Cookies, Cocoa, & Crafts
When holiday time rolls around the kid in me gets so excited. I wanted my students to have that same holiday spirit! After Thanksgiving, we had Kindness Elves that visited our classroom. Each day there was a message and daily challenge from the elves. Some days they had to find a new friend, include someone they didn't know in an activity, make someone smile, hold the door for a stranger, the list goes on. Throughout the month, students were asked to write letters to special people in their lives. They wrote letters to our custodians, prior teachers, parents, family members, someone they found to be important, their lunch monitor and more. The week leading up to Winter Break, I had the students color the letters and make them special. Some students event went as far as writing actual cards and put them in envelopes. We delivered these letters all week, and they took home family letters to their parents. We delivered our letters to the custodians along with a big box of donuts for them to enjoy!
We spread holiday cheer each day, and the kids loved it!! When it came to our publishing party I knew I wanted it to be another special event. I had students finish writing their personal narratives, as they were motivated and inspired by author Roni Schotter a few weeks prior. I invited parents to join the celebration where parents and students alike walked around the room and wrote positive comments for each piece of writing. We then had our holiday celebration, with parents included, and we made Sock Snowmen. Everyone enjoyed working together, being creative, and making memories with their children and their classmates. We finished the day with cookies and hot cocoa.
As my holiday gift, I created "Snowman Soup" with hot cocoa, candy canes, and a special snowflake cookie I ordered from a local bakery. They also each took a book home "Nothing Ever Happens on 90th Street" which was signed by Roni Schotter. It was a memorable day for all!
