Nutcrackers Unit Study

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PLEASE NOTE

The WOLFe Pack Unit Studies are being updated, revamped and repackaged. During this tedious process, some printable packs will be free and others will be listed as $1.50. Eventually, they will all cost $1.50 but the images “out there” may still advertise the printable pack as free. I apologize for any inconvenience or confusion this may cause. Thank you for your patience and grace during this transition.

NUTCRACKERS UNIT STUDY

Your kids have likely seen NUTCRACKERS somewhere during the holidays. Maybe you’ve even taken them to see The Nutcracker Ballet. But do they know what NUTCRACKERS are and how they came to be associated with Christmas? Use this UNIT STUDY to equip you with some fun tools to teach your kids all about NUTCRACKERS!

If you find it handy to have a printable version of these suggestions, you can find one, along with several printables, in the Nutcrackers Unit Study Printable Pack.

NUTCRACKERS UNIT STUDY

{Note: The links are pink! Just think, “pink link” if you are wanting to follow a link.}

READ ABOUT NUTCRACKERS

Confession! I did not realize that the ballet was based on a book. I thought the books were expanded forms of the ballet. But, nope! It’s the other way around. The story was written long before Tchaikovsky took a piece of it and turned it into a ballet!

There are several versions of Nutcracker available to read. Depending on ages, I would suggest the unabridged version of the original story, Nutcracker by E.T.A Hoffman. There are numerous editions of this book with various illustrations put out by different publishers but if it’s by E.T.A Hoffman, it will stick to the original storyline. The one listed below is one of my favorites because it was illustrated by Maurice Sendak, famous for Where the Wild Things Are. Plus, there are comprehension questions and a sequencing activity to go along with the book in the Nutcrackers Unit Study Printable Pack.

There are also abridged versions of E.T.A. Hoffman’s story, along with a myriad of other adaptations by dozens of other authors. Additionally, there are books based on the famous ballet, which, of course, cut out much of the original story but do serve as a helpful tool to prep kids who are going to see the ballet for Christmas.

Apparently, a non-fiction look at NUTCRACKERS is not the hottest topic in the publishing world as I was only able to find one book. But the one I did find, The Art and Character of Nutcrackers happens to have been written by a super cute 95-year-old museum owner. Unfortunately, my library did not have the book and it’s about $30 on Amazon but it does look like a very informative coffee-table book so might be worth checking out if you have a real fan of NUTCRACKERS on your hands.

Another way to expand learning on the topic of NUTCRACKERS is to study the man behind the ballet. Getting to Know the World’s Greatest Composers: Tchaikovsky by Mike Venezia offers a thorough but digestible look at Peter Tchaikovksy. We love the entire series of Getting to Know the World’s Greatest Composers {they also have a series on artists} and if you decide to use this book, there are three different printable pages to go along with it in the Nutcrackers Unit Study Printable Pack.

WRITE ABOUT NUTCRACKERS

And, once you’ve read all about NUTCRACKERS, here is a fun little writing activity that kids of all ages will enjoy! You can find it in the Nutcrackers Unit Study Printable Pack.

Here’s my silly sample!

There is also an option for kids who want to write more. This assignment asks the student to write a persuasive paragraph from the perspective of the NUTCRACKER.

There is also a prompt that asks about NUTCRACKERS created to look like subjects other than soldiers.

LEARN ABOUT NUTCRACKERS

Though I could not find any non-fiction books on the subject, there are a couple of pages in the Nutcrackers Unit Study Printable Pack to help teach some NUTCRACKER facts.

CREATE NUTCRACKER CRAFTS

There are several NUTCRACKER crafts, though, much to my disappointment, I could not find any that actually crack nuts, haha! But, I’m not sure how I imagined I had the skill set to create something handy and hardy enough to crack a nut… In any case, here are a few NUTCRACKER crafts that I could manage and, therefore, suggest…..

This Craft Stick Nutcracker Ornament Craft uses only craft sticks, acrylic paint, a hot glue gun and whatever decorative items you want to use for embellishment {feathers, sequins, buttons, glitter, etc}. I’m faaaaaaaaaaaaaaar from being considered “crafty” but even my craft box contains those items. So, this would be an easy choice for me!

This Jar of Nutcracker Spoons is unique and super cute! But the supplies list would require me to wait for Amazon Prime to deliver as it includes wooden spoons, polymer clay, mod podge and felt. But, it seems simple enough so it might be worth the wait for 2 Day Shipping.

If you have an artist on your hands, these How To Draw a Nutcracker Step-by-Step instructions seem adaptable to both the beginner and more advanced art students. And all you need is paper, pencils and whatever medium you want to use for color! I could totally do this one!

And for the easiest nutcracker “craft”, try these Nutcracker Coloring Pages. Print and done!

ENJOY NUTCRACKERS

These Nutcracker Wafer Cookies are super cute and even my own kitchen skills could manage them. But they’re not the kind of snack I could whip up in ten minutes to accompany a read aloud.

For that, I would probably go for these Nutcracker Juice Box Treats. They require just a couple of juice boxes, some candy, a few apple sauce cups and a wee bit of construction paper. Not only are they cute, they manage to squeeze in a couple of food groups too….kinda.

Or, if you’re short on patience and skill but like to plan ahead, NUTCRACKER shaped candies are easy to find during the holidays. I think Reeses even has a NUTCRACKER version!

I’d be remiss if I did not suggest the hands-on approach for a NUTCRACKER snack….get your hands on an actual NUTCRACKER and crack some nuts!

EXPLORE NUTCRACKERS

Remember the museum owner mentioned above? Well, she owns an actually small NUTCRACKER museum in Washington state. Not only does she have a museum, but she also has a gift shop and a couple of websites. If you go to the main page at Nutcrackermuseum.com, you’ll find a short video that includes some interesting NUTCRACKER history. It’s also an advertisement for the museum but the owner is a super cute 95-year-old woman who just wants to spread her love of NUTCRACKERS with the world! It’s definitely worth checking out!

Or, if you are wanting the easiest of ways to enjoy a NUTCRACKER snack, pop open a can of mixed nuts and enjoy while watching this seven-minute video from a walnut-cracking company in Turkey! It has nothing to do with NUTCRACKERS but everything to do with nut cracking and shelling.