Wednesday, December 28, 2016

Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa

This week we've been getting ready for several winter holidays.  We talked about solstice and how it's the shortest day of the year.  We played dreidel and talked about Hanukkah.  We practiced some weaving and talked about Kwanzaa.  Genevieve helped stitch up a snowman ornament and color Christmas pictures.  We were hoping to make a wreath out of handprints, but some people were working on the house this week so we went to the park instead.

We read lots of great books this week.  The Christmas Mouse was a cute story of a mouse getting ready for Christmas, illustrated by one of Genevieve's favorites - Anne Mortimer.  The Little Reindeer  was a story of a reindeer who ends up in the care of a little boy in a big city.  My Christmas Safari was set to the Twelve Days of Christmas, and tells the story of a girl on safari with her father.  At the end, you see she got a safari playset for Christmas.  Bear Noel is one of my favorites, the story of Bear Noel bringing gifts to the animals.  I always want to go decorate a tree for the animals with carrots and birdseed pinecones.  Father Christmas and the Donkey was a bit wordy, but told the story of a lonely donkey that helps Santa finish his deliveries and receives the gift of a new home.  A Doll for Navidades introduces some Spanish words while reminding us we won't always get the gift we want.  How Do Dinosaurs Say Happy Hanukkah is one in a series of books that remind us of good behavior while introducing dinosaurs.  Another book in this series deals with Christmas.  The Legend of the Christmas Rose is the story of the little sister of the shepherds called at Jesus' birth.  She wants to give a gift to the baby as well and finds an armful of small flowers.  Little Bear's Sparkly Christmas is the story of a bear looking for a present for its mom.  Maple and Willow's Christmas Tree is the story of a small girl who discovers she's allergic to her Christmas tree.

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