1. The Holiday Concert:
Ours is during the day, and our music teacher was very clever this
year. She had the whole school sit in a
horseshoe shape so everyone can see each other.
That way, instead of having each grade level transitioning up to the
stage when it was their turn to sing, she just had to motion for that grade
level to stand for their turn. It worked
out GREAT! It works for us because
instead of an auditorium with seats, the kids sit on the cafeteria floor for
assemblies.
2. We took the time
to appreciate each other. This was a
"punishment" for my class because we had an incident last week where
a student threatened another student after being picked on by a group of
kids. So I told the kids that before
they were allowed to have a holiday party, they would be required to write
something nice to every single student in their class. This sounded like a horrible chore to them at
first.
Then we brainstormed a list.
I told them I did not want them writing things like, "I like your
shoes" or "You have nice hair" because they are not about the
person, just their physical features. I
modeled an acceptable statement, "You helped me with long division when I
was confused." That was all they
needed; over the next 3 days they came up with a list of over 20 ideas!
Next, I created a page of 18 text boxes that each ended with
"Sincerely,____" and ran them off on our classroom stationery (which looks just like this). The top of the page said, "Dear (name),
We are glad you are in our class! We
appreciate you because..." When the
time came on Friday to actually write, they were so ready that they only needed
90 seconds per classmate (I had planned for 2 minutes each).
At the end of the project, kids were so excited to read
their pages. One told me, "This is
going right in my scrapbook when I get home."
"Not a bad punishment, huh?"
I teased.
3. We reflected on
GIVING, not receiving. For Friday's
Morning Work, I wrote, "Think about people who you bought gifts for. Who are you MOST looking forward to watching
open their gift?" I told them the
story of when I bought my brother a Dundee
because he loves the show The Office, and several kids were able to talk about
their excitement about giving.
And for that matter, I'm thinking about our Morning Meeting
share the day we get back. I want to
avoid the "bring and brag" sort of, "I got this and this for
Christmas" because we have a wide range of socio-economic backgrounds in
our school. I haven't decided the best
approach yet, but I have a few days for inspiration to strike!
4. We had a Yankee
Swap that wasn't really a Yankee Swap. They
each brought in a gift for about $5 (usually I ask them to bring in a girl gift
if they are a girl, and a boy gift if they are a boy). Then I pull names out of a hat one at a time
for a kid to go up and choose a gift and open it (and I snap a photo). There's not actually any "swapping"
allowed until the end, and it's only if two people both want to swap with each
other.
5. We talked about
the important social skill of being gracious and hiding disappointment. "How would you feel if you brought in a
gift for me, I opened it, and did this?"
I sighed and pouted. I reminded
them that although they won't know who brought the gift, they are there, and
watching. It definitely helps! Not everyone is an expert at it, but they all
made an effort and no one brought down the mood with sulking or
complaining.
6. I used battery
operated Christmas lights to decorate our classroom bookshelf to look like a
hearth! The kids opened their presents
in front of it, and the effect is always very homey. One boy in particular, who is typically a
real challenge for me, was especially appreciative. "That was SUCH a good idea, Mrs.
Thomas! It looks AMAZING!"
7. I kept "extra
gifts" on hand for kids who didn't bring one. That way everyone could swap. I even had a couple parents bring in their
preschoolers to the party, so I quietly put a couple little teddy bears in gift
bags off to the side, and midway through the swap, when I noticed the little
ones were just starting to notice the gift-giving and looking doe-eyed, I said,
"Okay, we're going to take a little break...(half my students yelled
WHAT?! indignantly, haha) and have our Preschool Swap!" I put both little one's names in the cup and
after pulling one I said, "You can pick one of these gifts off of the
chair." My students all said,
"AwwWWWww" as they opened up their teddy bears!
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| Graphics by www.MyCuteGraphics.com |
9. I gave them
optional homework. I used to give plenty
of vacation homework until I started working in a district where that is
frowned upon. Now I'm a convert; I'm
happy to give the kids a break and I'm
happy to not be swamped with correcting once I get back in January. However, some parents like their children to
do "extra," and I thought I might even appeal to the kids' intrinsic
motivation to achieve in math.
"Your test is after break, not the day you get back, but
still, all the stuff you learned this month will be on it in January. If you're worried that you'll forget, or if
you're a kid who forgets how to do long division, then the next day remembers,
then forgets again the day after, you might choose to do this page. If you bring it back, I'll give you a
sticker, but you don't have to do it if you're too busy." I think I'll get at least 2 back, which is
fine. If you're interested, I have this
Day of Math Review sheet available for purchase, currently for 49 cents, in my
TPT store. I plan to use it for Morning
Work and maybe even if I need a sub; it should be useful through February.
10. I let them know I'd be posting "12 days of Math Games" on our classroom blog! Last week I researched games and wrote notes for a blog post for each one, and this week I've been posting one every day. Hopefully they'll keep the kids from getting bored and help them review if the worksheet feels like too much of a chore!What did you do to prepare your kids for Winter Break?
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