Holiday Whole Lot of "Nothing" Going On! (Or How I Came to my Then and Now Package!)

Today I have done a lot of “nothing”.  Yeah, I know, it’s break, but I feel like it has been nothing.  Really, it’s been a whole lot of randomness.  I’ve cleaned, I’ve cooked, I’ve tried to nap, I’ve worked on product, I’ve checked FB numerous times, and I’ve been on Pintrest too.  I just can’t seem to find the thing I want to do!  So, in my randomness, I write a blog post! 

This post deals with my up and coming month that covers the Holiday season.  Last year, I made a deal with myself that I WOULD NOT put off the Holiday fun like I did then.  It was a very sad reality that I did ONE thing last year with my class.  There was so much to cover and so much pressure to get it done that I just couldn’t!  I promised that wouldn’t be so this year!  Well, now I’m in a new grade and have new curriculum.  Here’s the reality-even with little guys I could easily wrap myself around the heavy curriculum expectations and loose the joy of the season-and that’s sad!  Before break, one of my teammates said that she was going to stop doing the reader and put all her benchmarks into Thanksgiving activities! 

         Sounds great, right! Well, where is the time to do this!  I mean, this is what I have done for years, but time has been sucked up into oblivion and, even when I have it, I’m so exhausted and over it that I do what I did today-“nothing”-random acts that don’t get anything done! 

         So, where does this lead to you ask?  To this:

I created this to be sure that my Holiday fun doesn’t drizzle away like the time I’ve wasted today!  Inside of this package, I am happy to say, is how I am covering my standards and allowing for some good, ole’ fashion fun-no pun intended!

          I am really excited about this package too!  I mean, I can add all kinds of crazy fun ornaments and activities to this and still meet standards.  So, here’s a quick overview of what’s in here:

 I realized that I didn't include the Hanukkah materials on the preview.  So, here's a quick peek.

        Take a minute to look at the bottom of the question page.  I added these cool check boxes so that the kids can really work to identify the changes over time to each area we read about!  I'm very excited to see how that goes!  

              So, here is what I am promising myself (and, now, you!)  Over the course of the next few weeks, I will be posting the fun "extras" I do with this packet.  I have a great idea for my hallway display that involves those gingerbread shapes you see on the preview.  I have a number of ornaments that I am going to be creating (and even have some comparison ideas for additional "freebies" here on the blog!)  So, check back often over the next few weeks to see what we do with this fun Holiday packet and still keep our curriculum flowing!