December: Christmas Unit Study

After taking a week off for Thanksgiving, and with the excitement of the Christmas season, I just couldn't bring myself to force us back into our normal routine.

So we are putting Heart of Dakota on hold...

Just for December.

I am taking this entire month to really celebrate the true meaning of Christmas...the birth of our savior, Jesus Christ.

So I took a little time and put together a Christmas Unit Study.

Here is what week one looked like:

Monday:

• Teacher planning day. :-)

Tuesday:

• Bible: Angle visits Mary (Little Golden Books. The Christmas Story)
• Bible activity: Cora acted out being Mary and I was the angle Gabriel.
• Carol: Learning Away in the Manger with hand motions (repeated daily)
• Symbol: Meaning of the Christmas tree (Science: What is an evergreen?)
• Writing: Copied today's date and the word Mary. Then drew a picture of today's story.
• Craft: Planned activity:Color and cut out a Christmas tree. Actual Activity: Made a Christmas count down, with tear away numbers.
• Christmas Countdown: Drew weather for the day on the calender and pulled off number on the Countdown board. (repeated daily)
• Advent: Verbally count number on the calender 1-25 (repeated daily)

Wednesday:

• Bible: Angle came to Joseph in a dream
• Symbol: Read more about the history of the Christmas tree
• Writing: Copied today's date and the word Joseph. Then drew a picture of today's story.
• Craft: Planned: Cut out different shapes to sort, glue them as ornaments on the tree from yesterday's craft. What really happened: No craft.
• Advent
• Christmas Carol
• Story: The story of the Three Trees

Thursday:

• Bible: Mary and Joseph travel to Bethlehem
• Bible Activity: Acted out packing and taking a long trip to Bethlehem.
• Opt bible activity: Look up distance from Nazareth to Bethe lam on a map.
• Symbol: discussed the meaning of Christmas lights/ Tree decoration
• Craft: planned: color and cut out light shapes, glue on tree from first day. Actual: none
• Writing: copied Date and Bethlehem, then drew picture of today's story.
• Advent
• Christmas carol

Friday:

• Bible: No room in the Inn, Jesus born in a stable
• Bible Activity: Went around knocking on "doors" asking for a place to stay, and finally going to the stable. Cora played the part of Mary holding baby Jesus, while Caleb and I pretended to be various barn yard animals. Then we switched places.
• Activity: Made and decorated Christmas cookies. Then delivered some to our neighbors.
• Advent
• Christmas Carol

Key bible Verse for this week:

John 3:16

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him, will not perish , but have eternal life."