We’re gearing up for the upcoming holiday season with our holiday extravaganza that is starting right here on Monday November 18. Our very first seasonal post will be featuring Montessori toys for little friends, ones you can DIY as well as ones you can buy, then we will have a short break on Montessori Mondays until the New Year.  When I started thinking about all the things “to do”, I realized a lot of these seasonal activities fit right into our inspired Montessori practical life holiday activities. Well, isn’t that just wonderful! But before we get into the red and green forest of Christmas trees, blue and silver dreidels and all that, I need to acknowledge that it is Remembrance Day here in Alberta.

In grade three, I (and my whole class) learnt the poem in Flanders Fields that we were to recite at the schools’ remembrance day assembly. For weeks, our teacher Mrs. St-James, quizzed us and made us recite it over and over until we got the pentameter just right. Every year, I remember, and I repeat that poem perfectly. 

 

Here are some neat printables from the Montessori Print shop on the topic to help with the conversation.

Make sure you say thank you – in whatever way you can today – thank you for your service, thank you for our freedom. It’s a great lesson in history & service.

Here are holiday activities that I can’t wait to try with Mr J:

1. Making salt-dough ornaments, or gingerbread, other links to terrific dough manipulation ideas from Living Montessori Now.
2. Stamping our Christmas Card envelopes with a Christmas stamp & putting on a postage stamp
3. Wrapping presents, great further concepts on this simple on this collection from Living Montessori Now
4. Unwrapping presents
5. Stringing a garland: bead stringing has been a popular activity at our place as of late.
6. Go into nature, chop down tree, decorate tree
7. Give back to Santa’s Anonymous, the Food Bank – this giving idea from Learn With Play At Home is also a great one.
8. Write a polite letter to Santa, the concept of “Something I want, something I need, something to wear, something to read” comes to mind.
9. Practice getting dressed in Christmas pajamas
10. Talk about (and try) new traditions from different cultures…. this  free Christmas around the World Unit Study may give you an idea of where to start.
11. Counting out tags & bows to see if we have enough
12. Snow sensory bin – I love this idea of using real snow from How We Learn At Home and I think this arctic animal bin could be customized into holiday fun & arctic animals. 

 What activities are you looking forward to this year?