Monthly Archives: December 2015

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This year I feel so blessed to share Christmas with all 5 of my grandchildren, albeit not at the same time. My three granddaughters, two are 7 and one is 6, all wanted to see The Nutcracker Ballet in the worst way. The two boys did not. Neither did the "big boys." So it was decided all of the girls would go--two different girls' nights out. One night in New York City and one night in Atlanta.

First, my daughter, seven-year-old granddaughter and I went to the ballet at Lincoln Center in New York City. It is always a special event and everyone is riveted to the performance as the enormous Christmas tree "grows' from the floor of the stage until it is a size of enormous proportions. I believe this scene is unique to Lincoln Center and it is spectacular!

Mia and Nutcracker Costumes

Mia with a display at Lincoln Center

 

FullSizeRender  Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center

At Mia's request we visited the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center that seemed especially beautiful this year. It seemed to be much wider than usual and was just so bright. The area was super crowded on a Sunday night but it was so festive.

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Christmas Tree at Bryant Park, Midtown, Manhattan

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                                                        Here we are posing under the tree

Bryant Park was our destination for dinner. It was impossible to get a cab so we were hoping to walk off all the calories we were taking in. It was a great night!  Mia's already making plans for next year!

 

A few days later I was visiting with my two Atlanta granddaughters, Alexa and Abby. My daughter-in-law drove us to the city.  We were lucky to have a beautiful night to take in the city and it was delightful.  We had dinner at the hotel directly across from the Fox Theater and the girls were so excited as the lights were glowing brightly into the window and across our table. The ballet was wonderful and our two little ballerinas were quite attentive. It is a night they won't forget!!  They loved it!!

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Atlanta, Georgia

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                                    Here we are posing at the hotel's beautiful Christmas tree

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Alexa with her new doll

Kathleen in 8 Apples

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My good friend and I have a Christmas tradition--several actually, but yesterday was the Holiday House tour. Participants make a donation to the town historical society and then are invited to visit historic homes decorated for the holidays. It's a lot of fun and something we try not to miss. When I bought the ticket, I didn't realize it conflicted with the Jets-Giants game. That was a painful choice. We went on the house tour and had a great time while the game was taped--DVR.

Jets Beat Giants

Fitzmagic, as I like to call him, was magical in the end.

I just finished watching the game. The Jets definitely had a slow start, but came roaring back in the fourth quarter to tie the game with the Giants who had a 10 point lead. The game went into overtime and the Jets were able to pull out a win. It was a stunning ending! Final score 23-20. So we are very happy Jets fans!

To celebrate the Jets win, I am offering my Christmas You-Know Addition Game to my followers. It will be posted in my store as a freebie for a limited time today. So hurry on over to grab yours. Don't forget to leave some merry feedback if you do download it so I can continue to celebrate Jets wins with freebies. They're on a roll now so hopefully there will be many more wins--and freebies to celebrate!! Enjoy the game!

 

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Kathleen in 8 Apples

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Welcome to December's Pick 3 Party hosted by Inspired Owl's Corner and PAWSitively Teaching and Just Reed! Holiday season is officially here and excitement is in the air. Certainly every teacher knows that! For this month's linky I found some great pins highlighting festive ideas to help you and your kids survive December! Enjoy!

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chocolate marshmallow

Candy Cane Hot Chocolate Stir Stick

Don't these just look delicious? I saw this and wanted a hot chocolate--right away. This would be easy for the kids to make for a holiday party or to watch a movie and a very special treat they won't forget.

 

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Grinch pin

This is a great activity to work on some fancy vocabulary words. Even the older kids would like to contribute adjectives to this poster. The infamous grinch is quite a character and a great example of what not to be. LOL Could also extend the brainstorming to include similies and metaphors, "The grinch was as grumpy as . . . "  Make a grinch book. Have every kid pick a word and finish that sentence using their word. Then kids illustrate their writing.  Bind the pages into a class book. This is an easy holiday creation and a great way to practice new vocabulary words. The kids will love reading and re-reading the book they authored! Great holiday fun!

 

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Props for Christmas pics

Posing with props for pictures has become a very popular activity at parties and events. It would be so much fun to make these with the kids and then take their pictures in front of a classroom holiday display.  The kids can really ham it up as they pose with friends making creative, funny poses. These photos would make a great addition on the December page of a year-end journal chronicling the times in your class. This is a great activity for your holiday party--or just a short break from work time.

Check out my Pinterest feed for more great holiday ideas. If you have a fun December holiday activity, interest, recipe or December-anything-at-all pin, feel free to link up. Visit other participating blogs for more creative ideas!

Happy Holidays to all!

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Kathleen in 8 Apples

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To give you a special treat for the holidays I am celebrating the 12 Days of Christmas hosted by Brandi and Angela from Focused on Fifth.  Many bloggers have joined together to share holiday ideas for you to use in your classroom. We want to help make December an educational, fun time for you and your kiddos. So read on to learn about the hints and treats that bloggers have prepared for you.

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To celebrate the first day of Christmas, bloggers have prepared holiday-themed math ideas. Here is my new freebie, Elves Writing Fractions, Decimals and Fractions, made especially for you. It is designed with an elf holiday theme to help your students read, write and understand numbers written as fractions, decimals and percents.
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This resource contains 3 anchor charts, one each for decimals, fractions, and percents. Each chart has math sentences for the kids to complete.

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There are 12 task cards in this resource. Here is an example of what is included.

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This is the festive student response sheet for kids to record their responses.

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So hurry on over to my store, A+ Kids, to get your free resource--and if you like it, don't forget to leave some sweet feedback too. By the way if you look around my store there is also a math, critical thinking, freebie called Holiday Puzzles for your kids to keep busy--and think too. Enjoy! Happy Holidays!!

 

Check in everyday with Brandi and Angela at Focused on Fifth to find out which bloggers are participating that day and collect lots of great ideas to make December more fun for you and your class.

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Kathleen in 8 Apples

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