Like all well-laid plans, mine probably have some flaws, but here’s what we have in store for our three weeks of DecemberTerm.
As you can see, I’m following our normal Circle Time format, but with Advent content.
I may have planned too much reading, but we will see. We have lots and lots of Christmas books, but I’ll put the picture books I never miss {or are brand new for this year} in the list of resources. The other books might {or might not} be read throughout the day, but there are Priorities for Circle Time, as I’m sure you understand.
During our memory work time, we will work on the new selections listed, but each day we’ll also review at least one Christmas song we’ve learned in past years. We love our daily caroling. I try to add one or two new songs each year, and sometimes the children pick up other new ones via Christmas CDs.
This Circle Time rhythm really has become our daily liturgy. One of the unexpected benefits of that is that each set of plans is a little bit easier for me to invent. I’m just choosing content, not reinventing form.
Steady form? That’s comforting, don’t you think?
So…on to the resources list {and, yes, most of these are affiliate links}:
Books
- The Jesse Tree by Geraldine McCaughrean
- The Bird’s Christmas Carol by Kate Douglas Wiggin
- A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
- The Lion in the Box by Marguerite de Angeli
- Rembrandt printables {portrait}
- Rembrandt printables {landscape}
Messiah Study
- List of my five favorite Christmas picture books
- The Wee Christmas Cabin of Carn-na-ween by Ruth Sawyer {new this year}
- The Remarkable Christmas of the Cobbler’s Sons by Ruth Sawyer {new this year}
- The Tailor of Gloucester by Beatrix Potter
- Christmas in the Barn by Margaret Wise Brown
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| Let Every Heart Prepare Him Room by Nancy Guthrie |
This last resource {at right} doesn’t have anything to do with Circle Time, but we purchased this Advent devotional by Nancy Guthrie for our evening family time during Advent. Our church suggested it, and so we should all be reading the same thing, which is nice.
Another Advent tradition we’ll be remembering this year is making ornaments. Every year I choose an ornament and we make around twenty of them. One goes on our tree, and the others go to family members. Some years our ornaments are a little more successful that others, but we always have fun.
If any of you put your new Circle Time plans online, I’d love to see them, so be sure and give me a link in the comments!
5 Comments
We are one week into our “Christmas Curriculum” and loving it.
http://www.sabbath-mood-homeschool.com/2013/12/a-christmas-curriculum.html
Thanks for sharing your ideas.
Loved reading about your plans, Brandy! As always, the selections and organization look great. We don’t do a formal Circle Time, but we do have some family learning sprinkled throughout our day that I tweak for Advent…I just posted our plans here: http://joyouslessons.blogspot.com/2013/12/a-time-to-prepare.html .
Here’s my plan. Yours looks great!
I will be trying out the Handel study. We sang it every Christmas in college and I still have two scores. I still have the alto part memorized. LOL
You SANG it? Oh my! I am green with envy. I have always wanted to sing in the Messiah!