we made our own “pull the tab” advent candles. definitely more teacher prep than we typically do, but it was fun for the kids to have the experience of “lighting” their candles

there was lots of counting and careful work as they chose pieces to glue/slide in the right spots.

Advent! Advent! A candle burns!

Advent! Advent! A candle burns!

First one, then two, then three, then four!

Then stands the Christ child at your door!

oh, that tricky k.

yes, we do kites and kangaroos.  but as our letter of the week,  it falls close enough to christmas that we focus on kings. this year we also used out-of-date popcorn kernels for some fine motor practice.  preschoolers cover dots or lines of glue kernel by kernel.

i don’t know how many kindgergarten teachers would say this today, but a couple of years ago, i was told at a collaboration meeting that one of the greatest areas of need is fine motor control.  so we continue with strengthing those little muscles!

even though this project is low on the scale of “child led,” it sure is cute.

the kids had the joy of sprinkling glitter (or pouring glitter in many cases). they could pick red, white or a mix (a combination of what had been used previously!). by the end of the project, we had only a mix. : )

these red birds were used during our christmas circle time for this poem:

2 little red birds sitting in the snow

this one is mary

this one is joe

fly away mary

fly away joe

come back mary

come back joe

during the christmas season, we had many treats.  when someone brings hot cocoa to make, we find a way.

to get ready for our days off of school, we empty out the snack cupbard.

ms. vilia acted as a waitress to let each preschooler choose:

“applesauce, oranges or fruit leather?” (X 13)

on the last days before our christmas break, families were invited to join us.  we shared songs and poems before eating all the treats families brought.  if any of you have photos to share, please do!  i didn’t find a moment to take any of my own.

we had about a week of santa sightings in the classroom.  it was heart warming to watch several make-believe games merge into one big class experience of “christmas eve.”