Christmas Arts & Crafts #2

Apologies for the radio silence.  I have been fighting a cough and it has been winning.  I will try and get more Christmas items posted asap because, well, it is nearly here already!

Christmas Trees 

This isn't a hard one but it is a fun one to make.  Nothing special but it gives the kids something to make for Christmas and to take home.

Either collect Ice Lolly sticks or buy them from a craft shop.  If you are lucky they will have coloured ones.  If not then you will just have to get the kids to paint them before hand.

One stick is needed for the 'trunk' of the tree and at least two more to cut/snap as the branches.  Use glitter, stickers, paints, pens....whatever you want to decorate your tree.  Be creative or just let the kids decide from a bunch of different items.

St Nick Sacks

Here in Austria we celebrate St Nikolaus on the 6th of December.  So this is really for this particular fest.  However you could use the same idea for Santa Claus as well.

If you are having a Christmas event where the kids will get to collect sweets & fruit like a stocking then this is a nice craft idea.

The sacks were ordered from a craft catalogue and the rest is just pieces of paper and felt we had left lying around.  Oh and come cotton wool.

This may also be a nice way to pack up presents for the parents or maybe you can think of something else you can use it for.  They definitely look good hanging up around the room before Christmas.

Paper Stars

This is a very easy one but a nice item to make on one of those rainy/snowy Winter days.  They look nice hanging around the room and you can use up your left overs or splash out for some cool shiny paper if you want.

Draw the star on some coloured paper and let the children cut them out themselves.  Wind some glittery thread or ribbon around the star and add some shiny stones or whatever you have lying around.

These are easy and quick to make.  You can make them as simple or as extravagant as you want.  Use your imagination or better yet, make a sample, show the kids and then let them create their own!  You may be surprised at the ideas they have!

Christmas Songs #3 : Christmas Cookies

In my last post about Christmas Songs, I mentioned I had found this great site (with guitar chords) that had a load of Christmas songs that I hadn't even heard of. One of those songs was Christmas Cookies.

Once again the song was a lot longer that I needed for my kids and it was difficult.  However their was that great catchy first verse.  So I just used that one and came up with two other verses of my own! 

This is a great song for the kids because after all, who doesn't like Christmas Cookies?  I have already sung this one with my kids and they love it!  It is nice and repetitive so they don't need to learn too much.  I am sure it is going to be a favourite for years to come because I love playing it on the guitar too ;)

The lyrics can be found here.  I don't have an audio file for this one but if anyone wants to hear my take on the song/my version then please feel free to post in the comments and let me know.

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Christmas Arts & Crafts #1

Christmas is one of those busy times of the year.  Not only are you busy privately but in work there is loads to do.  Making presents for the parents?  Decorating the room?  Here are a couple of ideas you can use!  More to come!

Glue Stars 

This is extremely easy to make and very nice to decorate the room or to give as presents.

All you need is baking paper, a glue gun and glitter.

Draw a star shape on the baking paper so the kids have a guide.   Then use the glue gun (help the kids!  This is hot stuff!) and trace the star using the glue.  Then fill the star with glue strands.

Before the glue dries you can sprinkle glitter on the stars.  They harden and get cool pretty quickly but make sure you check before letting the kids touch them.  Brush off excess glitter somewhere you want glitter to fall ;)  Then you can put them on a pretty ribbon and hang them up,  hang them on the windows or pack them up as presents.

Nespresso Angels

I am always looking for ways to recycle my Nespresso coffee capsules.  A couple of  years ago I came up with this idea.  Angels!

You need a ball for the head.  We used polystyrene balls but you can also use fimo or anything else that springs to mind.

The wings are made from feathers.  You could also use tin foil, coloured paper or something else you have lying around.  Be creative and try and recycle!

For the hair we used up some glitter pipe cleaners we had left over from something or other.  Although this wasn't out first choice it was something we had and could spare.  One of the good things about these angels is that we used stuff we just had left over from other projects.

The legs/feet were just thin ribbons.  These went up through the capsule (the used capsules have holes already in the top) and ball and also served as the band to hang up the angels.

The children drew faces on the angels and each angel was so different from another.  It was amazing.  The capsules can also be coated with glitter for an extra Christmassy shine!

Make sure you prepare the capsules before hand and clean them!  They start to smell otherwise.  Also make sure that there are no sharp edges left over when you remove the foil on the capsule to empty out the coffee grinds.  I have cut myself a couple of times and you don't want that to happen to the kids!

Snowmen Photo Holders

These cuties were Christmas Presents for the parents from the children.

The metal holders were ordered but you could also make them yourself if you really want to save money.  The wire needs to be thick enough though.

The snowmen are made out of Fimo (I am sure you can use other modeling clays).  A small ball for the head.  Bigger ball for the body.  Add a black hat, eyes and mouth.  To make them look more colourful we added scarves.

Make these as big or small as you want.  Make sure you have all the colours you need and let the kids choose from a variety of colours for the scarves.

Don't forget to make a hole in the snowman using one of the metal holders before you bake the fimo!!  Otherwise you can't add the stand!  The stand also needs a little glue to stay attached!

Add a photo to the presents!  We took pictures of the children with a santa hat on.  You can also use reindeer antlers etc.

Christmas Songs #2 : Barefoot Santa Claus

Christmas is coming and it will get here faster than you think!  I feel silly posting about Christmas songs in November but anyone who works in education will know that it is never too early to start singing and practicing.  After all there are Christmas parties/concerts/events that need to be prepared  well before Christmas even gets going.

This year I went back to the Internet to look for some new songs/inspiration and came across this
great site (with guitar chords),  There were so many Christmas songs that I hadn't even heard of and quickly realised why.  The site is dedicated to Country Music.  

Anyway, I started to check out some of the songs and Barefoot Santa Claus caught my eye.  It was a long song but fun so I adapted it to fit my needs.  It is a nice up beat and catchy song although I will admit I haven't listened to the original version but just play it the way I want ;)  

Barefoot Santa Claus is also a great song for a Morning Circle Game or Performance.  Let the kids dress up as Santa and dance around.  You just need something red, a black belt and a Christmas hat.  I am sure they will love jumping around with barefeet!  Or you can perform this at your Christmas event.  Get a couple of kids to dress up as reindeer and stars to make this one all cute to watch!

I already sang this one with my kids and they love it.  I hope to do the dressing up part with them too.  The lyrics can be found here.  I don't have an audio file for this one but if anyone wants to hear my take on the song/my version then please feel free to post in the comments and let me know.

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Fun Songs #2 : The Friendship Dance

I don't know how I came up with this song.  I must have gotten some inspiration from somewhere but to be honest I can't remember.  However it has been a big favourite with all the kids I teach including the younger three to four year olds.

If you have a project about friendship or it is just a topic that needs some time in your group, The Friendship Dance is a great action sing-a-along.  You sing a name and that child is allowed to stand up in the circle and dance.  As you follow the lyrics, the child is then asked to pick a friend to dance with them.  Those two dance together and take a bow to end their performance.

The Friendship Dance is a great action sing-a-long for Morning Circle or just a time filler.  You can also use it as a way to cross over to other activities.  For example if the kids have to go get dressed or lay the table you can always send the two kids who just took part in the dance off to do that when they are done.  This means you don't have them all rushing off at once and it also means you won't have to sing the song as often ;)

If you don't have an even amount of children for this one and are left with three children.  Just sing all of their names at the beginning and let them dance together.  I usually sing, 'They don't need a friend today because they have each other'.  Or something like that.

Oh and you may find this one to be a bit of an eye-opener!  It is amazing to see which 'friends' the children pick to dance with.  I have been surprised more than a few times and it is a great observation situation.  If you use this one to cross over to another activity you can even be a little crafty and have a certain group of kids left over so they are forced to pick someone they wouldn't usually pick.

The lyrics complete with the guitar chords can be found here.   You can listen to a recording of The Friendship Dance below.  A reminder : This is just me being recorded by a phone/computer so it is not the best quality but hopefully enough for you to hear the melody.

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St Nikolaus Songs #2 - Nicholas is Coming Soon!

Nikolaus is really Father Christmas...or Santa if you wish.  However here in Austria he arrives on the 6th of December and on Christmas Eve the Christkind (Christmas Child) brings the presents.
If you have been teaching English to young children in a German speaking country then you have to know the typical Nikolaus songs.  The old favourite is 'Lass Uns Froh und Munter Sein' and it can get quite annoying over the years ;)

I have seen many a translation for this traditional song but never found one that was actually nice enough to sing with the children in English.  Most of the translations were direct word for word copies of the song that made no sense or they were poor attempts to make the song make sense but imho failed.  So last year I set myself the challenge of making a better English version and I think the end product is something I can be proud.

My version is called Nicholas is Coming Soon and is sung to the melody of 'Lass Uns Froh and Munter Sein'.  It misses out a couple of the many verses of the German version but incorporates the general gist of the song.   

Nicholas is Coming Soon is easy to sing and you will find a lot of different guitar chords out there if you need them.  Just pick the ones you like the best.  If you haven't heard the song before then a simple google search of the German version will definitely find a video you can listen to ;)

The lyrics can be found here.  I hope you find a place in your St Nicholas Fest for this one!

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St Nikolaus Songs #1 - Jolly Old Saint Nicholas

Sorry for the radio silence!  I got hit with a cold/cough and with Lantern Fest and everything there wasn't much energy and time left to come and post anything here!

Anyway, the next fest is nearly upon us and here in Austria it is Nikolaus.  Celebrated on the 6th of December it is when the children get their 'stocking' or in this case 'boot' filled with goodies.  I see it as a Christmas warm up ;)

Seeing as Nikolaus isn't an English celebration it is really hard to contribute anything in English.  Over the years I have come to accept this and just offered up some Christmas or Winter songs. 

However I came across the song Jolly Old Saint Nicholas last year.  I am sure it must be a well known song but I had never heard of it before (not that I can remember anyway).  So I decided this song could be useful in Kindergarten but didn't like all of the text.  So I used some of the original lyrics and revised it a bit to suit my needs.

My version of Jolly Old St Nicholas can be sung to the same melody as the original so I haven't added a sound file because I hope it will be easy enough to sing.  I am also sure a google search will help you find the guitar chords or various renditions of the song if you don't know it already.

The lyrics can be found here.  I hope you enjoy singing this one!

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St Martin's / Lantern Fest Songs #4 & Christmas Songs #1 : The Star Children

This next song is suitable for both Lantern Fest and for Christmas.  All about stars this is one of my favourites and is adapted/translated from a German song.

You can make up some actions for The Star Children or just let the kids dance around as stars during the chorus....use your imagination!  This song could be the highlight of a Christmas concert or just a nice song to sing with your star shaped lanterns.

The lyrics complete with the guitar chords can be found here.   The chords are not too difficult but you can listen to a recording of The Star Children below to hear how the melody goes.  A reminder : This is just me being recorded by a phone/computer so it is not the best quality but hopefully enough to get an idea how it should sound.

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