SchoolhouseTeachers at Christmas
I love this time of year. The twinkling lights reflecting off the snow. The starkly naked trees reaching for the cloudless sky. Promises of steaming hot drinks, cozy sweaters, and red smiling cheeks. And the joy of remembering Christ’s coming as a vulnerable, tiny babe fills my heart. Why then is this also the most stressful, busiest time of year? Under the weight of all the hustle and bustle, I sometimes resort to familiar but stale activities in an attempt to refocus. I really need to breathe new life into Christmas for my family. So, rather than sort through the mountains of online resources, I turned to SchoolhouseTeachers.com to see if they had anything.
Videos Bring New Perspective
Well, SchoolhouseTeachers.com never disappoints! I found ten videos for kids, mostly animated. While some featured the Christmas story, others told parables or offered a fresh perspective from a first-person viewpoint. What I really liked, though, were the four videos appropriate for teens and adults or family viewing. We will be taking some time to watch A Savior Is Born and The Christmas Experience together as a family. My hope is that these videos will help us experience Christmas anew as they share the story in a different way.
Additional Resources
Christmas Around the World
As I scrolled through the other available resources, I skipped the curriculum type activities. We don’t like to mix Christmas with lessons. Instead, I looked for other things we could read or do. I found History of the Christmas Tree and The Real St. Nicolas under Ditch the Desk. There were also some art lessons about Christmas traditions in other parts of the world. Since we often visit the Christmas Trees Around the World exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, I jotted down these ideas.
Christmas in Art
Looking at the listed paintings under Everyday Easels sparked another idea. What about discussing some fine art centered around the birth of Jesus? That might open up some interesting conversations about why the artist chose to depict events the way he did and how faith impacts art. Sometimes, seeing events through an artist’s eyes imparts a new appreciation for God.
Christmas in History
Scrolling further, I found a lesson on Christmas in the Renaissance, which examines the meaning and history of the yule log and twelfth night. I had always wondered about this myself and thought maybe my family would enjoy learning more about old traditions. I made a note about this and included learning more about the twelve days of Christmas too.
One last thing I saw that interested me involved a Jesse tree. I had always wanted to create one because understanding the lineage of Christ helps us see both his humanity and his sovereignty at the same time. He is of the line of David, the foretold king who sits on the throne forever.
This Christmas, why not investigate how SchoolhouseTeachers.com can help you focus on the reason for the season? With so many resources available for your entire family, SchoolhouseTeachers.com is for every subject, every grade, every student. Merry Christmas!
Julie Polanco is a 16+ years veteran homeschooling mom of four challenging, artsy kids. She is the author of two books for moms–God Schooling: How God Intended Children to Learn and 100 Ways to Motivate Kids–and the high school botany instructor for www.SchoolhouseTeachers.com. She teaches live middle school science workshops for her local homeschool co-op and is actively involved in her church’s women’s ministry. You can find her at www.julienaturally.com where she offers natural learning & living solutions for challenging kids and their families.
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