Reindeer Holiday Lesson Plan

Circle Time:

Questions for discussion: (this helps in finding out what the children know and need to learn; this gets the lesson going)

1.) Have you ever seen a reindeer?

2.) Where do reindeers live?

Stories: (Practice listening skills and building word and vocabulary)

1.) Reindeer Moon by mark Kimball Moulton

2.) Reindeer by R.M. Cuthbert

3.) How the Reindeer got their Antlers by Geraldine McCaghrean

4.) Reindeer by Emery Bermhard

5.) Reindeer by Caroline Arnold

Songs and Finger plays: (vocabulary and word building and practice listening skills)

1.) Do the reindeer Hokey Pokey

To the tune of Hokey Pokey

You put your antlers in

You put your antlers out (use your head)

You put your antlers in and shake them all about

You do the reindeer pokey and you turn yourself around

That's what it's all about ....hey Rudolph!

Continues with other verses:

You put your hooves in... (Use feet)

You put tail in... (Use back in)

You put your red nose in... (Use nose)

You put your reindeer body in... (Your body)

Math: (practice following simple directions)

Reindeer leg counting game

Use a picture or a toy sleigh if you have then put a reindeer in front of it and have the kids tell you how many legs the reindeer has, then add another and ask again how many legs, then add another keep doing this until you get to at least eight reindeer.

Science: (comprehension and word skill building)

Compare a deer from here in Indiana to a reindeer. How are they the same and how are they different? Use Zoo books magazine and other informational texts and posters to show the children how these two kinds of deer are the same and different.

Language: (vocabulary and comprehension skills building)

Using the story of "How Reindeer got their antlers" ask the children what their favorite part of the story is and then have them write a sentence about it and draw a picture with it or draw a picture and label the picture as a scene from the story.

Arts and crafts:

Hand and foot reindeer: (fine and gross motor skills)

Trace around each child's shoe on brown construction paper. Then trace around each child's hands on orange construction paper; Then cutout. Glue hands on the back of the foot's top as antlers. (One hand on each side of one foot.) Draw on eyes or use wiggle eyes, pompoms for a nose "red for Rudolph".

Reindeer Hats: (fine and gross motor skills)

• Each child will need brown strip of construction paper for a headband, close headband together with glue or staple cover staple with tape.

• Trace each child's hands on brown construction paper then cutout, then glue or staple on each side of the headband for antlers.

• Attach 2 wiggle eyes and a pompom for the nose a red one for Rudolph.

Library Area:

In the Library area you need to have pictures of reindeer and magazines and books about reindeer. This way the children can learn and explore about the reindeer and where it lives.

References:

First School. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.firstschool.com

Indiana's Academic Standards and resources. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.indianastandards.org

Kids' Soup. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.kidssoup.com

Kinder Art. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.kinderart.com

Perpetual Preschool. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.perpetualpreschool.com