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Meredith
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You're welcome 
Love,
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Meredith
Mom of 4 Sweeties
Sweetness and Light
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TracyQ
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hereinantwerp wrote:
| How about the "favorites on our shelf + whatever you can find at the library" unit, or the "just reading, snuggling, and baking the cookies and doing the crafts you'd do anyway" unit?" |
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This is the one we're using this year too!  We're just going to read the books we have and find in the library, and do the crafts we choose to do, and baking/cooking the things we want to cook/bake. Our *school* will be the normal school (loosened up a bit for December somewhat), and then we'll just have a great Christmas with great books and great fun!
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Tracy Q.
wife of Marty for 20 years, mom of 3 wonderful children (1 homeschool graduate, 1 12th grader, and a 9th grader),
 homeschooling in 15th year in Buffalo, NY
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Rachel May
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hereinantwerp wrote:
| How about the "favorites on our shelf + whatever you can find at the library" unit, or the "just reading, snuggling, and baking the cookies and doing the crafts you'd do anyway" unit?" |
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This has sort of been my approach too. The other night looking at MacBeth' winter opinon and her page on Snow! and her Christmas opinion and even her Autumn opinion and requested as many books as I could from the library. This weekend we clear all the other books from the shelves and put out only Advent, Christmas, winter, etc books out. I can't wait!
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Rachel
Thomas and Anthony (10), Maria (8), Charles (6), Cecilia (5), James (3), and Joseph (1)
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Erin
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I have decided this will be our approach, lots of picture books and craft activities. The children and I will be making some homemade items in this time as well.
Does anyone have any suggestions though for my dd14. She will read the picture books happily, in fact has already been sneaking into the pile, but I'd like something different for her that we haven't done before. Is there a ready made unit for the older child?
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Erin
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hereinantwerp
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I don't know why but I feel so slow lately, bummed out, low energy, and like I just want to go to bed--our "new" (but old!) house is too cold maybe. Or maybe it's having a 2 year old--for some reason I never do the toddler phase well, am always so tired! Or it might be other things. I usually love christmas and feel inspired to do projects and etc.--I'm not sure why this year I am so affected.
So it feels like all my xmas plans & ambitions (I had several!) have suddenly gone to pieces!! But I've decided to just flow with it, b/c knowing me, "pushing it" will only make things worse, and make me miserable to live with  . I feel like my theme is--a SLOW christmas!! And somehow I feel like I just need some kind of blessing this season--I'm not sure what, but I need something!!!
Anyway, all we are doing for school is--christmas. Just trying to enjoy it. But it's more of a "plan by default" based on my funky mood lately . I originally had planned on doing the Tomie de Paola unit and was quite excited about. Well, we'll read some of the books, LOL! Anyway, I don't mean to knock plans!
PS for teens a few years ago I saw a book by Jostein Gaarder The Christmas Mystery that looked so intriguing. I would like to buy it for myself! And there are the "classics"--Charles Dickens, Dylan Thomas, novels with a christmas scene, etc. Or you could research christmas in different times and cultures. See, I am normally a wellspring of ideas and ambitions--!
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Angela Nelson
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Erin
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CandaceC wrote:
Does anyone know if the Saint Nicholas flip book is still available anywhere? The old link provided gives me an error page.
Thanks!
Candace |
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Well Candace,
Kathryn has once again been wonderfully generous and gracious with us and the St Nicholas info is up Be warned it took us a full week to do it all last year
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Erin
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ami*
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I just finished making templates for a Gingerbread Lapbook to go with the Gingerbread Baby Unit.
And there is a free Night Before Christmas Lapbook and Unit also at HSS.
If you like James Herriot, there is also a free Christmas Day Kitten Unit with Lapbook.
I hope that's helpful and not more confusing!
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CandaceC
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Thanks for posting the link, Erin! Between that flip book and the Saint Nicholas center I now have WAY too much to do for dec. 6th, ha ha!
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Candace - wife to David since 2000...mommy to Hannah (Feb. 2002), Emily (April 2003) and Caleb (March 2005)
His Mercy Is New
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JuliaT
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Angela, last year I felt the same way that you feel this year. We tried to do the St. Nicholas lapbook but after a few days it fizzled so I gave up. Christmas is my favourite time of year but last year I did not care about Christmas at all. I can't tell you why either. All we did was read Christmas books. I didn't even have enough gumption to do crafts.
This year, though, I am back in the Christmas spirit. We are going to follow some of the ideas from TeachingMoms advent calendar. We will fill our days with crafts and books. Nothing too fancy but I am so excited about it. I am looking forward to staying home during the month of Dec. and making memories with my kids. Someone on my Waldorf list called it 'pulling in.' I like that phrase.
I am glad that you are going with the flow because I think that is the best weay to handle the low energy thing. It worked for me.
Blessings,
Julia
mom of 3(8,6,4)
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hereinantwerp
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JuliaT wrote:
Angela, last year I felt the same way that you feel this year. We tried to do the St. Nicholas lapbook but after a few days it fizzled so I gave up. Christmas is my favourite time of year but last year I did not care about Christmas at all. I can't tell you why either. All we did was read Christmas books. I didn't even have enough gumption to do crafts.
This year, though, I am back in the Christmas spirit. We are going to follow some of the ideas from TeachingMoms advent calendar. We will fill our days with crafts and books. Nothing too fancy but I am so excited about it. I am looking forward to staying home during the month of Dec. and making memories with my kids. Someone on my Waldorf list called it 'pulling in.' I like that phrase.
I am glad that you are going with the flow because I think that is the best weay to handle the low energy thing. It worked for me.
Blessings,
Julia
mom of 3(8,6,4) |
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I'm glad to hear you "bounced back!" It's encouraging for me to hear it! I miss my "Christmas me" but thankfully the Lord is leading me to just be gentle on myself and flow with it. And you never know, sometimes there can be a special grace or something to learn, for me or for all of us, during this kind of time.
We read the most lovely book today all about "Pulling In"--called CHRISTMAS TREE MEMORIES by Aliki.
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Angela Nelson
Mother to Simon (13), Calvin (9), and Lyddie Rose (3)
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MaryM
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hereinantwerp wrote:
We read the most lovely book today all about "Pulling In"--called CHRISTMAS TREE MEMORIES by Aliki. |
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Oh, we just read that one, too. Very sweet and I'm actually working on a little unit study about Christmas trees and traditions/decorating. Hope to post soon if anyone is interested.
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Mary M. in Denver
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MaryM
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And while search through old threads for another post, I ran across this one from the first Christmas that 4 Real was open. It is a listing of wonderful ideas from Jenn M. I am reposting it here as I think it is very worthy of a rerun! (And since it is a few years old some of the links may no longer be active - I didn't check them all.)
Jenn wrote:
I have a few ideas...too many! Take your pick!
St. Nicholas: There are so many ideas, projects, resources on this one site St. Nicholas Center. Easy enough to do a whole unit on St. Nicholas for a whole month or so.
St. Lucia: There are some ideas on this Sweden thread, including a unit.
Tasha Tudor: She's a bit on the secular side...but not completely. Her stuff is ageless in my opinion. See her website Tasha Tudor and Family.
These are just a few books and videos that I could think of right now:Take Joy! The Tasha Tudor Christmas Book,
Take Peace! -- a video of Christmas at her cottage. It's enjoyable. The companion Take Joy! Ii also wonderful.
A Time to Keep.
Around the Year
There's also an Advent Calendar that's out of print.
Her version of A Night Before Christmas (actually, she mentions she illustrated two different versions).
Tasha Tudor Cookbook for Christmas cooking.
There are several other books (out of print some) on Christms (Doll's Christmas, Corgiville?). A great book book with crafts is Old-Fashioned Gifts.
Christmas Bread: Bethlehem means "House of Bread" so the tradition of baking Christmas breads is rooted in symbolic tradition, also. I think it would be a fun study to get a taste of different countries' bread for Christmas. Three books I would recommend, but I have loads more of other sources:
Celebration Breads: Recipes, Tales and Traditions by Betsy Oppenneer.
Out of Print: The Festive Bread Book by Kathy Cutler
Cooking for Christ by Florence Berger. This is a slightly revised. You can view the original text online here.
But these are cookbooks, not exactly "Living Books." The family could create their own "living cookbook/notebook" by choosing some countries and a recipe, making the recipe, take pictures, research a bit of about the Christmas customs of that country and write a "story" about the bread and the family that would serve it. I'm sure you could be more creative, but that's just a starting point. A book geared toward children that would be helpful is 46 Days of Christmas by Dorothy Gladys Spicer. Out of print, but anything by her is filled with great background of cultural and historical traditions.
Or maybe try one big baking project, like a Buche de Noel.
If bread is too complicated or too much, how about Christmas cookies? Just in Germany alone each little town or region claims a certain cookie that they bake only at Christmastime.
The Night Before Christmas: Do a comparative unit on the different versions of illustrations and books on this one poem by Clement Moore. Don't forget the Cajun version!
Christmas Carols: If music is an interest, maybe you could do a unit study on Christmas Carols...there are many trails to go! There are many books and so many resources to get a good taste of different country's and cultural flavors.
Neumann Press has reprinted Masha's Christmas Carols. Last year we received this collection of Best-Loved Christmas Carols which contained a book and a cd. It's very good.
This is a GREAT book to understand the Customs and Traditions of the Catholic Church related to Christmas, called The Christmas Book by Francis X. Weiser. Now it was written before Vatican II, so there are some minor changes in the liturgy, but it's still really interesting. I think a whole study of Christmas carols from around the world would be an easy rabbit
trail from this book. Catholic Christmas Book.
If you can find Silent Night: The Story of a Song by Hertha Pauli, Copyright 1943, that would make a nice addition to the Christmas carols theme.
I had picked up some cds from a store that were 99 cents...I was a little sceptical that they could be any good, but they are awesome. The one I really like is Christmas Greetings from the Alps put out by Laserlight. It has a fabulous mix of accordion, brass, yodeling...Austrian Christmas folk music. It's going to be my favorite this year. I couldn't find it online anywhere...but if you see it in some discount rack, grab it!
Advent and Christmas Saints: OOP Saints of the Seasons for Children by Ethel Pochocki, St. Anthony Messenger Press, 1991 has Saints in Waiting for Advent/Christmastide...This is a combined volume. The "Saints in Waiting" can also be found as a separate book. That covers Ruth, David, Isaiah, Immaculate Conception, Elizabeth and Zechariah, John the Baptist, Luke, Simeon and Anna, Magi, Holy Innocents, Nicholas, Lucy and John the Evangelist.
You can also use the Vision Book Christmas and the Saints by Hertha Pauli.
Christmas / Christ Child Legends: There are all sorts of Christmas legends out there. It would be a fun thing to track them down, maybe make a Notebook and illustrate some of the legends. [Edited: I've saved many Christmas cards that have a lovely picture and legends, so that would make nice illustrations!] I have a few books that might help:
OOP A Wreath of Christmas Legends by Phyllis McGinley. Copyright 1967. Poetry of different legends of Christmas, including Stork, Rosemary, Pine Tree,
Robin, Holly. Very beautiful.
OOP Legends of the Christ Child by Frances Margaret Fox, Sheed and Ward, 1941.
Not all stories relate to Christmas-time per se, but Stories of the Child Jesus from Many Lands is good (and it's in print!).
And finally, Christmas Cribs/Creche: This could take you from Advent through the whole Christmas season, researching the history of the creche, story of St. Francis and the crib, making one from scratch out of different materials.
The Christmas Crib by Nesta Robeck is an interesting explanation of the history of the Christmas Creche. This is the online version, without the photos, but those are in b&w anyway. It's not a living book, but a starting point to get a good history of the creche.
I'm still not good at matching picture and living books to all my ideas, but maybe this can help a bit! |
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Mary M. in Denver
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Mary G
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Thanks Mary for posting this ... and for those who have "way too much St. Nick stuff" you could always extend him to Christmas. We're trying to get the littles to understand that Santa Claus IS St. Nick so we'll be doing crafts/cooking/stories about St. Nick all the way till Christmas Eve!
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MaryG
3 boys (22, 12, 8)2 girls (20, 11)
my website that combines my schooling, hand-knits work, writing and everything else in one spot!
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hereinantwerp
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Mary G wrote:
| We're trying to get the littles to understand that Santa Claus IS St. Nick so we'll be doing crafts/cooking/stories about St. Nick all the way till Christmas Eve! |
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My middle son "got it" today! We were reading "Country Angel Christmas" by Tomie de Paola. Last week we read several books about the REAL St. Nicholas. After we finished the book he up and said, "If I wrote a book about Santa Claus I would have him sleigh down from Heaven. Because that is where the real man is." Hooray!
With the boys I've more "emphasized" the story of St. Nicholas from the beginning, and we always do a little something Dec. 6th, but I've also read the other books (Jan Brett, etc.) with a brief, "these are fun stories and legends, but not true", but not making a big deal of it.
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Angela Nelson
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JennGM
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Christmas Carol Units are one of my favorite units. Last year MaryM posted a great Christmas Carol Unit Study with Picture Books.
At least in this house, we enjoy having the books illustrated to the text of the music. We're getting quite a collection, and I mentioned here our books for the Epiphany, which include a new one from Gennady Spirin with the text of We Three Kings. It's just gorgeous!
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Jennifer G. Miller
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MaryM
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Jenn, I'm glad you mentioned the new Gennady Spirin version of We Three Kings. I saw it a few weeks ago and it is gorgeous. I've been meaning to update my unit from last year to include it, so now that you've posted the link I better do that.  When I did that study last year I couldn't find a picture book that included the text of that song (there are general stories of the magi visit) - it really seemed like there should be one so I am very glad that there is now. I found a couple other new books as well that I'll add when I update.
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Mary M. in Denver
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CandaceC
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Speaking of books that have the illustrations along with Christmas carol words...have ya'll seen Thomas Kinkaide's Silent Night? Oh it is just gorgeous!! We read that one yesterday and the girls and I found so many beautiful "little things" in each picture. And the end has a beautiful nativity...I just love the whole book! If you all haven't seen it, try and take a peek somewhere!
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Candace - wife to David since 2000...mommy to Hannah (Feb. 2002), Emily (April 2003) and Caleb (March 2005)
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Chari
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Okay.....this post needs to be bumped up!!!
You can find ideas for the 12 Days of Christmas here.......I am bookmarking this for next year's Advent, too.
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Chari...Take Up & Read
Dh Marty 27yrs...3 lovely maidens: Anne 24, Sarah 20 & Maddelyn 17 and 3 chivalrous sons: Matthew 22, Garrett 16 & Malachy 11
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4Real Forums : Across Time and Place
Topic: Christmas Units
