Quick and easy gifts and a FREEBIE

Christmas is quickly approaching! Do you have all of your parent gifts done? Do you have them wrapped? Do you have student gifts ready?? So much to do with the time quickly passing! Only EIGHT, I repeat, EIGHT days until Christmas! Can you believe it?? But that means only 3 more days until break for me…how about you? Are you already on your Christmas break?

If you are panicking about what to do for parent gifts this year here are a couple quick and easy ideas. 

Handprint Mittens:

Materials:

·       mitten cutout or pattern

·       Small heart pattern or cut out

·       White paint

·       Paintbrush

·       Cold hands, warm heart print out

·       Hole punch

·       Pipe cleaners

·       Student pictures

·       Markers

Directions:

·       Students cut out the mittens

·       Students Write: Love, Student 2013 on the back of the mitten

·       Teacher paints their hands and students place them in the mitten.

·       While paint is drying, cut out hearts and cold hands, warm heart sayings.

·       Glue heart in center of hand and saying down by the fingers.

·       Glue the child’s photo in center of the heart.

·       Laminate (optional)

·       Paper punch to of mitten and ring a pipe cleaner through the hole.

Easy as 1 – 2 – 3~

Tissue Paper Wreaths:

Materials:

·       Student pictures

·       Small white paper plate (or white circle cut outs)

·       Small red circle cut outs (for center of the wreath)

·       Red and green tissue paper cut in small squares/rectangles

·       Glue

·       Pencils

·       Paper Punch

·       Pipe cleaners

·       Scratch paper

Directions:

·       Students glue the little red circle in the center of the white paper plate/circle

·       Students take scratch paper and put a big glob of glue on it.

·       They take their pencils, wrap a piece of tissue paper around the eraser end of the pencil and dip it in the glue and glue it around the edge of the white circle. Repeat this step until all of the white is filled in with tissue paper interspersing a few red pieces of tissue paper (holly berries)

·       Glue student picture in the center

   Easy as 1 -2 -3

What do you get your students for Christmas?? I used to spend money on books and all kinds of goodies but a few years ago I realized that a pad of paper and a pen was a HUGE HIT! So, that is what I do, I head to the dollar store and find cute pads of paper and fun gel pens. The kids get so excited because they now have their OWN pad of paper to keep notes on. 

Also, do you have your students do anything over break?? For those of you who didn't know, I like to have my students continue to practice certain skills so I send home a Holiday Challenge packet. It is filled with simple activities for them to do at home, to keep their brains busy. The students who return it after break get a special prize...usually a trip to my treasure box.

Click here for a copy of the packet!

Enjoy and I hope you have a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!! And a HAPPY and SAFE NEW YEAR!