Preschool: Christmas

We did it! We completed our year of weekly themed preschool. Baylor has grown so much throughout the year. She recognized so many more letters and numbers compared to the first of the year. I think next year I will do preschool activities based off a letter of the alphabet per week and hopefully in the fall she will go to real preschool. Why do kids have to grow up so fast? 

Our last theme for the year was Christmas which is always a fun one to do. Our first day we started with Christmas Bingo and she loved eating the marshmallows and I had to get more because I wanted her to do blackout but she was eating the marshmallows too fast.

Then for art she created salt dough ornaments. This was a process that took more than today but for today she helped make the dough, roll it out, cut the shapes out, and used a straw to punch out holes at the top of each ornament for the string.

Then for music, we first did a finger play with our fingers: Here is the chimney (thumb in fist); here is the top (place palm on top); open the lid (remove palm); out Santa will pop! (pop up thumb). We did this a couple of times.

Then we used the jingle bells we had and sang a couple of Christmas songs.

For learning time we talked about traditions around the world. First we talked about what we have done for Christmas- put up a tree and decorated it, decorated the house, we have advent calendars, and we talked about presents and how Santa comes. Then I had a map of the world and we talked about different places. When I would tell her about a place I had a picture to correspond with it and I would point on the map where it was. We talked about in Mexico they had piñatas and poinsettias, in Australia Santa lets his reindeer have a rest and he travels around with kangaroos, in Germany they do gingerbread houses, in Great Britain they have churches that have giant bells to ring, in Sweden they celebrate St. Lucia with a crown of candles, and last was Netherlands where we talked about how Santa leaves presents in their shoes. Once we talked about all of it, we did a matching game with the pictures.

Then we ended with reading this book.

The rest of the day Baylor kept herself busy with playing with the leftover salt dough which was awesome that it kept her entertained for as long as it did.

The next day was a busy day so we didn't do preschool but we did find time for Baylor to finish up her salt dough ornaments. She painted them and added a little glitter and once they dried we put on string and she hung them on the tree.

Our second day of preschool we started with playdough.

Then for art she decorated a popsicle stick Christmas tree.

For music we sang a song to the tune of Mulberry Bush: Here stands a Christmas tree, a Christmas tree, here stands a Christmas tree, so early Christmas morning. Other verses: Here's the lights for the Christmas tree; Here's the star for the Christmas tree; Put the presents under the tree. I had the pictures to represent each verse so that she could put it all together.

For learning time we first made Santa's beard with marshmallows. I had numbers 1-20 that she could pick and then she would have to put that many marshmallows on his beard. I told her that she could pick any number but she insisted on going in order.

Then I created these little elf cards that had a number by lights, ornaments, and presents. I had so many of each one and then she would pick a card and have to follow the card and put that many of each thing on her Christmas tree.

For our last day of preschool we did a family field trip. We went to Carpinto Brothers to see the live reindeer. They also had a gorgeous light display to enjoy.

And our last stop was to see all the different poinsettias that they have.

What a fun way to end our preschool for the year!