Candy Canes

19 pages.

This packet includes a variety of quick, easy and interesting ways for your kiddos to countdown to Christmas.  Counting down is a great way to help your students practice counting backwards, as well as visually be able to "see" the passage of time, which is a rather abstract concept for young children. 

1-2-3 Come Do Some Winter Craftivities With Me!

Hopefully things are winding down this last week of school before Christmas Break.  If you're looking for a few last-minute things for your kiddo's to do, you've come to the right place.  Here are some quick, easy and simple activities, I think your students will enjoy. 

christmas crafts, snowman crafts, december writing promtps, january writing prompts, peppermint crafts, snowman activities, chrismas ornaments, mice crafts, cylinder crafts, 3D cylinder shape activities, santa crafts, santa activities, santa windsock, mouse craft, candy cane craftsSince the 3D cylinder shape was always the "toughy" for my Y5's to wrap their heads around,  I tried to do several projects each month involving that shape.  The cylinder-shaped Santa windsock, was one of their favorites.  I made Santa's beard by tracing their hand once and then cutting it out 4 times.

Children work on a flat surface; when they are done, then help them roll their Santa into a cylinder shape.  Pulled-cotton and glitter, add those finishing touches. Punch a hole in the top, tie a yarn loop, so it can hang from the ceiling. 

christmas crafts, snowman crafts, december writing promtps, january writing prompts, peppermint crafts, snowman activities, chrismas ornaments, mice crafts, cylinder crafts, 3D cylinder shape activities, santa crafts, santa activities, santa windsock, mouse craft, candy cane craftsReview the triangle, oval, and circle shapes as well.  If you have your kiddo's do a craft on party day, these are great as a whole-group, or independent center activity. 

To expedite things, make sure you trace and cut their hand prints the day before. Click on the link to view/download the Keepsake Hand Print Santa

christmas crafts, snowman crafts, december writing promtps, january writing prompts, peppermint crafts, snowman activities, chrismas ornaments, mice crafts, cylinder crafts, 3D cylinder shape activities, santa crafts, santa activities, santa windsock, mouse craft, candy cane craftsQuite a few of my favorite Christmas Stories involve mice, so I thought it would be fun to design a sweet treat for my Y5's, featuring this Christmas character.  You can review the oval shape with this craftivity as well.  His ears are heart-shaped.

I don't buy peppermint candy canes for my kiddo's, as when we graphed whether they liked peppermint or not, most of them did not. 

This was true every year, so I looked for the flavored candy canes.  You can get a box of a dozen at The Dollar Store.  Wiggle eyes and a pom pom nose added extra pizzazz.

You can make these for your students as a gift, but I liked doing them as a craftivity the last day of school.  I used silver wallpaper for a sparkling effect.  You could also glue metallic wrapping paper to tag board.  Click on the link to view/download the Christmas Mouse.

christmas crafts, snowman crafts, december writing promtps, january writing prompts, peppermint crafts, snowman activities, chrismas ornaments, mice crafts, cylinder crafts, 3D cylinder shape activities, santa crafts, santa activities, santa windsock, mouse craft, candy cane craftsAnother peppermint activity I call "Me Mints."  I made the larger one out of a sturdy 8-inch paper plate.  Students striped the edges.  Enlarge a photo, cut into a circle and mount it in the center of the plate. 

christmas crafts, snowman crafts, december writing promtps, january writing prompts, peppermint crafts, snowman activities, chrismas ornaments, mice crafts, mouse craft, candy cane craftsWrap with clear cellophane.  (You can buy it by the roll at The Dollar Store.)  Twist the ends and tie with curling ribbon. 

These make a super bulletin board boarder, or have students glue the "greeting" to the back and suspend from the ceiling. 

christmas crafts, snowman crafts, december writing promtps, january writing prompts, peppermint crafts, snowman activities, chrismas ornaments, mice crafts, mouse craft, candy cane craftsI also made a "Mini Mint" ornament template for you. Run off the peppermint candy.  Students color with markers and glue to a circle of tag board. Follow the above directions to complete this "Awww-dorable" craftivity.  Click on the link to grab this FREEBIE.

christmas crafts, snowman crafts, december writing promtps, january writing prompts, peppermint crafts, snowman activities, chrismas ornaments, mice crafts, mouse craft, candy cane craftsFinally, Wally,The Wallpaper Snowman, would be fun to do on the last day, so that you would have some winter decorations up when your students return from Christmas vacation. 

If you look closely, you'll see that Wally's face is textured.  I made the circles out of embossed wallpaper.  You can buy a roll of white textured wallpaper for less that $5, or visit a paint, wallpaper, or home-decor store, where they sell wallpaper, and ask if you could have or buy a sample book. 

christmas crafts, snowman crafts, december writing promtps, january writing prompts, peppermint crafts, snowman activities, chrismas ornaments, mice crafts, mouse craft, candy cane craftsI used these sample books for die cuts, banners, backgrounds, and stationery for my students to write on.  I've included 4 winter writing prompts so that students have a choice.

Children write a rough draft and when they have finalized it, they write it on the circle and glue it to the back of Wally.  These look wonderful dangling from the ceiling.  Click on the link to view/download Wally,The Wallpaper Snowman Writing Prompt Dangler.

christmas crafts, snowman crafts, december writing promtps, january writing prompts, peppermint crafts, snowman activities, chrismas ornaments, mice crafts, mouse craft, candy cane craftsThanks for visiting today.  Feel free to PIN away.  I design and blog daily, so I hope you have the time to drop by tomorrow for even more FREEBIES.

"I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year." - Charles Dickens from A Christmas Carol

36 pages. Wonderful ideas and activities to help modify a student's/child's behavior during December.

124 pages. Wow! This is a wonderfully fun way to teach geography.  Includes lots of geography related activities, passport, crafts, links, notes home for parental help, maps, writing extensions, class books and so much more. Up-dated with pages for older students.

This packet is in the process of being revamped.  Please check back November 22nd.

Not A Creature Was Stirring...especially this paper mouse!

I have some cute December stories that involve mice, which my Y5’s enjoy.  I like to follow them up with an activity I know they will enjoy.

Merry Christmas mouse is one that’s easy, quick and fun.  You can also review the oval and heart shapes with your students!

Merry Christmouse, mouse ornament, candy cane mouse ornament, candy cane ornament, Christmas ornaments, Christmas crafts, keepsake ornaments, Here’s How:

  • Run off my master.
  • Gray construction paper looks nice, but if you want to make a cardstock template for children to trace, textured wallpaper that has silver tones looks awesome. I've also experimented with green bodies and red pom pom noses which look cute too.
  • I used metallic silver wallpaper with a hot pink nose in the photograph.
  • Children cut out their body.
  • You can also make a template of the heart and have students cut their own pair of ears, or run off hearts on construction paper and have them cut them out.
  • Depending on the age of your students you could expedite things and have them pre-cut by a room helper.
  • Students fold the point of their heart-ears by bending them forward. This will give their mouse a 3-D appearance. Using a glue stick, glue them to the head of their mouse. I have put X's on the master to assist students with placement.
  • To avoid a mess, and so things stay stuck, I use glue dots for the wiggle eyes and pom pom nose. Whenever I have a glue-dot step, I have students come up to the glue-dot table and I assist them one-on-one.
  • They pick up their wiggle eyes and pom pom nose (you could give them color and size choices) and then stick them to their mouse.
  • You could also cut the slit and have them insert their candy cane at this point.
  • Give them a piece of Scotch tape and have them tape their candy cane in place on the BACK of their mouse.
  • If you want your students to be able to use this as a Christmas ornament, you can make the mouse body smaller.  Simply shrink it on your copier, and use the smaller wiggle eyes and pom poms.
  • I think the large candy canes still look nice, but you could also buy the smaller candy canes.
  • I use bubblegum or cherry flavored candy canes, because in the past whenever we’ve graphed who likes peppermint, I’ve had very few who do.

Click on the link to view/print the Merry Christmas Mouse  activity.

Pop back tomorrow and see how to make adorable fingerprint keepsake Christmas Tree Ornaments!

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