Hello, friends! I am feeling a bit better today and I am so excited to share a new activity pack with you! There is a new sensation going around that is so cute and super fun. Maybe you have heard of Elf on a Shelf? ;) Well, to be honest, we have never taught our children that there was a Santa Claus. I have nothing against those who do; we just chose to be upfront with our kids from the beginning. We joke around about Santa and say that Daddy or Papa is Santa. We will even sign the tags on the gifts FROM Santa, but our kids know better. It has just never been a big deal around our family. We have had to have conversations with them though about making sure not to spoil it for any of the other kids. :) Also, I never did out right Santa activities in my room because I did not like to field Santa questions from the kids. You know the ones that say, "Mrs. Mathis, tell Julie that Santa is real!" It happened every year in first grade. I would always play the Mommy or Daddy card. "That is something that Julie needs to ask her Mommy!" LOL
Well, the Elf on the Shelf is adorably cute but it wouldn't really work for us. So, I thought that I would create an activity that would have this type of excitement but with a mystery, too! I started to imagine a little trickster of a gingerbread man who liked to wreak havoc in the classroom. The problem is we don't know his name! So, the students see the remains of what Jester did the night before or maybe while they were out at specials. Candy wrappers are strewn and there is a clue left in an envelope. The students must figure out the riddles and write the clues in their investigative journal. After they solve three clues, they will have figured out Jester's name! A treat and riddle will be at the end of the week to celebrate. This pack also includes ideas to make a bulletin board display to share with the rest of the school or family. They will then get the opportunity to solve the clues! Here are a few sneak peeks of the pages you will get:
I am so excited about this new activity. It is only $3 in my store and can last a week. It would really add some excitement to that final week leading up to the holiday break. Would you like the Jester the Gingerbread activity for FREE? Just comment below about how you would use the project. I will use a number generator to choose a winner! Best of luck!
Also, before I close this post, I thought I would share a couple of gingerbread freebies that I have in my store. One is a gingerbread writing activity that would be super cute to hang with the bulletin board display from above or to decorate your room. It asks students to imagine if they were a gingerbread boy or girl. You can pick it up here:
The other is a number recognition center. It would be great for Pre-K through Kindergarten and is the top download from my store!
Both of these freebies you will find on my page of the new Holiday E-book at Teachers Pay Teachers. If you have not already seen this book, RUN don't walk to download it! It is absolutely free and is chock-FULL of free holiday items, tips, and greetings from some great TPT stores. You can click the links below to head over to the PK-K edition which is where my page can be found. :) BUT, there is also a 1-2 grade version, 3-5 version and a high school version! There are free gifts for everyone and could be used for the classroom or homeschool room. Check them out!
