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.

7 pages.

Have your students pretend to become the gingerbread man and fill in the blanks on the girl or boy writing prompt page.  To make things more believable, and to practice research skills, encourage students to include factual information about the place they want to run to, using lots of description in their "ed-venture".  Have students do a rough draft and underline their adjectives to make sure they have enough.  To help explain what you want your students to do, I've included a completed sample.

3 pages.

Students pick a partner and take turns rolling the dice.  Whatever number they roll they put that "piece/part" on the gingerbread puzzle grid.  You can color and laminate a class set of puzzles to play each year, or run off copies for all of your kiddo's to decorate and then cut on the lines to make their own puzzle.

10 pages.

I LOVED designing this gingerbread writing and activity packet and hope you have oodles of fun with your kiddo's doing these interesting activities. 

1-2-3 Come Chase The Gingerbread Man With Me!

I LOVED designing this gingerbread writing and activity packet and am so excited to share it with you.  I hope you have oodles of fun with your kiddos doing these fun-filled activities. 

Before hand, put up the wanted posters in your room.  I've included 3, and think the one with the mustache is a hoot.

Run off the masters and put the notes, signs and clues in a variety of places in your school: cafeteria, library, office, gym etc.  Get your principal, secretary, cafeteria staff etc. in on your "ed-venture" and give them a clue card. 

After reading the original story of the gingerbread man, tell your students that you are going on an ed-venture looking for the gingerbread man, and to be on the lookout for clues of his where abouts.

Before hand, fill out the clue cards using plenty of spatial directions.  To get in some math practice, you may want your kiddos to count steps as they go.

The clue cards also come in black and white, but you may want to print everything in color, laminate, and then save for future years.

As you arrive at the various destinations, have adults at those places, say something like: "Oh no! You just missed him, but he left this clue!"  or "I think I spotted him over by that shelf."  (A clue card is on the shelf.)

After you make the rounds, return to your classroom to find a note on your door that the gingerbread man had been looking for them.  As a special surprise, while you are gone, have a helper set up gingerbread or cookie treats for your snack time. 

Now would be the perfect time to do the "Take a bite" graphing activity.  Children take one bite out of their cookie, and you graph what they bit off.  

I've also included a graph for "Who does or doesn't like the taste of gingerbread?"  Both of these graphs can be found in the Gingerbread Class Book packet. 

(Back to the original packet) I've included a class book where each student contributes a page, writing about the day's adventure.  

There are templates for students to do this separately or in groups. 

They can draw pictures or take a photograph. 

There's also a graphic organizer where students name their gingerbread man and describe him. 

Click on the link to view/download the Gingerbread On The Loose Writing and Activity packet.

Later today side note: Woo hoo!  I was surfing the net looking to see if anyone else did a gingerbread hunt and found a 1st-grade teacher (Jodi) who does this on the first day of school. She made adorable rhyming clue cards.  Click on the link to get her darling FREEBIE. (Fun In First.)

If you did the graphing activity, another fun transition would be to play a quick game of Pieces & Parts. Children color their gingerbread and then cut on the lines to make 6 puzzle pieces. 

Students pick a partner and take turns rolling the dice.  Whatever number they roll they glue that piece on their template.  The 1st one done is the winner.  Click on the link to view/download the Pieces and Parts Gingerbread Puzzle. 

Finally, another follow-up writing prompt I call "You're The Man!"  Your students pretend to become the gingerbread man. 

Where are they going? Why are they running?  What people/things are they running past? What finally happened to them?  I've included a fill-in-the-blank template for girls as well as boys to write on.

Encourage students to do a little research about their destination and include plenty of description in their sentences.  Have kiddo's underline adjectives when they do their rough draft, so they know if they have included enough. 

I filled in a sample to give you an idea of what I'm talking about. 

After students share their page, collect, collate and make them into a class book.  Click on the link to view/download the You're The Man! Gingerbread Writing Prompt craftivity.

Thanks for visiting today.  Feel free to PIN away.  If you'd like to see some of the creative and educational items I spend way too much time pinning, click on the link.  I have an entire board of gingerbread activities. 

Interesting bit of trivia:  "E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.  Gingerbread Husbands: Gingerbread cakes fashioned like men and gilt, commonly sold at fairs up to the middle of the nineteenth century."

11 pages.

Review a variety of math standards during your gingerbread unit, with this 10-frames packet.  If you enjoy using 10 frames, be sure and check out the rest of our themes.  We have LOTS! I've included extra tiles to use as manipulatives for sorting, making groups/sets & patterning.

10 pages.
Common Core State Standards: K.CC.4a, K.CC.4b,K.CC.4c, K.CC.3, K.CC.5, K.CC.7, RF.K.1a, RF.K.1c, RF.K.3c.

Practice a variety of skills and standards with this cute 10 frame booklet.

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

20 pages.

Cover a variety of standards with this gingerbread number packet. 

15 pages.

This packet is chock full of all sorts of activities to help students recognize numbers; add and subtract; make groups and sets; show greater and less than; and count from any number.