CHRISTMAS PLANNING LINKED TO EYFS

[angeldelight]

Just some ideas hope it helps everyone a little

Remember that most of the activity ideas do link to more than one of the 6 areas of learning
I have just linked them to one to start you off

Just ideas of what I will be using myself but not really planning - I will go with what the children want and learn from what we do to extend our activity


KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE WORLD

Talk about christmas trees - find pictures colour them in and link them to different areas of the eyfs
How tall are they - they are different shapes
Go to a shop and see the different colours and shapes - take some pics with the children

Cook mince pies and other christmas goodies

Birds Nests

Makes about 6
4 cups chow mein noodles
3 cups miniature marshmallows
3 tablespoons butter or margarine
small jelly beans

Line a cookie sheet with foil and grease with spray-on cooking oil. Pour noodles into a large bowl. Melt the butter and marshmallows over medium heat, stirring until smooth. Pour marshmallow mixture over noodles, stirring until well coated. Rub some butter on hands and form noodle mixture into six round balls. Place balls on prepared cookie sheet. With the back of a teaspoon, press the center of each ball to make a
hollow indentation. Let nests set until they are firm. Fill each with small jelly beans. (Other small candies of your choice may be substituted, such as M & M's, small gumdrops, chocolate covered raisins, chocolate covered peanuts, etc.)

Extend this activity with learning about birds / animals in winter time


Explain how different countries celebrate christmas

http://www.history.com/minisites/christmas/

Learn about the 12 days of christmas and what it means

http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch...twelvedays.htm


Explain how different countires celebrate christmas ..................

Christmas in Ireland

http://www.santas.net/irishchristmas.htm

Christmas in Italy

http://scuole.provincia.ps.it/dd.pes.../christmas.htm

Christmas in Mexico

http://www.mexconnect.com/mex_/feature/xmasindex.html

Christmas in Sweden

http://hem.bredband.net/berteg/xmas.htm


Make a snowman

http://www.starfall.com/n/holiday/snowman/play.htm?f

More pictures to colour

http://www.our.homewithgod.com/mkcat...mas/color.html


MATHEMATICAL DEVELOPMENT

Match colours draw some christmas trees and count them - can the children do this ? observe them use new words - baubles and snowballs count them count the days down to christmas using your advent calender Learn the song the 12 days of christmasTeach how to count up to 12

http://www.kidsturncentral.com/holid...n12daysown.htm

Sing the song

http://www.geocities.com/heartland/7...ie-12days.html

Count some christmas goodies

http://www.worksheetuniverse.com/christmascounting.pdf

Count the dancing santa

http://www.bethanyroberts.com/SantaDance.htm

Make a christmas counting game

http://worldpreschoolmom.blogspot.co...ting-game.html


Some great counting activitys here

http://www.kidzone.ws/math/christmas/index.htm

Let the children count how many christmas cards they are going to make for their family / friends


COMMUNICATION, LANGUAGE AND LITERACY

Talk about christmas cards why not make some yourself using card and crafts
Talk about christmas and teach the children new words and explain what they mean What do they remember ? Ask them questions - observe how they react and what they remember
Use language to imagine and recreate roles and experiences .What have they done before at christmas - have they been in the school play?

Some great christmas online games here

http://www.learnenglish.org.uk/kids/...christmas.html

Some puzzles - learn new words

http://www.learnenglish.org.uk/kids/.../christmas.pdf

Sing some songs / learn new words

http://www.christmas-carols.net/


Write a letter to santa

http://www.santaspostbag.co.uk/write...r-to-santa.php

Play some christmas games / puzzles

http://www.logicmgmt.com/blogic/rdmaze2.htm

A nice christmas story for the older children

http://www.topmarks.co.uk/christiani...vity/index.htm


PERSONAL , SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Dress up and act out christmas stories .Make some christmas crowns / hats Learn about celebrations and read / listen to christmas storys
Provide opportunities for children to act and respond to others feelings about different celebrations. Give information and help children understand why people celebrate christmas differently Use role play to encourage children in different storys about chrismas

Circle / story time - talk about the children and how they celebrate christmas at their home - what about their family
Encourage children to join in

Talk about the weather at christmas / winter time
How it gets cold etc

Winter pictures to colour

http://printables.kaboose.com/holida...ter-color.html

Talk about different shapes - see how we can make shapes / pictures using different shapes
( See pdf file below )

Make a list for santa

Visit the post office - explain where / how you post the letters and cards for christmas - how they arrive etc

Talk about how you are going to decorate a small area of the room with the children how they can make their own decorations

Wrap some presents and explain to the children how to wrap them and why!

Some good ideas here

http://www.kented.org.uk/ngfl/earlyi.../christmas.htm


PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

Use musical instruments to make christmas sounds- drums - triangle and bellls and make your own dance to christmas songs and twirl around pretend to be a snowflake take pics and observe

Make some bells and dance with them to music

Make Christmas Bells with Old Egg Cartons

This is an easy project kids can do by themselves or with very little help. You will need:

Old egg cartons
Scissors
Yarn or string
Small bells
Glue
Glitter
Paint

Cut the egg carton into separate cups. With the point of the scissors or a sharp pencil, poke a hole in the bottom of each cup. Decorate each cup however you like. Mix glitter into your paints for an quick colorful sparkle effect. Cut a piece of string or yarn about 6 inches long. Tie a small bell onto one end. Tie a small knot in the string about 1 inch above the bell. Thread the string through the hole in the egg cup. Pull it all the way through till the knot hits the inside of the cup. To hang from the tree, you can tie a loop in the rest of the string, or you can tie/attach it to to a regular Christmas decoration


Creative Development

Draw a christmas tree and encourage the children to decorate it using diffent crafts - talk about the colours etc and what materials they are using make a display with all your activitys for winter / christmas

Pasta Wreath

What you’ll need:

Small Paper Plates


Variety of different pasta shapes

Glue

Paint - festive colours

Festive ribbon for bow Instructions: Cut the center out of your paper plate. Choose some really interesting pasta noodles, and glue them all around the outer ring of the plate. Try real hard to cover the entire plate! After the glue has dried, take your paint and color the pasta. tie the ribbon into a bow and then glue it to your wreath. Display them all

Christmas cards

Make some christmas cards
You will need blank card
Some festive cake cutters
Glue Glitter or paint

Get your cardPlace your cutter onto itUsing your glue - glue inside the shapeFor example if you are using a star shape when you remover the star cutter you should have a star shape on your paper out of glue Sprinkle on your glitter and hey presto a nice easy festive card



Silver bells etc

Cut out some shapes that you have drawn etc for very young children

Cover them foil and using a hole punch make a hole in the top and thread some pretty festive ribbon through

Make some paper chains

Lots of christmas craft ideas here

http://www.prekfun.com/Preschool_The...artscrafts.htm

Christmas Crackers

What you need:

Empty toilet tissue rolls-
curling ribbon
tape
scissors
tissue paper or Christmas wrapping paper
marker or pen
treats
stickers (optional)

What you do:

1. Start collecting empty toilet tissue rolls until you have enough for everyone

2. Use left over Christmas wrap or tissue paper to cover the outside of the tissue roll. Lay the tissue roll on the paper and make sure to leave two inches or five cm overhang on both ends of the toilet roll. Your piece of paper should be approximately 8 1/2" wide and 7" long. Since tissue paper is so thin you might want to double or triple the length.

3. Secure the paper with tape or stickers along the length of the cracker.

4. Use curling ribbon to tie closed one end of the cracker.

5. Fill the cracker with goodies. Once you have everything in the roll tie up the last end. Use scissors to curl the ribbon ends.

6. With a pen or marker write the recipient's name on the cracker. If you want you can also use stickers to decorate your cracker.


.................................................. .........................


Also lots of goodies here


http://biblekidsfunzone.com/Christmas.html





Angel xxx

[Spangles]

Blimey Angel! That's amazing!

Thank you!

x

[carolinel]

cor blimey - you've been busy!!!!

thanks v. much Angel.

xx

[breezy]

thank you our very own Christmas Angel x

[don the duck]

Fantastic.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thanks

[acorns]

SuperDuper

[Twinkles]

Thanks for that , some lovely ideas.

[Trouble]

you amaze me once again thank you angel xx

[Nettynoo]

Thank you!!! How very organised you are and also very generous to share your hard work with us all! It will be greatly appreciated by childminders but mostly the super little mindees who will enjoy hte activities you have listed!

THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!!
Annette xx
A very premature Happy Christmas to you and yours!!

[Andrea08]

OMG WOW GR8 loads of web addresses soooo

i didnt want to loose this thread as i went through the web so i thought i would print off your thread use the bits that would work for my mindees and look through all the web stuff as i have time,

went to d loo , came back to find;;;

the whole dam forum sat at the bottom of my printer tray and no ink left serves me right but some very good stuff i just didn't want to forgett about,

so happy christmas early and a big thank you lol xxxxx

[sharons]

Thanks

[patevans]

Just some ideas hope it helps everyone a little

Remember that most of the activity ideas do link to more than one of the 6 areas of learning
I have just linked them to one to start you off

Just ideas of what I will be using myself but not really planning - I will go with what the children want and learn from what we do to extend our activity

This is fantastic thanks

I wish I could do this with all my themes but I am really not this clever

[crazybones]

Thank you Angel. You are a star.

[childmind04]

all i can say is wow

[miffy]

Thanks Angel

Miffy xx

[balloon]

wow, thanks for that!

I've just copied this post and saved it so I can find again as just started work for the day... (yawns)

Looks great though and will help with December planning brilliantly, just what I needed, most appreciated!

[Monkey1]

Thank you Angel! xxx

[shopshelleyd]

Thank you what fantastic ideas.

Shelley

[kirka]

WOW - fantastic

Many thanks

Kiverpool18

[watgem]

WOW! Thank you thats fab!