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Homeschooling
at Christmas
Whether
you just want to add a touch of Christmas to your homeschooling, or
centre all of your learning around Christmas, below you will find some
great ideas. Take your pick.
Unit
Studies
The Carols
of Christmas - the latest unit study out by Karen Caroe
The
Symbols of Christmas - by Karen Caroe
 An
Updated Symbols of Christmas unit - a pdf file adapted and edited by
Kathryn M. Martinez with permission by Karen Caroe
The
Names of Jesus - by Karen Caroe
Christmas
Symbols
All
about Jesus - a
special bible study for the month of December by the Perkins family.
Language
Arts
Christmas Copywork
Copywork has been around for years, even Kings in the Bible did
copywork! It is a natural way to learn
language arts. By copying the work of great writers your children
naturally learn things like spelling and grammar. Simply have them
write the piece out and then they check their own work for
mistakes. Any spelling mistakes can be added to their spelling
lists. How easy is that!
 Write
out Christmas cards to family and friends. Explain how an envelope
should be properly addressed.
Write
out a family newsletter to send out with the cards. Each child can
write a paragraph or two, telling what they have been doing
recently. Younger children may need to dictate to Mum and
beginning writers can dictate to Mum who will write it out for them to
copy.
Abbreviations.
Discuss why some people shorten Christmas to Xmas. Is it
appropriate to shorten it? Look up the Greek word for Jesus and
note the first two letters. Find out more about the Chi-Rho cross.
Find out
what languages the Old and New Testaments were written in. Why did
it change to Greek? Have a go at writing a verse out in the
original language. Find some English words that have Greek roots.
Write a
thank you list to Jesus for all that he has done for you.
Drama.
How about putting on a Nativity
Play? Or have a go at writing one yourself. Find an
audience to perform in front of.
Math
Teach
younger children the song "The Twelve Days of
Christmas". Explain how we say the number and the word
differently sometimes. ie. We don't say on the one day of
Christmas, we say the first. Make a simple paper book with 12
pages and a cover, Have your child write 1 to 12 on the pages and
then draw or paste pictures from magazines that show that number.
Baking
is perfect for teaching maths. Recipes include things like half a
cup, or one and a half cup. Cakes can be cut in quarters,
eighths.. Count out the number of biscuits made. Work out
how you divide a batch of biscuits between how ever many
people. (Expect the leftovers to be eaten
promptly! lol)
Have a
look at the Christmas wreath. What shape is it? Explore what
eternal means. and what the mathematical term is. (Infinite). Talk about
circle terminalogy; centre, radius, circumference, diameter, tangents,
arcs, sectors, chords and segments. For older children: What
is the equation of a circle? How do you graph it? Learn about
angles in circles.
Art
Colour in the pictures here,
laminate them, cut them out, and then either hang them by ribbons on the tree,
or make a poster to stick them on.
Make
candles. Try using Christmassy colours for the wax, and/or decorate with
stickers.
Talk about the
colours of Christmas; red, green, white, gold and silver. What are the
reasons for using these colours?
The
Christmas Story told by Great Art
Music
Obviously
this is the time to be playing or singing all those great Christmas
songs!
The
Origins and Meanings of the Twelve Days of Christmas song.
Science
Light
bulbs! Really. Since you're hanging the lights on the tree,
why not find out more about them? And while you're there, explain
how a broken bulb can break the circuit. If you have an electronic
kit for children, this would be a great time to bring it out and do some
investigating. Talk about how the wattage changes the brightness
of the light. How much wattage can a small tree bulb take, and
why? What happens if you increase the wattage?
Baking.
Yep, again. hehe. For younger children teach how mixing
different substances make new ones. Then let them try out making
their own mixtures. Explore how the oven and microwave work, and how
they differ from each other.
Stars.
Why was the Star of Bethlehem so different from the others that it stood
out to the shepards?
Geography
One of our favourite geography activities is to do Christmas card
exchanges with people around the world. It's fun to recieve a card
from another country! Not only do you get to *hear* from friends,
but you can show your children where they are on a map, and while your
looking, check out their nearby geography features. Are they near
mountains, rivers etc. Have a look at the stamp. What
picture does it show? Can you find out more about it? Look
at the currency too.
Have a
look at the geography of the Holy Land. Find Nazareth and
Bethlehem on the map. What sort of terrain did Mary and Joseph had
to cover in their trip. Find out more about Bethlehem. What
sort of buildings did they have, and what were they made of?
Carrie's
Christmas Around the World Site
Christmas.com World
View
History
Why
did Mary and Joseph have to travel to Bethlehem? Explore what a
census is, the reasons for them, how often they take place. etc.
Read
Matthew 1: 1-17. Discuss ancenstory. How far back can you
trace your ancestors. What was happening in their lifetimes?
Draw a family tree. Ask living relatives what life was like when
they were children. What countries did they come from? How
and why did they move?
Do
you have any suggestions that I can add? Please email
me.
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Christmas Corner
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