10 Christmas Activities Using ICT

Hi all,

Below are some ways to use ICT to keep your children busy in the run up to the Christmas holidays!

Ho! Ho! Ho!

1. Create an augmented reality Christmas card.

I'm very excited to try this out this year. This is done by using the app, Aurasma. Follow Paul Hamilton's simple tutorial below. Note: The children will need a mobile device and will need to create a free account using Aurasma.

2. Make an interactive Christmas card using Scratch.

Follow the simple instructions in this PDF. You only need to follow two steps so even absolute beginners could try this one!

3. Whole class interactive wordsearch:

Does exactly what it says on the tin - from reviseict.co.uk

4. Play Christmas carols...

by squeezing the noses in this reindeer orchestra. This is dangerously addictive!

5. Have a Christmas Carol video conference:

I love this idea from anseo.net - link up with another school and sing some Christmas carols to one another. 

6. Do an interactive spot the difference:

Thanks to primarygames.com

7. Explore Christmas around the world

Join in with Mr. Parkinson's project (He's may be better known to you as the teacher from "ICT with Mr. P.") - add your Christmas traditions to his padlet (you can access from a computer or the app on a tablet device) or sign up for a Skype call.

8. Have a Christmas karaoke session:

Feel free to use my Christmas karaoke playlist!

9. Have the children create a Christmas table quiz:

Divide the children into groups. Each group needs to create a round of questions and present them on a suitable application - e.g. Keynote/Powerpoint. Then the whole quiz can be put together to be answered by all.

10. Let me virtually teach your class!

Sit back, relax and let your class join in to my video tutorial of Jingle Bell Rock. Then put on a karaoke version and let them perform it to the music. The dance is done on the spot so the children can stand in the classroom to do it.

*Credits for cover graphic - background and clipart (www.mycutegraphics.com), fonts (www.kevinandamanda.com)

Happy Holidays!

We did it!!! We finally made it! Here's to a happy Christmas spent with your family and friends! No doubt you've worked hard this year. Now enjoy the holidays - eat, drink and be merry! I'm off to do the same. 

See you in 2016!


*graphics from My Cute Graphics
*fonts from Kevin and Amanda

Christmas Symmetry

Less than a week to go to the Christmas holidays! We've just had our dress rehearsal and are looking forward to our show on Friday. Here are some pics of how we did a very Christmassy but still a "real" maths lesson. 

I showed the children how to do four symmetry activities - an angel on a grid in pairs and a Christmas tree, a snowflake and a bauble on a grid independently. They began with the paired activity and then chose the order they did the other activities. They listened to Christmas songs and drew/cut away happily.

Here are some of the children finishing a symmetrical angel in pairs and a bauble independently. I got the angel and bauble from Activity Village. 

 

Here is one of the children's Christmas tree. I showed them how to do their half-tree shape on the board and they got cracking on their own.

 And here are two of the very unique snowflakes they made. They're so simple - start with a circle template, fold in half three times and then cut out bits of it.

Christmas Tag

Hi folks,

I was tagged on the Irish Primary Art FB page to take part in "The Christmas Tag." Not sure who wants to know about my Christmas memories but here goes anyway!

1. What's your favourite Christmas movie? Love Actually. I'm usually in floods of tears right from the airport scene at the beginning.
2. Do you open your presents on Christmas Eve or Christmas morning? Christmas morning. 
3. Do you have a favourite Christmas memory? All of my Christmases have been very happy and it's hard to choose a standout memory. I'll go for a funny one. My mother asked me to turn on the oven but, having not been living at home in years, didn't realise I had turned on the grill function (the symbol was not as obvious as you'd imagine) and we ended up grilling the turkey for an hour. We then cooked it upside down . It turned out misshapen but delicious!
4. Favourite festive food? Roasted chestnuts, washed down with mulled wine.
5. Favourite Christmas gift? A trip to Barcelona!
6. Favourite Christmas scent? Cinnamon and cloves.
7. Do you have any Christmas Eve traditions? When we were children, we all went to Christmas mass together. Nowadays, we make the most of use coming together from different cities/countries and go for a drink together.
8. What tops your tree? A long-legged Rudolph teddy bear (see the pic above!)
9. As a kid, what was the one gift you asked for but never received? Same answer as Irish Primary Art... Mr. Frosty!
10. What's the best part about Christmas for you? Having my whole family in the same place at the same time. It's such a rare occurrence for us!

Christmas Wreath Crafts

Hi everyone,

At our school, we purchased polystyrene rings to make Christmas wreaths. As I've never used them before, I popped over to Pinterest for some inspiration. Before I begin with the polystyrene ring crafts, these are some simple ways to make wreaths without spending lots of money!

Cut out the centre of a paper plate:
Cheap, simple and effective.

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I like how they've used painted pasta to decorate this one. You could also use pom poms.

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This one is made with scrap fabric. Perhaps you could get some festive fabric in the reduced section of a fabric shop (like Hickey's) or from some clothes/sheets from a charity shop.

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Make the circle from green cardboard hand prints: 
This would be a lovely way to make some class wreaths in groups.

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Use an old wire hanger as a base:
Ask the children to bring in one/two hangers and you don't need to buy any base. You could then scrunch up old newspaper and tape it on to create a thick base.

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.......so now that you have a thick base, here are some ways to decorate them!

Pin ribbon on, wrap around and pin again.

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This one could be done by gluing on strips of wrapping paper.

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You could paint the wreath green (mix PVA glue with the paint so it sticks to the polystyrene) and wrap pipe cleaners around some of it.

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NO PREP activities for surviving THAT Monday and Tuesday

Hi all,

It's December and Christmas is just around the corner. If you're in school on Monday 21st and Tuesday 22nd December this year, then you'll probably be counting down the hours and minutes until the holidays. 

What better way to pass the time than cram those days full of Christmassy activities? This post is here to take away some of the doom and gloom of planning and suggest some ready-to-go activities.



1. Let A Crucial Week teach your class:
Yep! Let me in to your classroom. Well, not literally! Last year I (mortifyingly) created a video tutorial for a dance to Jingle Bell Rock (child-friendly, NOT Mean Girls style!). It's 14 minutes long and you can happily sit back while your children learn the dance from me! The dance is all performed on the spot so it can be done in the classroom, at their desks. Click here to find out more!

2. Have a Christmas karaoke session:
I've created a YouTube playlist with Christmas karaoke videos. Maybe your students are comfortable to get up and sing solo or in small groups. Otherwise, you could have the whole class sing together. Check it out here.

3. Have a table quiz:
Being a self-confessed quiz nerd, I can't resist the opportunity for a good aul quiz. This one from Nollaig Shona (by the man behind our beloved Seomra Ranga) on Powerpoint has a beautiful background and consists of 8 rounds of 6 questions, a tie breaker round (and answers) along with cute Christmas jokes at the end of each round. You'd be mad not to download this 145 slide freebie!

4. Throw on this Christmas playlist:
Whether the children are having a party, doing arts and crafts, stuck inside during wet weather or just singing/dancing along, this Christmas party playlist will keep them happy. Please be aware that you might have to skip a few ads at the start of these videos!

5. Have your own Late Late Toy Show:
Ask the children to bring in their favourite toy. Have the children do an oral "review" of the toy for the class. Don't forget to don a Christmas jumper to rival any that you've seen on Uncle Gaybo, Pat or Ryan! In my school, we allow the children to bring in one toy and they all play together in the gym. They love the novelty of it!

6. Watch a Christmas movie:
Some seasonal favourites are: 
Polar Express
Frozen
Frosty The Snowman
The Muppet Christmas Carol
Kung Fu Panda Holiday
If you're allowed to put on PG-rated movies with older classes - Elf and Home Alone are good choices...
but the best way to organise this is to get the children to bring in some DVDs and vote on their favourite.

7. Christmas Memory Game (IWB):
Put this interactive memory game (from primarygames.com) on your whiteboard and let the class have turns to play it. As it is timed, maybe you could divide them into teams and see who could find the most pairs/ find all pairs the fastest. Be sure to check out the other Christmas-themed interactive games on that site too. 
If you'd prefer to have a hard copy of this type of game, you can download it for free from my TPT store.

8. Calm everything down with a softly-read story:
You don't even need to read it. This lovely rendition of "Twas the Night Before Christmas," read by Janet Lanier, accompanied by a harp is soothing to the ears.

9. Your Classroom's Got Talent / The X-Factor:
Unleash your class members' creativity by holding a "(Insert town/school name)'s Got Talent" or "X-Factor" show. Give the children some time to prepare a Christmas rap/song/dance/short sketch and then perform for their peers.

10. Classic party games:
Let's not forget the obvious. Some classics never fail to disappoint. Pick up a few cheap Christmas-themed stationery bits and bobs or candy canes, wrap them up and play "pass the parcel." Play musical chairs, musical statues or musical bumps with upbeat Christmas music.

*background and clipart in the title image from My Cute Graphics

Staff treat

Unfortunately, I've no resources to share with you today. Here's a quick peek at what I've been up to this evening. We have our Christmas show tomorrow so here's a little sugar pick-me-up for the teachers! 

Simple Snowflake Crafts (for all classes in primary school)

Just a week left! 

Time is flying by! 

Here are three simple snowflake crafts for lower, middle and upper primary school children. None of them require very many resources (though, for the first one, you'll need to pick up a few packs of lollipop sticks!)

1. Lower primary:

This lollipop snowflake is easy. Glue a few lollipop sticks together, paint them white and smother them with glitter. Glue on a loop of string to create a hanging Christmas tree decoration.

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2. Middle primary:

This is what I'll be doing with my class this week (which ties in nicely with our latest maths topic of symmetry). It's a paper snowflake. Simply fold a circle of paper in half several times, cut out some triangles et voilà. Add some string if you want to hang it from the tree. Smother in glitter for effect.

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One of my colleagues pointed me in the direction of "snowflake ballerinas" on Pinterest. You cut out a ballerina template from white card and the snowflake becomes her tutu. You can view the craft and download templates for the ballerina here.

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3. Upper primary:

This giant snowflake is a little fiddly to make but very do-able for older primary school children. All you need to do is fold 6 squares of paper, cut in a certain way, tape it together. And, as per the other crafts, feel free to add a loop of string and (You've guessed it!) SMOTHER IT IN GLITTER. It works great if done in pairs. Check out this tutorial to see how to do it.

Here are some that my 7 year olds made two year's ago:

*Background, frame and clipart in image all from MyCuteGraphics

Christmas Party YouTube Playlist

Hello everyone,

Another Christmas-themed treat for you today. Here's a YouTube playlist that I made for our Christmas party. It's an hour long and includes lots of Christmas classics, singalongs, THE MINIONS and, love it or hate it, Frozen's "Let It Go." Hopefully YouTube isn't blocked in your school and you can make use of this resource!

Click here to view the playlist.

Background and frame in the image from MyCuteGraphics

Jingle Bell Rock Video Tutorial

Looking for something to keep your class entertained for a while during the last week of school? Want a dance that they can do in the classroom (even with limited space)? 

Well it's you're lucky day! It is with a great deal of embarrassment and a dollop of courage that I present to you a video tutorial of the dance that we created at my school for Jingle Bell Rock. It's really simple so even younger primary school children can do it and the song is not baby-ish so it should suit middle and upper primary school classes too.

I was hoping that this could be something that you could put on your interactive whiteboard/projector but the video quality isn't great. I had some serious issues trying to save it as a bigger file due to storage problems. However, it still might be useful for you to learn the dance, to teach the children.

Unfortunately, due to copyright issues, I couldn't use the official track. I suggest teaching the song and using this karaoke video to help with the lyrics. Then, when they're familiar with the song, use my dance tutorial to add in the moves.

I ho ho hope you like it (I've already uploaded a video of me dancing, I don't think that cheesy line can make me cringe any more)

FREE Christmas pelmanism (memory) card game

It's FRIIIIIIIIIIIDAY! And for some of us, it's a long weekend! Here's a festive freebie to keep your class busy during the last week of school. It's a pelmanism (memory) game. 

I'm sure you all know how to play! Just turn over two cards. If they match, you keep the pair and go again. If not, the next person takes a turn. Continue until no cards remain. The winner is the person with the most cards.

There are 15 picture cards and 15 matching labels in this set. You can use as many or as few of these pairs of cards to challenge your children appropriately. 

They could also be used for introducing basic Christmas vocabulary to students with English as a second language. 

You can download them for free from Google Drive or my TPT store.

P.S. A quick reminder: I have been shortlisted for an Edublog Award in the "Most Influential Blog Post of the Year" category. I would really appreciate any votes. You just have to click on the thumbs up under "A Crucial Week: 10 reasons NOT to date a girl who teaches." Click here to vote!

Kindness Elves

Image source: Erica's Ed-Ventures

Having just posted about the Elf on the Shelf phenomenon, a post by Amy Lemons directing me towards Erica's Ed-Ventures grabbed my attention. It's about "Kindness Elves." They elf stays in your classroom and each day they have a note with an act of kindness. To make things even better, Erica has posted a freebie with lovely, heart-shaped notes, full of ideas. Just click here to view her post and download.

Is there an Elf on the Shelf in your classroom?

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Many American teacher bloggers who I follow have an Elf on the Shelf in their classrooms. If you don't know what it is, have a look at this page. You can "adopt" an elf who brings their Christmas magic. The elves tend to get up to some mischief when humans are asleep/away. If your adopted elf lives in your classroom, the children arrive to find something out of the ordinary when they get to school. 

The official Shelf The Elf website has a gallery of photos of elf sightings. There is also a Buzzfeed post with 43 interesting sightings, providing lots of inspiration (though not all are suitable for classrooms.) Pinterest is full of photos of sightings in classrooms.

Mel D from Seusstastic Classroom Inspirations documented her Elf on the Shelf ideas on her blog. She has also shared a freebie with some writing templates. It's available in her TPT store. 

Photo from Mel D's Seusstastic Classroom Inspirations

Adopting an official elf from this website can be a little bit pricey. I'm sure less expensive elves can be "adopted" from other places. Is this something that you think you'd like to try in your classroom? 

Irish teachers, this concept could very easily be applied to St. Patrick's Day and leprechauns!

One to follow: Nollaig Shona.ie

I've previously posted about my love of the wonderful Seomra Ranga site, on which many of my classroom resources were found! 

Once again, Seomra Ranga's sister site, Nollaig Shona (that means "Merry Christmas" to any non-Irish people reading this!) is back in full swing for the festive season. There, you'll find plenty of printables, PowerPoints, quizzes, links to other online resources, Christmas craft ideas, lined paper and much more! You can download some quality resources as Gaeilge. For anyone out there who's not from Ireland, don't be misguided. Most of the resources are in English or universal!

Here are some of my favourites from the site:

Letter to Santa vocabulary flashcards.

The gazillion Christmas-themed lined pages for creative writing.

The "If You Don't Believe You Don't Receive" poster for children who may be inclined to voice suspicions which are best not heard by all pupils. 

Christmas Origami including Santa Claus, a reindeer, a bell, a Christmas wreath and a star.


Also, if you're a fan of either of these sites, please click here to vote for Seomra Ranga in the Best Individual Blog category of the Edublog Awards. Today is the last day to vote and it only takes a minute to do so!