Dear Families,
We talked this week, and last, about what our parents do for us. The
children said they make food for us, help us dress, and go to work. We
asked why we would give them gifts. The class responded: because it’s
fun to get gifts, because they give things to us, and because
everybody should get a gift on Christmas and Hanukkah!
On Monday we decorated our gift bags with white chalk, crayons, and
oil pastels. People took turns using a sharpie to write their names or
make their mark on their bags. We also took turns scooping coconut oil
into tiny jars to give as gifts.
Afterward, we got to work beading. Everyone was focused on stringing
beads. It was a regular workshop. We used lots of white to represent
the white meat of the coconut.
Everyone took turns choosing a half coconut shell to give to their
families. They filled it with their other creations and placed them in
their gift bags.
We mixed butter, brown sugar, ginger, cinnamon, flour, and more to
make our gingerbread dough. After placing it in the refrigerator to
rest, we read The Gingerbread Man. The next day we read The
Gingerbread Boy and compared the similarities and differences in the
two books. There were many. We read two more versions and compared
them also. We made a chart and wrote down all the differences.
We rolled our dough out and everyone used the cookie cutter to make
cookies for our families. We put them in the oven and wondered whether
they would jump out of the oven when we opened it. We made more than
70 gingerbread men, not one of them ran away. It took all our hands,
several hours, and three days!
Our cookie party went off without a hitch. It was fun and tasty,
although there were a few crumbs to sweep up.
Have the most fantastic holiday and see you all in the new year,
Therese and Anna