Santa Lesson Plan

Circle time:

Questions for discussion: (Learning about what the children know and what they need to learn a great way to start a new lesson)

1.) Have you seen Santa yet?

2.) Does Santa wear red?

3.) What does Santa drive? A truck or a sleigh?

Stories: (reading/ literacy, vocabulary skills)

1.) Saint Nicholas; the Real story of the Christmas legend by Julie Stiegemeyer

2.) The legend of Saint Nicholas by Dandi Daley Mackall

3.) The legend of the Christmas stocking by Rick Osborne

4.) The legend of the Christmas tree by Rick Osborne

Songs and finger plays:

1.) Snow is falling ( tune of "Are you sleeping")

Snow is falling, snow is falling

All around, all around

See the pretty snowflakes, see the pretty snowflakes

On the ground, on the ground

2.) The Mitten song

Thumbs in the finger place, fingers all together. This is the song we sing in mitten weather.

It doesn't matter, if they're wool or leather, thumbs in the thumb place, fingers all together.

Math:

Snowball counting: (learning to count and follow directions)

Using large index cards make a set of 10 cards. The first card has one dot (made with a marker) the second has two dots and so on until you reach 10. Lay the cards on a table and set out 15 cotton ball snowballs. Let the kids count the snowballs as they place them on the dots that are on the cards.

Mitten matching: (matching, and sorting skills)

Have a bunch of mittens cut out of several different colors of construction paper. Have these laminated. The kids match the mittens by color.

Language: reading, vocabulary and comprehension skills)

After reading the story the "Legend of the Christmas Stocking" ask the children make their own Christmas stocking. Start with red construction paper with a stocking pattern drawn on it. Next let the children decorate the stocking using cotton balls, markers, glitter, finally they cutout their stocking.

Science:

Warm and cold= water play using ice and bowls of water. Food coloring can be used to change the color of the ice and water.

Arts and crafts: this helps in following directions and learning their shapes and the sense of touch.

Shape Santa:

Circle- for face

Triangle- for hat

Smaller circle- top of hat

Cotton for top of hat or a white pompom and cotton for beard

Use wiggle eyes for eyes

Draw in the nose and mouth.

Markers, glue, construction paper, and scissors.

Hard/ soft Santa; concept /skills; understand hard /soft.

1.) Place the following items on the table; cotton balls, soft sponge, pile of yarn, marshmallows, small walnuts, marbles, and metal caps.

2.) Have each child take a turn, first feeling and identifying a hard and soft object. Praise their responses; do not criticize a wrong answer.

3.) After everyone has had a turn, give each child a premade Santa Claus face containing only a cutout of his red cap, while his face is left blank.

4.) Assist the children in gluing the cotton and other items to create a Santa face; eyes, eyebrows, nose, mouth, and beard.

Library Area:

Fill the library are with books about Christmas.

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