Green Grubs Garden Club

Fresh air, bare feet ad grubby hands = active learning! Fun, down-to-earth nature based ideas & educational resources for Grubby kids!

Christmas Advent Calendar {FREE Printable!}

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Well – I’ve got no idea where December suddenly popped up from, but here it is!

This resource contains 68 Christmas challenges for you to choose from to fill your Advent calendar – the mini task cards focus on spending time with family and friends during the holiday period – no sugar-laden-money-spending-commercial-Christmas activities here! Some of the cards have a Kiwi summer focus, but most of the activities will work no matter your location in the world.

“Ngā mihi o te Kirihimete me te Tau Hou!” (Season’s greetings for Christmas and the New year!)

68 Advent Calendar task cards ~ examples include: 

• Find some Christmas songs to sing along with on YouTube
• Use some lego to build Santa’s sleigh
• Choose a toy you’ve outgrown to gift to charity
• Learn how to say ‘Merry Christmas’ in another language
• How did your grandparents celebrate Christmas when they wereyoung? What was their most memorable gift?
• Design & make a sleigh out of a cardboard box
• Find, photograph or sketch a Pohutukawa in bloom
• Find some photos of your parents celebrating Christmas when they were young
• Make up some actions to your favourite Christmas song. Share them with an audience
• Make some place names to go on the table for your big Christmas day meal

Click here to snaffle up your free download!

*Click here to check out our previous Christmas blog post which includes some free follow up printables to our favourite Kiwi Christmas read-alouds!

Looking for other Kiwi Christmas printables?  Check out the ‘Store’ section of our website above!

 

Best Kiwi Christmas Read Alouds! {+FREE Printable follow up activity sheets}

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Ahh…. good old summer holidays…… and not a snowman in sight!  Alongside your usual term 4 sun safe lessons, end of year reports and beach trips, it’s nice to delve into some Kiwi themed Christmas books…  Here’s a list of my favourite ‘read alouds’ – scroll to the bottom for a FREE download containing follow up printables for the following books!

We really are spoilt for choice when it comes to beautifully illustrated and written New Zealand books – have a peek below for a quick review and some specific reader response sheets that match the books…. have I missed your favourite?  Flick me an e-mail or leave a comment below!

 

A Pukeko in a Ponga Tree

By Kingi M. Ihaka

This classic (written in 1981) is still a favourite, and perfect for a sing-a-long!  If you’re teaching in a city school, this book is choc full of lots of interesting vocab which may require some further explanation (huhu grubs, puha etc.)  This song is also great for adapting to create your own class version…

A Kiwi Jingle Bells
By Yvonne Morrison & Deborah Hinde

This modern version of Jingle Bells comes complete with a CD and catchy lyrics!  Packed full of lots of Kiwiana references, it’ll have you day dreaming of starting your beach holiday early…

Christmas in the Bush
By Lindy Kelly

This book (suitable for slightly older children) follows the story of Josh who is off to spend Christmas with his Dad in the country.  It gently touches on the topic of split families, and also the idea of creating different traditions with different sides of your family.  I also enjoyed the theme of Christmas as a time for creating new memories – not the big focus on commercial gift giving.

The 12 days of Holidays
By Yvonne Morrison & Jenny Cooper

Parents and busy teachers will all sympathise with the frazzled Mum in this book, who is juggling her older child and baby in the lead up to Christmas! Older children will enjoy the exploits of the ‘big kid’, and younger ones will enjoy the unfolding chaos of a busy house hold through the detailed illustrations.

 

Looking for other Kiwi Christmas printables?  Check out the ‘Store’ section of our website above!

 

 

Grubbily yours,