This tip is about Christmas and how to integrate it into your lessons. There is also a winter project that includes Christmas as just one of its many aspects.

Author
Jo Bertrand

The weather

Christmas
Whether you go into the traditional story of Christmas or whether you approach it on a purely commercial level is up to you and your school. 

Food
If you can, make some mince pies with small groups. You could make a simplified version without alcohol and without leaving the fruit to soak for two weeks! You can tell them how traditionally when the fruit is stirred in they should make a wish. You can also tell them how one or two are traditionally left for Father Christmas along with a saucer of milk for the reindeers. Here’s a simple recipe:
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2174/unbelievably-easy-mince-pies

Clothes
Here is a ready to print booklet children can make themselves which teaches clothes and colours:
http://www.abcteach.com/free/b/booklet_clothes_winter.pdf

Dates
Here is a printable Santa-shaped advent calendar. They could draw a different Christmas object in each circle and learn numbers up to 24:
http://www.first-school.ws/activities/crafts/holiday/santa1.htm

Snowmen
Below are two snowmen action songs that young learners will love. These songs and others can be found at:
http://www.theholidayzone.com/winter/songs.htm

A Chubby Little Snowman
A chubby little snowman
Had a carrot nose
Along came a rabbit
And what do you suppose?
That hungry little bunny,
Looking for his lunch,
ATE the snowman's carrot nose...
Nibble, nibble, CRUNCH!

I'm a Great Big Snowman (to the tune of I'm a Little Teapot)
I'm a great big snowman,
Tall and fat.
Here's my tummy.
Here's my hat.
Raisins for my eyes,
And a carrot nose,
I'm all snow from head to toe!

Animals - feeding birds
You could actually take the children outside and make this an authentic learning activity. Why not find a spot where they can observe the birds. They could count them, describe them and put some real food out for them to eat. They could tie food to trees or find a safe place to leave some bread or other foods. Check first with your school about how to organise this.

Show them a picture of a robin redbreast and write a R,O,B,I,N or a R,E,D,B,R,E,A,S,T acrostic poem whereby you write the word vertically and they have to find a word about birds or winter that begins with each letter e.g. Red, Oven, Bird, Ice, Nuts. You could do the same thing for words such as Christmas, winter or snowman.

Useful links
http://www.dltk-holidays.com/winter/
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/winter/

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