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Each UNIT STUDY includes suggestions of books to READ, ideas to WRITE, crafts to CREATE, more to EXPLORE, snacks to ENJOY and other ways to LEARN about a specific topic!
This is part of a series, THE 12 DAYS OF WINTER UNIT STUDIES. For a thorough explanation of UNIT STUDIES {what they are and what they include} check out THE 12 DAYS OF WINTER UNIT STUDIES. You’ll also find a schedule of when each new UNIT PACK will go live!
Day One: GINGERBREAD
Whether it’s cookies, cakes, lattes or candle scents, your kids have surely been exposed to GINGERBREAD in one form or another. But do they know anything about what it is or why it’s part of our Christmas traditions? Let this UNIT STUDY help YOU teach your kids all about GINGERBREAD!
READ: Chances are, you’ve read one or two versions of the Gingerbread Boy over the years. They all seem to follow the same concept where he is trying to run away and the crowd who follows grows and grows. It’s a fun concept that has loads of potential for literacy fun along the way!
I chose Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett to start because it follows the same pattern as the others only the baby does not die in the end! That’s my kind of story for sure!
Another fun option is The Gingerbread Cowboy by Janet Squires. This one has a southwest flair so it’s much less “Christmassy” but the desert animals add a nice twist to to the whole thing. But, be prepared…this cookie does not survive the ordeal!
Oh, and be sure to check out the FREE FICTION mini BOOK COMPANION PACK. It includes a Venn Diagram to compare/contrast the two stories!
WRITE: In the FREE WINTER-THEMED WRITING ACTIVITIES PACK, you’ll find two GINGERBREAD options. One is this cute little guy that needs to be dressed up in a new persona. And, with that, he needs a new statement too!
Here’s my silly attempt at a GINGERBREAD REINDEER. It doesn’t need to make sense for learning to take place…as a matter of fact, I think the sillier, the better! {I realize now that my poor reindeer has no ears, oops!}
There is also an option for kids who can/like to write more. This activity asks the student to create an escape plan for the GINGERBREAD Man! 
CREATE: The two most obvious suggestions for a hands-on GINGERBREAD experience would be to bake cookies or build houses. Pinterest has a plethora of those options and, chances are, you’ve got experience with those already {though, if that’s not the case, I really do recommend both of those activities!} But, let me show you a few other ideas…
These Scented Gingerbread Ornaments are made out of sandpaper and are seriously the cutest GINGERBREAD craft of all! They look super easy to make with fairly common supplies, depending on whether you are married to a handyman or not {that would be a “no” for me. Sandpaper would be something I’d have to pick up for this craft.}
This Gingerbread Play-dough looks fairly quick and easy to make, though I’d be tempted to take an even easier route and just add some GINGERBREAD scent to store-bought Play-Doh and call it a day. Either way, I’m sure the littles would get a kick out of this hands-on way to explore the scent of GINGERBREAD while making an army of malleable GINGERBREAD boys and girls.
There are also these easy-to-make Stuffed Gingerbread Boys and Girls that take no unusual supplies and can be decorated very simply with crayons or full-on with glitter and baubles.
EXPLORE: Watch this quick, one-minute video on Pepperkakebyen, The World’s Largest Gingerbread Town.
Or check out this much longer, but highly informative 44-minute long Gingerbread Journeys that is free on Amazon Prime.
ENJOY: Finding GINGERBREAD things to eat is super easy during the holiday season. Cookies, bread, cake, drinks, creamer, pancakes, hot cocoa….if there was a Pumpkin Spice option in November, there is a GINGERBREAD option now. But, if serving up something sweet is not your desire, you could just as easily light a scented candle to enjoy while reading a good GINGERBREAD book!
LEARN: I looked far and wide for an informative non-fiction book about GINGERBREAD, but I failed. I checked out our local library but came up empty! Then I tried Amazon and found nothing! {There’s an untapped market for any budding authors!} But, this WINTER-THEMED INFORMATIONAL TEXT and WRITING PROMPTS PACK does include a couple of pages about GINGERBREAD. Be sure to use code 12DAYSofWINTERWOLFe to get the entire pack for free!
READ MORE: Below you’ll find a great selection of GINGERBREAD stories. Ninja. Girls. Patriots. Mice. Dogs. And more!
Check out the entire series,
12 Days of Winter Unit Studies!
READ~WRITE~CREATE~EXPLORE~ENJOY~LEARN!
I hope you found at least a wee bit of something helpful in this GINGERBREAD UNIT STUDY PACK!
Be sure to check out the others as they go live. You can find the full schedule, along with the rest of the Homeschooling Fun Through the Holidays Series, HERE!
Next up: NUTCRACKERS
Much appreciation goes out to my good friend, Jamie Spear! She helped me find these fun books, crafts, snacks and more! Without her, these UNIT STUDIES would have nothing but “read this, print that, and write something!” You can find her on FaceBook, Instagram and Pinterest.
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