Winter story time

Last week, I did my winter story time with the kids at the preschool. I had a lot of fun planning it, but I must say, that I wish I could have done a real Christmas-theme for them. We are not allowed to share the Nativity story (and too much Santa) with the preschool kids. All in all, it went very well and the kids really enjoyed it.

After singing the "Hello" song, I pulled out my new friend, Mr. Bear:

He's all dressed for winter and was shivering when he came out of my bag. By the end of the time, he was warming up and enjoyed receiving hugs from the kids.

The first book I read was called The Snow Tree by Caroline Repchuck. Bear and his friends decorate a tree using items found in nature. It is beautifully illustrated and the story teaches colors and a lesson in pulling together as a team to get a great result.

Then I read the following poem and had the kids pretend to stomp on the ice while I read it a second time:

"Ice" by Dorothy Aldis

When it is winter time

I run up the street

And make the ice laugh

With my little feet--

"crickle, crackle, crickle

crrreeet, crrreet, crrreeet."

The next book I read was called Inside, Outside Christmas, by Robin Spowart. It showed pictures of mice doing different Christmas activities, and it had pairs of rhyming words throughout.

I read a poem called, "Christmas Gifts" by Betty Cooke. It goes well with the next activity I did with the kids.

Some packages are lovely

With fancy bow and tie;

The paper looks so glossy

It captivates the eye.

It's not the pretty ribbon

or cover bright and bold,

But the spirit of the giver

Hidden in the fold.

Wrap a little of yourself

And tie it with a smile,

Fill it full of warmth and love

And give a gift worthwhile!

I decorated this tissue box with a bow and some Christmas figures (gift tags). Inside, I placed a few pieces of papers that said things like, "Color a pretty picture and give it to someone you love" or "Bake some cookies for a neighbor." I had children pull them out and I read them. They were just simple gift ideas that they could do as a three or four-year-old with some help from home.

The last book I read is called, Cookie Count, by Robert Sabuda. It is a fantastic pop-up book! Each page shows a different type of cookie that can be counted. It begins with one chocolate chip cookie and ends with ten windows for hiding--inside the gingerbread house! I think this was the favorite book of them all.

I made a cookie matching game to play at the end of our time together. I made chocolate chip cookies using felt, then backed them with magnets. Then, I placed six different holiday shapes (two of each kind) on a small cookie sheet and put the cookies on top of them. The shapes were gift tags I bought at the dollar store. I had the kids take turns making matches. We had a lot of fun playing this game together.

I took Mr. Bear back out of the bag to sing our good-bye song. It was hard to leave, but we'll be back in January for more reading fun!

Hope this gives you some ideas for some holiday fun! Merry Christmas.:)