Wednesday, December 14, 2011

Nutcracker, Elf, and Reindeer Gift Bag

December is always a very busy month in my classroom.  There are always so many Holiday activities that I love to do and with so many great blogs, I get more and more ideas every year.

Another favorite activity I LOVE to make is the Elf.  This elf turns out pretty big so when we make it I spread the students out and some even work on the floor so everyone has enough room.  When I first started teaching, my classroom was beside a great teacher, Denise Roth, and she is the one who came up with the elf creation.  I love this elf so much I even made one for my son that I hang up every year for Christmas.  Plus, with the Elf on the Shelf this year the students are really into elves.  I have a parent volunteer trace all the pieces, but then the students cut them out and put them together.  I use a whole page picture of each student's face (8 by 10) that I cut out for them around their face. I have included the tracers for this wonderful project.


Thanks again Denise Roth for such a fantastic creation!

Every year I have my students make a present for their parents/grandparents.  This year I choose to have the students make an ornament with their handprint.  I just love this project.  I love it so much that now I make one for my own child every year to hang on the tree.  I paint the students hand and place it on the bulb.  Then after it dries, I give the students some Sharpie markers and they create their snowman face.  I love how different each bulb comes out.  Attached to each bulb is a poem and then on the back of the poem I have the students write their name. 


 Once all the bulbs are made I have to decide how to have the students take them home.  I love being able to wrap their gifts for their parents so their parents have something to open on Christmas too.  This year I found a brown bag idea on Pinterest and switched a little bit of it around to add my own touch.  For this gift bag the students glued on a brown circle and then a smaller red circle to the center of the brown circle.  Then they added the white eyes a little bit behind the brown nose and added with a black crayon the eyes.  Then their hands were traced on brown paper and then the students cut them out.  Then I put their bulb in the bag wrapped in tissue paper and then I folded down the gift bag and stapled it.  Then I stapled the antlers (hands) to the deer's head.
 Here is how it came out.  This will defiantly be on my list to make every year.  It was easy to make and so adorable.

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