Monday, November 27, 2006

Christmas School

In years past we have taken the month of December to do "Christmas School". This means that all schooling centers around the season. The kids write for the Christmas letter. They help bake. We study Advent and read Christmas books/stories......we like to deliver a nativity or many piece by piece. We usually do this for families whose fathers are deployed...but this year we don't know a lot of those on our base....us...but it'd be strange even for OUR family to sneak up and leave a nativity piece on our own doorstep. The kids ARE asking about this, so I need to think it out. There are usually lots of families we know through PWOC, chapel, Mike's squadrons. We write up a letter thanking the family for blessing our country by having dad/mom gone at Christmas, we tell they know us through wherever so they don't worry about stalkers....and we let the adults know that our children want to remain anonymous. LOL Then we stealthily deliver pieces. It was a blast in AK where we had the snow to content with....one resourceful group of boys had walkie talkies out to track us one night. Ah - memories. I really must figure out someone we can do this for this year.


This year we are attempting to do some "normal school". This year, with Mike gone, I don't have as many "must attend" functions. We have a SR. and he needs to be wrapping things up by May in order to have a transcript/diploma. We are trying to be able to take a few weeks off when Mike comes home in the spring....so we will try to continue making progress.


We ARE going to do some sort of Christmas/Advent project. I have looked at the ones to buy and the free ones out there and am not sold on anything yet. I need to decide soon. In looking over our Christmas books (unpacked this week), I've come up with two ways we could go. We could make a lap book out of our Jesse Tree symbols and readings. OR we could make a lap book centered around Christmas symbols. See - I'm learning to have realistic expectations - I'm not going to try to do both! LOL I'm leaning towards a study on Christmas symbols for the younger 3. I love to find lots of hands on/real life object lessons. I like to help the kids make the connections so that when they see one of these things there minds will fly to Jesus. I think we can use the book we have as the basis to study various symbols and make a fun study of it.


Here are the two books I'm considering...I'll let you know which way we go.
*Let's Make a Jesse Tree! by Darcy James* - Brenda, gave us this book years ago when we lived in San Antonio. We used the patterns to make our Jesse banner. OK the GIRLS cut these out and made them! I love child led projects! LOL Each year we read the 26 devotional passages and hang the symbols on our banner. I think it needs some mending before it's packed away this year. I could easily use the symbols in this book for patterns for shape books.....and there would be easy copy work etc.
*The ADVENTure of Christmas by Lisa Whelchel* - I love the artwork in this book. Lisa takes common Christmas symbols and explains a small bit about where they came from and offers ideas on how to help your child make a connection. By following the suggestions in this book one is constantly being reminded of Christ throughout the season.
I think Arielle and I are leaning towards a lap book on the symbols of Christmas with this book being the basis of our study and projects.

16 comments:

Anonymous said...

DeEtta,
We will be incorporating The ADVENTure of Christmas into our Christmas studies this year. I am just NOT a lapbook or notebooking type person and, though I have been inspired by your wonderful books, I do not see me trying it this year. LOL!
Dh and I are attempting to write our own Jotham's Journey type story. I will let you know how that worked out or not! I would love to hear what else you come up with. Christmas is so much fun this year. Health is a wonderful thing!
So, I am praying for your whole family to be fully healthy soon.
Love you!

Diann said...

We got the lapbook about Christmas Symbols this week. It was super cheap with the 50% sale and Jenna really wanted to do it with Tara. It looks pretty good!

Diann

Cynthia said...

I need to find someone to do the nativity delivery with... that sounds like so much fun each year I hear you talk about it... but I've never given it a try yet.

Let us know which route you go with the Christmas school project.

Emily said...

That book by Lisa Whelchel looks great! I am going to look at that the next time I go to the Christian bookstore. I was so behind reading everyone's blogs - I am catching up tonight! It was so nice to see all your great decorations - you all did a great job! Also, where did you go to get the cute cursor?

DeEtta @ Courageous Joy said...

Gilda...I've thought it would be fun to do a story like that - do let me know how it turns out. Thanks for the prayers for health...have been praying for you as well.

DeEtta @ Courageous Joy said...

Diann,

So....tell me more about that lapbook? Are the graphics cool? Do they have lots of ready to go "shape books"? Do they have a list of suggested books to read? Do they give answers or what? Did you do the Thanksgiving one from Live and Learn? Is it similar? I really am not sure if I want to order one or not.

DeEtta @ Courageous Joy said...

Emily....www.cursormania.com

Debbie said...

Both those books looks great. Can't wait to hear/see what you decide to do.

I'm still up in the air what we are doing. I bought the Christmas Symbols one during their sale, but haven't even looked at it much. It doesn't look as labor intensive as the Thanksgiving one we just did.

I had also thought of using the Jesse Tree symbols (found it online someplace) as a springboard for a lapbook.

Anonymous said...

I've got half the Symbols Lapbook printed (in colour) so far and am leafing through the pages trying to figure it out. Can you imagine me with a large question mark over my head?

Lapbooking...the adventure begins.

Dorothy

DeEtta @ Courageous Joy said...

So did you all print out the hands of a child Christmas symbol one? How long is it? Do you like it? Not sure if I want to do another pre-made kit....but it may be quicker....and I could adapt it....

Anonymous said...

I'm not sure how long it is. Our printer is broken so I sent the file to Jamie at work who printed part of it out there.

We cut out the trees and were left with inadequate instructions wondering hat to do next.

Lapbooking...the adventure grinds to an ignominious halt. {g}

Dorothy

Anonymous said...

This looks like fun. I look forward to seeing what you decide and seeing pictures. Maybe I'll get brave enough to do it next year.

Jen in Az.

Stephanie said...

I love the ADVENTure of Christmas! I picked up a copy, but since we're using bits and pieces of it during My Father's House at church (children's service) I gave it to our children's pastor's wife to play around with. But... sniff... I want it back now. lol I think we might do a lap book using it too. Unfortunately we're not too good with Jesse Trees. I love the concept, and we try it every year but we never make it that far. We did get onto the third limb last year! Hopefully this year we'll make more progress!

DeEtta @ Courageous Joy said...

Dorothy - you SAW how I was with the Thanksgiving lapbook - there was one booklet I never did figure out. LOL BUT all in all it's fine and no one would know....except all of you who did the same one.

DeEtta @ Courageous Joy said...

STephanie - re Jesse Trees - we ended up doing a Jesse Banner and that worked better for us. We put the symbols on the banner. We don't always READ all the devotionals...but we discuss it and I often narrate the passage for the littles, stick the symbol on the wall and move on. LOL

Renee said...

If you don't have a spare tree, one option is to go to a teacher store and buy a bulletin board evergreen tree". It doesn't make an extra mess, just need to find a wall on which to hang it (drats that reminds me I need to go to the basement storage and get out my advent stuff) and if you laminate your ornaments (aka clear contact paper) you can tape them on each year