Have You Read? Toys Meet Snow

Today I would like to introduce you to a great book for reading aloud to your students during the cold winter months.....Toys Meet Snow by Emily Jenkins.

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5 Creative Ways to Teach About Christmas Traditions Around the World

Whether your students celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Las Posadas, Kwanzaa, Chinese New Year, (or all of them!), they are always excited to learn about other countries and their holiday celebrations too!  In this post, you'll find tons of creative ideas and resources for an awesome and engaging unit on Christmas Around the World!  

My students have always loved learning about the holiday traditions and beliefs of other cultures!  This topic is filled with opportunities to ALSO teach about geography too!  Plus, it's always great to expand your students' horizons as they learn about other countries.  They will become more culturally aware and the world becomes a smaller, friendlier place for them when they can relate to, and empathize with, other world citizens.

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It's Back! 2016 Gingerbread Man Exchange

Sign-Ups for the 2016 Gingerbread Man Exchange have Closed
Sign-Ups for the 2017 Valentine Exchange will open in early January!
Thanks to everyone for making this year so much fun for the kids!

It's the most wonderful time of the year!  The holiday season is my absolute favorite time of the year in an elementary classroom.  The joy in the children's eyes is a daily reminder of why I became a teacher in the first place.  

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December Nonfiction Passage: Grab a Free Sample Passage about St. Lucia Day

Christmas time in the classroom is full of fun and excitement!  But...I don't want the learning to come to a stop!  So, I try to include as many engaging topics as possible.

Here is a glimpse of the topics we will be focusing on next month.  

Reindeer

Christmas in Australia

Los Posadas (Mexico)

Christmas in Germany

Pearl Harbor (Pearl Harbor Day: December 7)

Christmas in Italy

The Wright Brothers (First Flight December 14)

St. Lucia Day (Sweden)

Grab this FREEBIE for your class this December!

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Gingerbread Man Exchange Recap

The concept behind the gingerbread man exchange is simple yet it is one of the most enjoyable and rewarding activities of the year.  I want to personally thank the approximately 80 teachers from across the country who joined together to make this exchange possible.  Here is a look at this year's gingerbread man exchange.

During the week before the Thanksgiving holiday, I set up a gingerbread "factory".....I basically took out all my extra craft supplies and spread them out across the table.  Each of my lil' pups had a chance to create their own gingerbread man using their choice of supplies.

We gathered all of our special gingerbread friends together for a picture before we packaged them up to be sent off to their new homes.   

Photo Courtesy of Ms. Hathcoat's Class

We wrote a letter for our gingerbread man to take with them to their new home.  Our letter told a little bit about our school and our town.

We packed each gingerbread man and I took them all to the post office to begin their journey to their new homes.

Then, we waited for our new friends to arrive.  Most days we received one or two envelopes containing special friends.  We couldn't wait to see the gingerbread man and really LOVED reading about the class that sent it.  

When each friend arrived we displayed them near our class map so we could see where they came from.  

My kids just LOVED reading the letters....they have probably read each one a hundred times this month!

Here is a look at our class display.  We had a few late arriving gingerbread friends but this is most of them.

Photo Courtesy of Ms. Hathcoat's Class
Here is another look at a classroom display.

Did your class love the Gingerbread Exchange?  Missed out?  Well....you are in luck!  I will be hosting a Valentine Exchange that will work in the same way as the Gingerbread man exchange.  Sign ups will begin on January 3rd.  If you participated in the Gingerbread Man exchange, I will be emailing you the link to sign up on January 3rd.  If you did not participate in the Gingerbread Man exchange, I will also post the sign up link on my blog.  Be sure to follow my blog on Blog Lovin' if so you don't miss the sign up window.   

An InLinkz Link-up

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Pick 3: December's Pinterest Pics ~A New Linky~

This month, my sweet friend Marissa, from The Inspired Owl's Corner, and I are kicking off our monthly Pick 3 Pinterest Linky party.  On the 3rd of each month we will be sharing with you our top three Pinterest finds for our classroom for the upcoming month.  

December is my favorite month in the classroom.  There are so many fun things that can be done with your students.  Here are a few new ideas that I have found on Pinterest that I plan to use this month with my students.

Each year I try to help my students make a gift for their parents. 

Click Image to View Original Pinterest Link

This year, I am going to have my student create a fingerprint Christmas tree.  For $1.00 each, I can purchase frames from Dollar Tree to frame their artwork.  The result will be an adorable keepsake that each child can give to their parents for Christmas.

I also like for my student to participate in at least one service project during the holiday season.  

Click Image to View Original Pinterest Link

I love this simple idea to make homemade bird feeders.  I have a couple of parent that have agreed to help with this project so each child will be able to make a bird feeder to keep at their home and one to give away. 

The Christmas party is so much fun for the kids but it can be a bit stressful for the teacher if you don't have a plan in place.

Click Image to View Original Pinterest Link

This site has great ideas for Minute to Win It games that would be perfect for our class party. 

If you are searching for more great ideas...check out my Pinterest feed.

Visit PAWSitively Teaching's profile on Pinterest.

Come Pin With Us

This linky party will be hosted on the 3rd of each month and we would love for you to join in on the fun!

Here's how to join in on the fun!!!

1.  Save the Pick 3 images to your desktop.

2.  Create a blog post using these images to share you 3 Pinterest Picks for the month.

3.  Share a link to your full Pinterest page if you would like.

4.  Link up by clicking the add your link button below.

5.  Be sure to check out the other Pinterest finds that have been shared and leave a comments on the ones you love!

An InLinkz Link-up

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