Each holiday (or season) I make a list of activities I might do with J. I try to include books, videos, crafts, games, printables, field trips, and scripture/Bible stories that apply. I never get all of the activities accomplished. I don’t really intend to do so when I create the list. It’s just nice to have a quick go-to list when I’m planning out our weeks. On the weeks I don’t get around to planning at all, I have a list to quickly pull from when the fancy strikes (or the toddler needs to be put to work!).
I create the lists in powerpoint because, well, it’s my favorite. I include any links to printables or the original idea right there in the list. Any manipulatives that need to be created can be done there in the same file. So when I open up my Autumn activities ppt, I have one page of activities specific to the season itself, one for Halloween and one for Thanksgiving. All the remaining pages have manipulatives I created for the activities, as well as clip art and photos that might come in handy too. Since the planning calendar I have is from I can easily fit that season’s activities into the calendar on the same file.
As we complete an activity I change the color font for quick reference. So far, we’ve completed the orange activities this year.
Here’s my current Thanksgiving list:
I save the lists in case we want to reuse activities next year or complete activities we didn’t get to. I can always add to it throughout the year if something extra special comes to mind. I do try to keep the list reasonable and only include activities that are helpful in teaching (and, lets be honest, activities I think are just plain cute!).
You’ll notice that I DO NOT create all the activities myself. Check out the links to some great activities! I might highlight a few later as I complete them, but no need to wait for me! Thanksgiving is coming soon!
