Hannukah, Animal Tracking and Book Buddies!

Last week was Gingerbread Week.  We transformed our play cabin into a Gingerbread Cabin!  We did gingerbread literacy activities, and read several versions of the Gingerbread Man story.  We even used a Venn Diagram to compare them!

We wrote journal pages using words to decorate our "writing houses" just like we decorated our gingerbread house!

We made gingerbread cookies and the kids wanted to make a sign to put on the oven so that NO ONE would PEEK!

We carefully put our cookies in the oven and taped the note on the oven door.  When we came back, they were gone!  Someone must have opened the door to check on the cookies and they jumped out!  At least they left us a clue...

The clues led us all around the school searching for those naughty cookies!!!

Our search led us to our Book Buddies, who said they had just read the cookies a story, then they gave us the clue they left....

Finally we found them, enjoying their Gingerbread Cabin!  Then we closed our classroom door so they couldn't run away and decorated our cookies!

This week we learned why some people celebrate Hannukah, and why some people celebrate Christmas.  Here are the Menorah's the kids made.

We made Dreidels and learned how to play!

Tim Lorenzini came in and read to the kids about how we can use tracks to read stories in the snow.  He brought a great show and tell of animal furs!  

They loved seeing the Wolverine, since we are the Tok Wolverines!!!

Then we headed outside and saw many different animal tracks.  The kids were SO excited to discover what was back behind their playground!  We saw squirrel, vole, fox, hare, raven, and moose tracks!

We tried to take steps as huge as the moose!

We even found angel prints!

We had our Book Buddies Christmas Party on Thursday.  During the party Mrs. Claus (aka: Mrs. Holmes) had a special delivery for us from the office!  The elves had answered our letters to Santa, and our Buddies helped the kinders read their letters!  They were SO excited!  The elves wrote us great letters, although very noncommittal, and had names like Snickers, Jolly,  and Snowflake.

Then we decorated Christmas cookies to take to the seniors at the Senior Center.  We sang Christmas carols with them, and shared the cookies and cards that we had made.  The kids sang their little hearts out.  I think the seniors were very appreciative of the Christmas cheer and a good time was had by all!

This week will be busy and fun, with the Christmas Concert at 1:45 Wed. the 19th, and again at 6pm that evening.  

Friday our Christmas Party will begin around 11:15am and everyone is invited!  Friday is an early release day.  School gets out for Winter Break at 2:15.