1-2-3 Come Do Some Gingerbread Activities With Me

Our Gingerbread theme was one of my Y5's favorites for December. (Mine too!)  It's pretty neutral, so if your district is picky about what you can and can't do at your school, perhaps gingerbread will be "appropriate".

A few years ago I designed the schoolhouse fact family packet, followed up by the haunted house fact families, so why not make a winter-themed fact family right; what could be more fitting for a winter fact family than a gingerbread house? 

I've made some revisions and added a few more things to this newest collection of fact family houses.  I hope you enjoy today's FREEBIE. Click on the link to grab it. Gingerbread Fact Family Houses.

I really like it when my activities match, so I've used D. H. Inkers' adorable gingerbread house for a variety of lessons that I hope you'll enjoy.

I had a special request from Erin, in Montana, for gingerbread house number cards, so I got busy and whipped those together. 

I've included math symbols and counter tiles, so you can do even more things with them + games and several bookmarks.

I also dreamed up an odd and even sorting mat, and thought it would be cute to sort via odd or even gingerbread house "address" numbers. 

To practice the format for writing an address, as well as help children memorize their zip code, I've included a "give your gingerbread an address" activity.

When I made up my sample, I wondered if there really was a city named Christmas Cove and to my delight there was!  It's in Maine, the state my son Steven, was born in.  There's also a Christmas, Michigan (my home state) as well as a Christmas, Florida. (Oh to be there right now!)  Simply Google cities with holiday names, for a list of all sorts of sites, with this fun trivia.

If your kiddo’s want to locate their gingerbread house close to Santa, 99705 is the zip code listed when I googled Alaska and clicked on North Pole.  There’s nothing there for over 400 miles though; and just an FYI The North Pole is NOT a land mass. 

This is a fact that you should really share with your kiddo’s, because of the Polar Express ( a personal favorite) and other stories and cartoons, many children think that it is.

The North Pole is a definition of the latitude, which is 90 degrees north. That exact location will find you in the middle of the Arctic Ocean, so I don’t think there’s a floating post office out there.  There are ice flows though.

The most northerly piece of land on earth is Kaffeklubben Island, which according to Wikipedia is 83°40′N, 29°50′W, and is 707 kilometers (440 mi) from the geographic North Pole. I've included more information in the packet, and found some nice photography on YouTube from the weather cams at the North Pole. Click on the link to take the trip.

For the gingerbread address activity and number card fun, click on the link to view/download the Gingerbread Number Fun Packet.

This led to making gingerbread house groups/sets cards.  Cut them up and make into puzzles and Memory Match or "I Have; Who Has?" games. I've included counters for even more options. Click on the link to grab those to go along with the above packet.

I also made a Gingerbread House Slider.  Click on the link for this great whole-group assessing tool.  I've included upper & lowercase letter strips, numbers, shapes, + skip counting sliders for 2's, 3's, 5's, and 10's. 

Add pizzazz to your kiddo's houses with glitter glue, white puffy paint, or colored confetti.  I really like the candy-like look of the confetti. 

You can buy a bag at most party stores for less than $2. Stock up for next year after New Year's when bags are as much as 75% off.

To reinforce patterning, have students pick a pattern and then use a red and green marker to trace the numbers & letters.

TIPS: It's easier for them to trace BEFORE they cut their strips apart.  Putting a piece of Scotch tape on the back of seams also makes for smooth sliding. Click on the link to view/download the Gingerbread House Slider.

Finally, I had so much fun with the confetti, I thought of a gingerbread shape game.  Children pick a partner and take turns spinning, whatever shape they land on, they color that matching "window" on their gingerbread house. 

When they are done playing the game, decorate the roof tops with confetti.  For that added bit of pizzazz, have your students cut their door, so that it opens, and then glue a photo inside. 

I've also included a gingerbread man button matching game in this packet too.  Children play this shape game, by rolling a dice. When they are done, they draw a face on their gingerbread.  Click on the link for the Gingerbread Shapes Up Game.

Thanks for visiting.  It's time to go catch some snowflakes on my tongue, while I frolic as a child with my little grandson Kaiden.  Wishing you a fun-filled magical day. 

"The best way to spread Christmas cheer, is to sing loud for all to hear; and of course whipping up a batch of gingerbread to share." -Unknown

1-2-3 Come Make A "Gingerbag" With Me

The idea of using a brown paper bag for a gingerbread house did not originate with me.  I saw several PINS on Pinterest of completed bags, but no one had a template others could use, so I designed one. 

Having volunteered in my own children’s rooms when they made graham-cracker gingerbread houses that wouldn’t stay together, making the gooey mess rather frustrating,  I think the "gingerbag" is a nice alternative. 

However, if you still want to make a "real" gingerbread house click on the link for a great recipe for strong & quick-drying "frosting glue."

To make an easy gingerbag, run off the clip art pages on white construction paper.  (There are 4 pages of samples.) Students choose, color and cut out whatever pieces they want to glue to the “back” of their gingerbag.     

Face the bag towards you so that the bottom of the bag is at the top, and looks like a flap. 

This is the perfect place to glue the “candy roof.”  I drew several door, window and roof options.  Children arrange the pieces ‘til they are satisfied with the look, and then glue them down.  

White puffy paint, glitter glue, stickers, and a child's photo in the window, can all add pizzazz to their gingerbread homes.

I've also included an adjective writing prompt page where students describe their gingerbread house. (Great for Daily 5 Word Work.)

For a cute December bulletin board, cover the top of the board with blue foil wrapping paper for the “sky.”

Staple the “snow fabric” that people use for their Christmas villages, to the bottom of the board.  “Sprinkle” the houses on top.

Houses can stay flat, but look adorable lightly stuffed with tissue, so they are 3D and stand up.  You can also line them up on a window or chalkboard sill.

You can dangle a star from the ceiling and trim with real twinkle lights if a plug is nearby.  Caption: Mr(s.) _____________’s kindergartners (grade) are wishing you a sweet and cozy Christmas.

Click on the link to view/download "Gingerbag" the Lunch Bag Gingerbread House packet. 

If you're looking for even more gingerbread clip art to decorate things with, click on the link to take a look at one of my favorite artists, dj inkers. 

She has lots of adorable packs.  I used some in my sample gingerbag.  My 2 personal favorites are Build a Gingerbread and Gingerbread Mouse. 

Thanks for visiting. I'm in a super-crafty mood today, so I think I'll start on a sketch of my little grandson that I've been wanting to do. 

Maybe I'll get it done in time for a Christmas gift for my daughter. Wishing you a special day filled with relaxing moments.

1-2-3 Come Do Some More Gingerbread Activities With Me

I decided to design some easy readers that cover a variety of standards using a gingerbread theme.

I hope you'll enjoy the Let's Count Gingerbread packet.  Students trace and write the number; color it, and circle it in the sequence.  They also add end punctuation to the sentences.

I've included 2 different sets of gingerbread number cards to 20, with a 2-page tip list of all sorts of things you can do with them, including games like Kaboom; + several "trace & write the number" worksheets, as well as a few "What's Missing?" activities and a traceable bookmark you can use as an assessment tool.

When students have completed the packet, you can give them a certificate of praise. Click on the link to view/download the Let's Count Gingerbread packet.  

One of my most downloaded easy-readers are the 10-Frame booklets, so I wanted to make one for gingerbread.  Click on the link to grab the 1-2-3 Count Gingerbread With Me one. 

Because this book is based on a 10-Frame, I've also designed a set of gingerbread 10 frames.  Click on the link to view/download the Gingerbread 10 Frames.

Finally, one of my Y5's favorite gingerbread activities started with me giving them a gingerbread cookie. 

If you're not a baker (I am not; the 1st time I attempted brownies, my son said they tasted like hockey pucks(!) and I'm wondering when he bit into one of those?) you can buy a box of Keebler gingerbread cookies or another brand.  They always have them in the grocery stories in December.

Any hoo, I told my students to take only 1 bite and then to freeze.  We graphed who bit off what part of the gingerbread. 

In the 10 years I taught Y5's, every year the head was bit off the most, and my quieter students almost always bit off an arm.  I wonder if one can draw any conclusions from these experiments?

If you'd like to do this with your kiddo's I included a graph of the parts, as well as a graph of who does and doesn't like gingerbread. 

These can be found in the Our Gingerbread Class Book packet.  Students fill in their name and what part of the gingerbread they bit off first and then draw a picture.  Collect the pages, collate and make a class book.

Thanks for visiting today.  Feel free to PIN away.  I design and blog daily so after you finish running as fast as you can, doing a zillion things, I hope you'll have time to pop by tomorrow for the newest FREEBIES.

"A little sugar, a lot of spice, a woman shaped him … oh so nice. He’s made of dough, with a golden tan; the closest thing to the perfect man!" -Unknown