Fun Learning this Christmas

What makes each day of December fun? 

1. Celebrate Christ's birthday

To celebrate Christ's arrival, we are counting the days till the 25th with an ornament a day to hang in the tree.

2. Christmas lights, trees and goodies

Do I need to say more? :)

3.Music & dance

Opening the second semester is a Christmas special from her class. Moving up together with three year olds, our daughter is starting to learn to join other playmates and go around singing and dancing to the season's music.

4. Drawing and story telling

A special story for this season as told by their teacher.

5.Gift Giving

Fun fun with Santa's Elves as they distribute Christmas goodies and the kids give some of their own too.

6. Chrismas book surprise

We read christmas story every day since 1st of December.

7. Friends and Family

It is The season where we spend with people that matter.

Have a Joyous Christmas to all!

The Nutcracker

Books
We are fond of the Ella Bella series, we are kicking off with Ella Bella Ballerina and the Nutcracker.
James Mayhew's is a  great introduction to the story, the ballet and the music.

More of The Nutcracker

Different versions of E.T.A Hoffmann's Nutcracker can be found, some are ballet adaptations, some are from the original book, try to find what appeals to your family.

Music & Ballet
My husband and I had the chance to watch Lisa Macuja, via Ballet Manila last year. We are hoping the event will continue to show until my daughter is old enough to watch. For the meantime, we listened to the the Music of Peter Tchaikovsky and watched online an orchestra play.

Read a book about instruments too.

Photo from Silas Orchestra and Houston Ballet

Crafts

We made snowflakes cutouts.

Photo & instructions at Martha Stewart's site

Together with her dad they made several art faces and one of them is the nutcracker.

Tissue core plus water color, and viola, here is the finished product

Christmas
We decorated the 'small tree' hoping it will grow big.

This year marked that she understood what Christmas is about

A themed decoration where my daughter got excited and identified all the characters.

counterclockwise, the Wooden Nutcracker, Clara, the would be Prince,
my daughter's favorite Sugar Plum Fairy, Rat King,
and a pose from an enthusiastic little girl 

A surprise from her dad, a musical nutcracker where my daughter 'danced' ballet in its tune.

Enjoy the season of joy! Happy Christmas!

Book:The Carrot Seed

With few words, this book has a lot to say.

It talks about hope.

It talks about perseverance.

It talks about planting.

Daughter plants, waters, removes weeds

It highlights color. (See how the carrot is highlighted at the end of the book).

My daughter and her dad made their own representation of the carrot.

Carrots in watercolor 2014.11.20

We incorporated singing of the chinese song Ba Luo Bo.

A song we often sing - Pulling Carrots

A read along book with this.

One of our favorites

Bible go along story: Parable of the Sower.


Few words can mean a thousand more to every reader.