The lead up to winter break can be a busy time in any elementary classroom.  Class parties, music concerts, special events, field trips... and actual academic work!  It's a miracle any teacher survives to mid-December.

As winter break approaches, there are so many things to be done.  Crafts to be made, art projects to complete, gifts to plan (depending on if your class celebrates Christmas), and more!  Planning in advance and having winter activities ready to go is key to 'surviving' the holiday hustle.  Here are a few things I like to have ready to go in advance. Remember, don't re-invent the wheel.

Have a Classroom Craft Ready to Go

Tea Light Snowmen Ornaments, a great winter craft. (Photo credit: One Little Project) I absolutely love this snowman ornament craft from One Little Project.  It's adorable and almost fool-proof. Check out her blog for step-by-step instructions and an easy shopping guide for activity prep.  It does take a significant amount of hot-glueing, so my third-grade students completed theirs alongside their older buddies.  It could also be done with a few parent volunteers, or in a single-teacher classroom over a few days at a slower pace.

Be Ready With a No Prep Winter Workbook

The one thing that is certain about the pre-holiday season is that anything can happen.  Your much-anticipated guest speaker could cancel.  Your field trip bus could be two hours late.  The music concert may run way over.  There is always time to fill somewhere! I like to be prepared with some kind of quick winter themed workbook that keeps my students engaged and is available on the fly for any unplanned emergency.  

These Winter and Christmas Themed Workbooks from Poet Prints do the trick every time! 

Elf Yourself For a Little Holiday Fun

Elf Yourself is a web-based movie maker is a quick and fun option to add some holiday cheer to your classroom. It is a free platform from Office Depot and Office Max, so there are some links to both websites on the site, but they aren't too obtrusive.

Turn your students into animated and goofy elves in mini north pole themed movies.  (Note: some movies may be mildly inappropriate for younger audiences or conservatives schools, screen each movie first). 

Do you have any classroom routines or things you like to do before students head off for winter break? Let me know in the comments below! 

Taking the time to study and celebrate Thanksgiving in an elementary classroom is a great way to create an environment of thankfulness.  When students are lead to practice gratitude it can help to build a mindful classroom.

However, being thankful does not come easy for all.  Whenever I ask my students to brainstorm what they are thankful for, I inevidably get the same three things:my family, my home, food.

Let's be clear, there is absolutely nothing wrong with these three.  Those are absolutely things that we can, and should, be thankful for.  But I think it can go deeper.  Thankfulness can be more than the 'big three'. It can extend to specific characteristics, qualities, people and the 'little things' in life.  In every season there is always something to be thankful for.  I have taught in both high and low-income schools, and the practice of showing gratitude is not limited to any particular socioeconomic status.

This year, my grade three students were particularly thankful for their Grade Eight Buddies.  I teach in a K-12 school.  My class is both 'big' buddy to a class of Grade One students, and 'little' buddy for a class of Grade Eight students.  Their Grade Eight buddies visit them every second Friday during math, and it is just so welcomed.  Each of my littles gets one-on-one time with someone who can help to coach and encourage them through tricky concepts. It's also a great way to build multi-age friendships in such a diverse campus.

As part of our Thanksgiving unit we wrong Thankful Letters to our Grade Eight buddies.  We got the change to express gratitude for the way they show us patience, and how they faithfully encourage us to keep working hard even when we just don't get it. (Yet!)

In an already jam-packed curriculum, there is hardly any time for seasonal unit study... but I feel like a focus on thanksgiving is just so important.  I make sure that it integrates with my Language Arts outcomes so my students are still meeting provincial standards while also taking time to develop their character.

We follow my  "We Are Thankful" unit on Teachers Pay Teachers:

It is a Print-and-Go Unit  for First, Second, Third, and Fourth Grades that is Available Here

You won't believe the stories my students come up with for the "How to Escape Thanksgiving" writing lesson:

How do you celebrate Thanksgiving in your classroom?  Have you ever practiced showing gratitude to another grade, or teacher in your school?  Let me know in the comments below!

I remember my first Mother's Day as a brand new teacher.  I was in a lower-income school and I can remember eagerly planning a super-crafty project, with glue and glitter and a beautiful card titled “Why I love my Mom” (or something of the like). 

I waltzed in before Mother’s Day, and gathered up the kids to introduce the project, expecting them to be as excited as I was.

However, instead of unbridled excitement, I was met with questions and comments like:

“What about my Stepmom, can I make something for her?”

“I only have a Foster mom, what do I do?”

“I live with my auntie.”

“I don’t have a mom, she died last year.”

What a sobering moment.

Needless to say, that was a pretty big disaster.

In my rush to prepare a “cute and fun” craft project, I had completely forgotten to plan for all of the reasons why Mother’s Day can be such a hard day for so many students.

But I let it be a “teachable moment” for myself. I learned from my mistake, and made sure to think through possible difficult situations before I planned another lesson.

This year, we are doing Mother’s Day Flip Books

(Dad’s are getting the same thing in June!)

Our easy Mother's Day Flip Books

We are drawing our Mom, writing adjectives to describe her, filling in the blanks about her favourite things (fingers crossed that it ends up being something cute or memorable!) and writing her a short letter.

But this project won’t just be for Moms.

In an effort to avoid one of my worst “flops” ever, I’ve made it specifically for Stepmom’s…

And another version that is great for any special friend.

I know that some of my little ones don’t have a Mom, but they do have a mentor, an aunt, or even a family friend who would love to receive something on Mother’s Day.

How do you make sure that you are accounting for all types of families on days like Mothers or Father’s Day?

Do you do anything special in your classroom to honour different types of men and women?

I’d love to hear your ideas!

- Rachel