even share most of the projects yet, as many are gifts.  Hopefully I'll get time over break to get caught up.  We'll see. 

Again, here are some other preschool Christmas ideas from my blog last year..     And some others Here   

Preschool Christmas Story Books- part 2

 Last week, I shared the first page of our preschool Christmas Story book.  I couldn't help it but to share it early without a fuller write up.  I'm doing it again.  I don't have a full post (mostly because I can't get more than 10 minutes to sit down for blog related items), just these precious pages from the kiddo's books. 

Look at these Marys on the donkey.  One drew Mary who couldn't get on the donkey.  Mary has a sad face.  Most drew a happy Mary.  

The third page had baby Jesus. 

 I again was worried that by me cutting the pieces, all the artworks would look the same, like my example.  They don't. 

Those baby Jesus faces are too sweet. 

 
They were mostly like this.

And a few with an upside down Jesus or a fully covered baby.  

 
Here's that first page again.  

I'll get the others up at some point, this is what we have for right now. 

handprint angels

How sweet are these little angels!  

The kids handprints make the body and wings.  A round sponge made the stamped face.  The teachers drew on the halo with crayon.   I think we sent the kids home with another special piece that their parents will keep for a long time.

naked no longer

 Our preschool worked with one of those groups that sells jewelry and bags and such made by ladies who have been taken out of bondage situations.   I saw this mermaid bag made from a recycled rice bag and loved it.  I ordered one for myself and another to give as a Christmas gift.  When It came in, I got looking at it and realized that she's pretty much naked. 

I felt pretty weird about carrying it.

She's naked no longer. My orange sharpie and I added a top.  Much better!

videos and piano

(I've never posted videos taken from our phones before, I hope they work.)

Here are videos of exciting things at our house.  Reading and Piano recitals.  While I'm talking piano recital:

Bee has been taking lessons for 2 months, just enough time to get ready for the Christmas recital.  

She said she was not nervous.  Good grief, I was!  She played perfectly.  She's working on a few new pieces to play for our Christmas company. 

icecream- preschool part 2

Ii icecream day!  I used mostly last years ideas, with a few new things added.  Here's last years.

I came home from Thanksgiving at my Grandma's house with this icecream Christmas ornament. Nothing says Christmas like icecream, huh?  Anyway, I wanted to make up something similar for Ii icecream day at preschool.  I made myself use what I had on hand, so instead of burlap, I used posterboard covered in felt. Instead of pom poms (because I was a few short), I used yarn that I made into pom poms.

I made each child a vanilla, strawberry, and chocolate.  This was one of those projects where I thought, no problem, this wont take too long, and then half way through, I had to reconsider the invested time verse the time left to complete.  Time invested won and I finished all 60. 

We used them to sort of dance and sing along to Laurie Berkner's song, Icecream.

I also added this little rhyming flannel board

5 Ice Cream Cones
Five ice cream cones at the ice cream shop 
But no one wanted to buy them with vanilla on top 
One little icecream took some time to think 
He mixed in some bubblegum and turned himself pink 
Little Suzie(student)came along And took that yummy ice cream home 

Four ice-cream cones at the ice cream shop 
But no one wanted to buy them with vanilla on top 
Then one little ice-cream knew what he should do 
He mixed in some blueberries and turned the color blue 
Little __________ came along and took that yummy ice-cream home. 

3 little ice creams at the ice cream shop 
But no one wanted to buy them with vanilla on top 
One little ice cream was a smart little fellow 
He mixed in some lemonade and turned himself yellow. 
Little ___________ came along and took that yummy ice cream home.

2 Little Ice Cream cones at the ice-cream shop 
But no one wanted to buy them with vanilla on top. 
One little ice-cream got an idea in his head 
He mixed in some raspberries and turned his color to red. 
Little ____________came along and took that yummy ice-cream home. 

One little ice-cream at the ice-cream shop 
But no one wanted to buy it with vanilla on top 
Alone and sad, he really wanted to go, 
So he mixed in all the colors and made himself rainbow!

Make sure to check out last years ideas, these items build on that.

thanksgiving

I never did get Thanksgiving photos posted.  I'm already in Christmas mode over here, so I better finish them up.  It's really just some Thanksgiving randomness.

This is what Bee and Gramma and my youngest sister made for our place cards.  I think my youngest sister did a lot of felt cutting to get these guys ready.  We ended up bringing them home, so I'll have to work them into school next year's song about turkeys.

An aunt taught Bee and Lou a new game.  They made up funny little stories using these story cubes. 

I made the rolls this year using this recipe since it involved the refrigerator and lent itself for traveling with dough.  The recipe is also written at the end of this post.  Keep scrolling.

I also used better batter to make a sister some gluten free rolls.  Hers are the tiny ones in the bowl.   I heart gluten.  She ate the gluten free without complaint.   This was my first time cooking or baking with better batter products.  I will keep working with it, I have one of each of their product (due to a lucky face book win).  Hopefully I can get them even better.

Bee and Lou got this aunt and uncle to play boats.  These look like attach boats.  Their poor backs!

My sisters and I put on temporary tats and photographed it.  After tweaking the photo a little, we posted it on facebook. We were vague in the comments when people commented directly asking about them.   I got a few private messages and text from friends asking if they were real! I was worried that the preschool parents I am fb friends with would think I'd gotten crazy and gotten some ink, but I'll just have to watch to see if they peek at my wrist.

My sister and I helped my aunt set up a facebook business page for her business, A Floral Memory.   I've written about her jewelry once before.  I just love them.  

She uses flowers from a special occasion, a wedding, a funeral, whatever and works them into the beads she makes.  So you not only have a really pretty piece of jewelry, but a memento of that occasion.  I have one with flowers from my Grandpa's funeral and just really enjoy it.  I love when I get compliments on it, I can share how it's extra special because of the flowers in it.  So, she's on facebook now.  There are some really nice pictures there. 

 

Here's that roll recipe.  Bake it and eat it and enjoy the gluten.

Easy Refrigerator Rolls (Evelyn’s Rolls)

2 cups water

3/4 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar

2 eggs

2 pkg. yeast

1 TB salt

6 cups flour

  Combine sugar, yeast, salt & 2 cups flour in a mixing bowl.  Heat water & butter until warm.   Add to dry ingredients & beat at medium speed for 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally.   Add 1 cup flour & 2 eggs.  Beat at high speed for 2 minutes.  Stir in remaining flour to make soft dough.  Place dough in refrigerator and use as needed.

  The dough needs to be in the refrigerator at least overnight.  It will be rather sticky, so use flour on  your hands to help in shaping.  Place in a greased pan with sides and let rise about 3 hours or until doubled.  If I need them to be ready sooner, I will preheat my oven on the lowest temp. for about a minute; turn it off and let them rise in the oven until nice and puffy.  Bake rolls at 350 for about 20 minutes.  You can brush with butter if you want.  They’re a little fragile right out of the oven, so I usually let them sit a few minutes before I get them out of the pan.  The entire recipe makes about 32 rolls.  You can easily halve the recipe.  

I will add that they are indeed fragile out of the oven.  Also, I think when she served them to us at the teachers meeting, she baked them in a 9x13 or something.  I baked mine on a flat stone.  Her's had a prettier tall shape and mine (since they were not as closely spaced and in a confined space), rose out as much as they rose up and were just not as tall.  Also, I think the overnight in the refrigerator is part of the wonderfulness of this recipe.  My old roll recipe is similar ingredient wise, but doesn't have that time.  I think that makes a difference.   Also, I didn't use a mixer like this recipe says.  I did it all by hand and no one suffered.

it's alive -christmas tree what have you

This is our first year ever to have a live tree!  First year ever for both hubby and myself.  I've been saying it ever since we got back to the midwest and had room in our home for a nice big tree that I wanted a real one.  Last summer I found a tree stand at a yard sale for a live tree and felt like it was time.  Plus, our artificial is on it's last leg. Literally.

A family at our preschool owns a beautiful farm that grows Christmas trees.  We walk around in fields of trees and picked out the perfect one!  Hubby has good eyes and spotted the very best one in the whole farm.  (in photo- Bee gathered corn to take home to play with as we walked along the edge of a corn field)  I had to touch each one.  I didn't want a pokey one.
 

Then we took the farm guy out to show him which one we wanted. Really, he took us out.  He pulled us on a 4-wheeler.

The farm dog helped out. 

It took him about 2 seconds to cut down for us.  We saw another family who brought their own chainsaw.  I guess we came unprepared. 

Then he shook it for us.

And wrapped it up.  

 
and loaded it in the van for us while we played in the hay loft.

I did a little research at home, since this was our first live tree.  They drink up to a quart of water a day and I was seeing the watering process as a messy, tricky project.  Here's what I read about at various places.  Insert the tube attachment from the vacuum cleaner along the trunk down into the watering well.  Attach a funnel to the top for easier watering.  Luckily my attachment is black and we had a green funnel in the sandbox.  You really cant see it, especially with lights and ornaments. 

Turns out that setting up the live tree was easier and cleaner than setting up our artificial!  I don't know if we'll ever go back!  That and the charcoal grill.  Never going back.