The Wolfe Pack {Reviews+Resources+Suggestions=Support for the Discerning Homeschool Mom}

providing the discerning homeschool mama with support on her journey

The Thing About Easter

by Leave a Comment

My word. 

I just spent TWO HOURS looking for a thing that never existed. Yes, that’s what I did. TWO HOURS. Why?

Well, clearly, I thought this thing existed but I could not find it.  And I cannot stand misplacing things. Especially when the thing is part of a set. 

And that’s what this thing was. It was one thing of a twelve-thing set and I could not find it anywhere. 

Worse yet, it was part of a family tradition that I have done with my son every Easter for as long as I can remember. 

Yes, he’s 14 and not really the chunky kid that I used to force into sweater vests for Easter Sunday.

But, he’s still our kid and, before we know it, he’ll be out of the house.

So, I’m going to do these holiday traditions as long as I possibly can. 

That is why I spent two hours looking for this missing thing. 

See, every year, we start celebrating Easter 12 days before Easter.

We start with a dozen plastic eggs. 

And inside each egg is one of these things. 

These things are actually little printed images on one side with a Bible verse on the other. They are nothing fancy. 

Seriously, it’s a little picture on one side and then my Sharpie-written note on the other. The note says to read a particular Bible verse. And this little thing is shoved inside a plastic egg {along with a piece of candy, of course.}

But these little things tell the Easter story when read in order.

You’ve probably seen the idea or even done some version of it yourself.

Day One: Image of the Bible on one side, and the other side says, “Turn to the Gospels and be ready to read the Easter Story.”

Day Two: Image of a donkey on one side with “Luke 19:28-35” written on the other side.

Day Three: Image of a cup and some bread on one side and “Matthew 26:26-29” on the other.

And so forth and so on. These things go all the way through praying in the garden, to placing the crown of thorns on his Jesus’ head to dying on the cross….

It’s a fun little tradition that helps us focus on the Easter story and I’ve loved doing it with my son for years! And I wanted to do it again this year!

But, when I started to get the things ready, I could not find one of the things.

I had the 12 eggs…all labeled with mismatching stickers and in random colors {told ya, nothing fancy!}

But I only had 11 things.

So, I searched and searched for that blasted missing thing. I dug to the bottom of the “spring tubs” where the eggs had been stored. I even weeded through the annoying Easter grass in my son’s Star Wars basket, hoping it had slipped to the bottom last year.  I got on my hands and knees and searched under the shelves in the storage area in the basement. 

But, it was nowhere to be found.

I had 12 eggs and 11 things.

After two hours, I finally gave up. 

I would just have to admit defeat and make a new thing to replace the missing thing.

So, I sat down with the 12 eggs, the 11 things and also the little paper that reminds me where each thing is supposed to go.

{I mean, you cannot do them out of order or the Easter story would be messed up. So, I have this cheat sheet to remind me of what goes where.}

And that’s when I discovered that not only had I wasted two hours looking for this thing, I had quite literally missed the ENTIRE POINT of Easter in the process.

See, the thing I was missing was number 11. I had nothing to put in the eleventh egg.

Well, guess what? There is NOTHING to put in that egg and there never was. Why?

Here. Read the instructions yourself.

Yeah. The eleventh egg is supposed to be EMPTY! Why?

Because the pancake-flippin’ TOMB was EMPTY!

My word.

Of course I knew that but I was so preoccupied with recreating this family tradition {while also being slightly obsessed with not wanting to admit that I had lost something,} I was missing the entire point of Easter. 

This holiday tradition is not just about making memories for our son. We want to remind him that Jesus not only died for his sins but that Jesus defeated death and rose from the grave!

It’s so easy to focus on the fact that Christ died for our sins. And He did. My word, did He ever! Thank GOD, He did that!

But, the Easter story does not end with the seventh egg. Don’t ever stop there! You have to keep reading. Because guess what?!?!

The thing about Easter is that 

the pancake-flippin’ TOMB was EMPTY!

If you are looking for an easy way to teach your kids the full story of Holy Week, check out the Holy Week Big Bundle Pack. It includes 80 pages of printables for kids PreK-4th Grade and covers the full story of Holy Week in six simple steps. 

THREE Ways Homeschoolers Can Have Some St. PATRICK’S DAY Fun

by 25 Comments

St Patricks Day Fun for Homeschoolers

{This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our Disclosure Policy for details.} 

St. Patrick’s Day is one of those small holidays that doesn’t demand much respect. It often comes and goes in the middle of the week and all that occurs are a few green treats at school, lots of green drinks at Happy Hour and some misplaced pinching at both locations. Personally, I have never been a big St. Patty’s Day celebrant but even I believe it does deserve at least some mention to our kids. Though it’s a holiday based on both the history and myths from another land far, far away, it has somehow earned a place in our culture here in the United States. So, it makes sense to allow our kids a little Leprechaun fun alongside their homeschool studies. 

Below are THREE WAYS that homeschoolers can have some St. Patrick’s Day fun!

ONE: MAKE yummy cookies or other baked goods!

St. Patricks Fun for Homeschoolers

We love any excuse for MAKING yummy treats and if you are like us, MAKING shaped sugar cookies is a given for practically every holiday. But if you’re burnt out on those, you could try MAKING  Lucky Charms treats, green cake balls or mint brownies for St. Patrick’s Day.  All of those look and sound delicious but, my all time favorite treat for this holiday is to MAKE some cookies to accompany Leo Lionni’s book, Little Blue and Little Yellow.   All it takes is some simple round sugar cookies {you can even use store-bought, ready to eat cookies}, a small bowl of yellow frosting and a small bowl of blue frosting. Read the book, frost the cookies to blend the two colors and MAKE some fun memories while MAKING some yummy treats! {For more details, check out Little Blue and Little Yellow: an easy, fun and tasty St. Patrick’s Day Activity.}

 

TWO: CREATE a fun craft!

St. Patricks Fun for Homeschoolers

When I taught in the classroom {and also when my son was younger,} I considered the above-mentioned Little Blue, Little Yellow activity to be a sufficient example of CREATING a craft {that was eaten, of course}. But if you are a crafty mama who likes to give her kids more opportunity to CREATE, there are more than a few ideas out there for St. Patrick’s Day. Marshmallow Shamrock Stamping for the littles looks like fun {and educational too!} Shamrock Suncatchers seem like a good choice for all ages and can serve the double purpose of holiday decor. But if you have older kids with more ambition, check out these Leprechaun Traps. It looks like you can CREATE them to be as complicated and fancy as you want or keep them much more simple {which is surely what I would do!} Whichever craft your kids choose, they’ll surely have fun CREATING something memorable!

 

THREE: LEARN about the holiday!

St. Patricks Fun for Homeschoolers

As mentioned in my Valentine’s Day post, I can’t seem to let any holiday go by without expecting my son to LEARN  about it. Doing this doesn’t even need to take away from the rigor of your child’s schooling, as you can easily substitute St. Patrick’s Day-themed reading and writing for your normally-scheduled school programming. I always like to use informational reading text passages and writing prompts {which can be found in my St. Patrick’s Day Holiday Fact Pack….so convenient, right?!?!? But, really, it’s an easy and inexpensive way to capitalize on the holiday without giving up learning!}

So, whether your kids MAKE yummy cookies, CREATE something fun or LEARN about the holiday, there are loads of ways for your homeschoolers to have some St. Patrick’s Day fun!

 

Now that you’ve got one day figured out, how about a FULL YEAR of gentle, joyful, and beautiful education with your family!?!?!

Check out The Homeschool Garden and the giveaway below!

The Homeschool Garden is a Charlotte Mason-inspired curriculum that works well for many different families and is designed for the entire family to learn together which makes things easier on mom!

“Our greatest joy is helping other homeschool families succeed, simplify, and be consistent while still maintaining a delightful home atmosphere.” ~Lara, The Homeschool Garden

The Homeschool Garden offers individual sessions but also The Homeschool Garden Morning Time Yearly Membership, which includes:

  • Access to ALL our current and future morning time sessions for as long as you are a member.
  • Weekly Schedule – Ready-to-go plans set up to keep the rotation simple and delightful
  • Subjects included in each session include: Copywork; poetry; tea-time; composer study and music selections; art study and art selections; handicrafts; art lessons; hymns and folk songs; weekly nature study; geography; memory work including scripture, prayer, and poetry; Shakespeare or Plutarch; recommended reading lists to compliment the session.
  • Access to our private online support community to keep you accountable and to share your success.
  • Access to our video library of how-to’s – subject by subject videos to help you teach morning time subjects effectively. 
  • Members-only bonus content and printable resources.
  • Yearly members receive a 25% discount on all our other products and courses.
We are so delighted that you are here to enter our giveaway! One lucky family will win a Yearly membership to The Homeschool Garden Morning Time, a $221.99 value. Giveaway ends 03/22/21. 
a Rafflecopter giveaway

It is your responsibility to read the terms and conditions upon entering. By entering, all entrants understand that they are subject to being added to each of the participating blogger’s email lists.

St Patricks Day Fun for Homeschoolers

Valentine’s Day: A UNIT STUDY Read~Write~Create~Explore~Enjoy~Learn!

by 7 Comments

{This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our Disclosure Policy for details.} 

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! To read more about the concepts behind my UNIT STUDIES, read this. 

If you find it handy to have a simplified printable of these suggestions, you can find one, along with several free printables,  here in the FREE Valentine’s Day Unit Study Printable Pack.

Otherwise, read on for a more detailed version with links embedded! 

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

 

INTRO: As you probably know, I used to be a classroom teacher. I loved so many things about my job but celebrating various holidays in my classroom was NOT one of them. Don’t get me wrong, we always had fun and celebrated with games, snacks and whatnot but it was stressful and left me exhausted at the end of the day. Not to mention, somehow even the smallest of holidays seemed to have a lasting impact on the kids’ attention spans and learning capacity that lasted an entire week. It took me a few years to realize that it did not need to just be cupcakes and Bingo to create a celebration. And, as soon as I adapted our holiday celebrations to include actual educational opportunities, the exhaustion and chaos seemed much more worth it! So, when I started homeschooling, I opted to use that same approach. So, with every holiday that rolled around, we did a UNIT STUDY and learned loads of new stuff! And, Valentine’s Day is the first of many small holidays heading your way! 

READ: There are so many Valentine’s Day books out there! As always, I suggest checking out your local library.  Chances are, they have a great selection already identified and ready for check-out! Of course, Amazon is also a great option…as long as you plan at least two days ahead. 😉 But, wherever you find your books, here are a few of my faves….

For the youngest set, I adore Babies Love Valentine’s by Holly Berry-Byrd. It’s a lift-the-flap board book designed to introduce babies and toddlers to the common elements of Valentine’s Day. It’s simple, sweet and durable!

For early readers, I really like Love from The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. It’s short and sweet and features the world’s most famous caterpillar using his favorite foods to show off what love means to him. 

Another fairly simple but fun book that is perfectly adaptable for Valentine’s Day is Love from the Crayons by Drew Daywalt. It features a series of crayons explaining why love can be red or purple or brown or green. It features a repetitive text but also includes some more challenging words and phrases which allow for great opportunities to expand vocabulary. 

A silly option,  that still offers great life and literacy lessons is Roses Are Pink, Your Feet Really Stink by Diane de Groat. It’s about a possum who struggles to write a kind Valentine card for a few of his classmates. Because of the way he feels, he ends up writing some less-than-kind words, but, in the end, the classmates work through their issues and everybody has a happy Valentine’s Day! It’s a sweet and relatable story for sure! But my favorite part is the silly rhyming that the book presents. Rhyming is so important for early readers and writers and, the sillier, the better when it comes to this age-range {6-9 years old}.

Though it’s not really a Valentine’s Day book, I absolutely love  A Book of Hearts by Jessica Laurel Kane. It’s a thought-provoking book about all sorts of hearts, including a golden heart, a sensitive heart, a brave heart, a mourning heart and more. It’s not your typical Valentine’s Day story because it’s not all happy hearts, for sure,  but it does end with an “understanding heart” which implores us to love all types of hearts we find along the way. It’s a big lesson provided for small people in a short book. I highly recommend it! 

WRITE: For a couple of different writing activities, look no further than the FREE  Valentine’s Day Unit Study Printable Pack.

It includes this cute and simple activity that coordinates perfectly with Love from The Crayons by Drew Daywalt but can also be used on its own. There are even two styles; one with primary lines and one with standard lines. 

Also included in the FREE  Valentine’s Day Unit Study Printable Pack, is this cute and clever poem-writing activity. It was designed to be used with Roses Are Pink, Your Feet Really Stink by Diane de Groat but is a perfect activity to use with kids of all ages, with or without the book! 

CREATE:  These Tissue Paper Stained Glass Hearts are not only super cute, but they are also cheap, easy and NOT MESSY! Oh! And they’re very easy to display as decor and store year after year. All you need is some clear contact paper and tissue paper. That’s it! Seriously! My son and I made some a decade ago and I still pull them out every year to stick on the windows in February! 

Another fun, but a wee bit messier, craft is this I Love You To Pieces Mosaic Heart. The included instructions are designed to make a card to give to somebody it could also be simplified to just make on a piece of construction paper. It requires tearing colored construction paper into small pieces and gluing them onto a heart. It’s a great activity for littles and bigs alike!

ENJOY:   Starting the day with these adorable Sheet Pan Heart Bear Pancakes would be super fun. You could even prep them the night before to make the morning easier. I might be tempted to modify these instructions to just use heart-shaped cookie cutters, instead of bears, and slice some strawberries the easy way. But, either way, it does not look like too much work at all and I can safely say I almost always have those ingredients on hand {just pancake mix and strawberries!}

For lunch, use that heart-shaped cookie cutter again and create this Valentine Sandwich Snack! The instructions include making homemade strawberry jam, which would be a very unlikely use of time in our home, but the rest of it is easy peasy and too cute! You basically use a cookie cutter to cut a peep-through hole in the top piece of bread. What you put in the sandwich could be anything!

LEARN: For an easy way to work on pertinent literacy skills while learning about some of the fun facts associated with Valentine’s Day,  check out this Valentine’s Day Holiday Fact Pack.  It introduces your 3rd-6th graders to a variety of topics including conversation hearts, St. Valentine, cupid, chocolate candy and more through Informational Text, Comprehension        Questions, Writing Prompts and more! Use discount code 25OffVAL, to save 25%. {Or, if you bought the Celebrate It! Digital Grab Bag, you’ll find it in there!}

EXPLORE:  A great path to take if you want to explore more for Valentine’s Day is to focus on the science of the most important muscle in our bodies, the heart! Here is a 5 minute video explaining what the heart is and  how it works. It’s great for all ages! And here is a fun, and fairly simple science activity that shows how the heart works. It requires a balloon, small jar, cup, two bendy straws, some tape and water. That’s it! You can also snag some free printables here that allow your kids to color an image of a heart using a color-coded chart. 

You may also want to check out this Pinterest Board.  It has a carefully curated collection of ideas of how to teach about and enjoy Valentine’s Day in your homeschool! 

AND, as a BONUS for this UNIT STUDY, several of my blogging buddies have contributed their own Valentine’s Day-themed posts. There are some awesome ideas included. Check them out!

1. If your kids need inspiration for creative writing, try these fun writing prompts and tips {plus a free printable}, Inspire Creativity in Your Children + Gnome Writing Prompts from In All You Do. 2. If you want some additional STEM activities, check out these 10+ Awesome Valentine’s Day STEM Activities for Kids from Hess Un-Academy! 3. To learn more about the all-time most favorite food for Valentine’s Day, check out the post Chocolate Secrets from Julie Naturally. 4. For additional info on the history behind the holiday, head over to read The History Behind Valentine’s Day from Homeschool on the Range. 5. Do a quick 15-minute music lesson for Valentine’s Day while listening to some of the greatest ever Love Songs from Musicals from Music in Our Homeschool. 6. Try these DIY Felt Fortune Cookies Valentine’s Day Craft + free Valentine printable from Making Room 4 One More. They’re so simple, that your kids can help make a batch! 7. For some additional literacy learning, try these Valentine’s Day Language Arts Resources for Homeschooling Families from Whole Child Homeschool. 8. For something sweet, whip up a batch of Make Some Easy Sweetheart Popcorn For Valentine’s Day from Our Crazy Adventures in Autismland. 9. If you want to go big and have an actual party, check out How to Have a Valentine’s Day Homeschool Party from Everyday Graces Homeschool. 10. For another sweet concoction, try this Valentine’s Chocolate Pudding Cream Cheese Frosting from Homegrown Motherhood. 11. For several more book ideas, check out 27 Valentine’s Day Books for Kids from Heart and Soul Homeschooling. 12. If you want to take your snickety snacks to the next level, here are some 5 Valentine’s Day Snacks that Teach About God’s Love from Stand Up, Reach Out! 13. Here are several ideas to go along with a special book: Story Time: Somebody Loves You, Mr. Hatch from Orison Orchards. 14. You know I’m all about simple snacks! Here are 15 Fast and Fun Valentine’s Day Snacks for Kids from Thrive@Home! 15. For a craft with a purpose, check out this DIY Valentine’s Day Craft Ideas – Beautiful Heart-Shaped Upcycled Book Decorations from Geez, Gwen!

Nutcrackers: A UNIT STUDY Read~Write~Create~Explore~Enjoy~Learn!

by 10 Comments

{This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our Disclosure Policy for details.} 

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 Two: NUTCRACKERS

Surely, your kids have 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!

READ: 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, you can snag a FREE mini Book Companion Pack to go along with the book. 

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. You can find several other suggestions at the bottom of this post. 

CREATE: 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!

EXPLORE: There is actually a small NUTCRACKER museum in Washington state. Not only do they have a museum, but they also have 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! 

ENJOY: 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!

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!

LEARN: 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 none other than the super cute 95-year-old museum owner mentioned above. 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. 

But for a short history of NUTCRACKERS, you can grab this WINTER-THEMED INFORMATIONAL TEXT and WRITING PROMPTS PACK for free with code 12DAYSofWINTERWOLFe. It also includes comprehension questions and writing prompts! 

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 is also a FREE mini Book Companion Pack to go with it!

WRITE: And, once you’ve learned all about NUTCRACKERS, here is a fun little writing activity that kids of all ages will enjoy! It’s FREE in the Writing Activities Pack: Winter Unit Studies. 

Here’s my ridiculous 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. 

READ MORE: Check out these additional books on NUTCRACKERS! Chances are, your library also has great options too! 

Check out the entire series,

12 Days of Winter Unit Studies!

 

READ~WRITE~CREATE~EXPLORE~ENJOY~LEARN!

I hope this NUTCRACKER UNIT STUDY PACK gave you a few fun ideas of how to teach something new this winter!

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: POLAR BEARS

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.

Classic Board Games with a Christmas Twist

by 8 Comments

{This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our Disclosure Policy for details.} 

If you’re anything like our family, you have quite a collection of BOARD GAMES taking up space in your basement cupboards.

We love BOARD GAMES so much that I tend to buy too many. So many, in fact, that there are several that have not seen the light of day in years. And, just like with many things in life, it’s the old, classic versions that get neglected while the hip, cool versions get played.

So, in an effort to make space for new BOARD GAMES during the upcoming gift-giving season, I’ve been going through our game cupboard. 

But, much to my neat-freak husband’s disappointment,  instead of finding some to get rid of, I’ve found new ways to reinvigorate some of the old classics for this holiday season!

And we had so much fun with these CHRISTMAS-TWISTED BOARD GAMES that I wanted to share with y’all! 

ONE: UNO

UNO is such a great game for several reasons, not the least of which is it’s easy for all ages to play! And, it turns out that UNO  has nearly endless possibilities of ways to give it a fun CHRISTMAS-TWIST. 

Here are just a few suggestions:

  • Play a red card =  get a red M&M
  • Play a green card = get a green M&M
  • Play a 2 on top of a 5 {25} = get a Hershey Kiss
  • Play a red card on top of a green card = get a mini candy cane
  • Play a green card on top of a red card = take a sip of hot cocoa 

Or if sweets are not your style:

  • Play a red card =  sing Rudolph
  • Play a green card = wear the Santa Hat until somebody else plays a wild card
  • Play a 2 on top of a 5 = speak in an elf-voice for the rest of the game
  • Play a red card on top of a green card = move an ornament on the tree
  • Play a green card on top of a red card = act like a snowman melting in the sun 

TWO: SCRABBLE 

SCRABBLE is a staple in most homes but it is probably often over-looked as too educational {aka: boring} for some. But, with this CHRISTMAS-TWIST, everybody will be asking to break out SCRABBLE this holiday season! 

Play SCRABBLE like you normally do but every time a word is played, the player needs to use that word in a CHRISTMAS-TWISTED sentence. Your family can decide if the sentences need to make sense or not {personally, we like nonsensical things around here but we do expect the parts of speech to be used appropriately.} You can come up with your own sentences or use these suggestions:

  • For Christmas, I really hope Santa brings me a ____.
  • It’s so cold outside that I am ____.
  • The Christmas carolers are ____ on our porch!
  • ____ will be our new Christmas tradition. 
  • Oh my gosh! Look! Santa stuffed your stocking with a ____.
  • All I want for Christmas is a/an/the ____.
  • Rudolph, with your nose so bright, will you ____ my sleigh tonight?
  • This Christmas, we’re only going to hang ____ on the tree. 
  • For Christmas morning, we are going to eat ____.
  • I’m going to leave Santa some milk and ____. 
  • Instead of a tree, let’s hang ornaments on a ____. 
  • Frosty, the ____ man was a jolly, happy soul. 
  • Jingle ____, jingle ____, jingle all the way! 
  • Santa put your present ____ the tree. 
  • Oh, we wish you a ____ Christmas!
  • I wrapped all of the presents with ____. 

THREE: PICTIONARY

Whether you have the classic version or the new one that includes small whiteboards, using CHRISTMAS-TWISTED PICTIONARY cards is an easy and fun way to rejuvenate this classic game for the holiday season.

You can snag a CHRISTMAS-TWISTED PICTIONARY PACK here for FREE. The cards are color-coded to work with all versions of PICTIONARY but can also be used with your own family’s homemade version of the classic picture-drawing game. 

FOUR: TWISTER

TWISTER is never boring, that’s for sure, but with these CHRISTMAS-TWISTED ideas, your family will surely enjoy the game like never before!

  • Play the entire game with knit gloves on!
  • Everybody has to wear a Santa hat and keep it on their head or they’re out!
  • Or everybody has to wear a Santa hat but it doesn’t matter WHERE you wear it!
  • If you are touching a red spot, you must sing Frosty the Snowman until you move from that spot.
  • If you are touching a green spot, you must sing  Jingle Bells until you move from that spot. 
  • If you are on a green and red spot at the same time, you must say “ho ho ho ho ho” until you move from one of the colors

FIVE: HEADBANZ

If your family doesn’t own HEDBANZ, you should seriously consider getting it! My son has outgrown the original intent of the game but we still use it for spelling and vocabulary review all the time {with our own words}.

And with the CHRISTMAS-TWISTED HEDBANZ PACK, it’s super easy and FREE to turn this silly game into a great option for the holidays. You can grab the CHRISTMAS-TWISTED HEDBANZ PACK here.

So, whether you decide to try out CHRISTMAS-TWISTED 

UNO, 

SCRABBLE, 

PICTIONARY, 

TWISTER

or

HEDBANZ, 

your family is sure to enjoy making some new memories with some old games! 

And for some other great CHRISTMAS ACTIVITIES, check out these posts from some of my amazing fellow homeschool blogging mamas…

1. Don’t let your learning stop over the holidays. My teenage kid will DEFINITELY be doing some of these Holiday-Themed Science Projects from Homeschool On the Range! 2. And, here’s a GREAT math printable for the littles! Christmas Cakes One More One Less Printable Worksheet from The Art Kit. 3. I collect natitivies so this might be TOO CUTE to eat but we definitely want to make one of these Gingerbread Nativities from Hess Un-Academy! 4. We use our fireplace ALL THE TIME during fall and winter so I really hope my teenager wants to make me some of these DIY Firestarter Gifts from Making Room 4 One More. 5. I LOVE grapevine wreaths and have many sizes to use for different seasons. And after seeing this craft, I want to get some teeny ones to add to my collection! Such a cute ornament from Woodland Birds Ornament from Heart and Soul Homeschooling! 6. Whether you NEED new Christmas traditions because 2020 just ain’t allowing for your norm or you WANT to add something new, you should consider this Cultural Family Night: Christmas edition from Stand Up, Reach Out! 7. Are you BIG stocking stuffer people? We are! My husband often wonders if we spend more on stuffing stockings than we do stocking the pantry for the holidays, but it’s so hard NOT to scoop up all the cute little things! This year I plan to use some of these ideas for Easy, Cheap, Stocking Stuffer Ideas for Kids from Julie Naturally! 8. I’m always looking for cute, personalized ornaments but this year, I think I will MAKE them. Check out how stinkin’ cute these are! Scrabble Tile Christmas Ornament from I Choose Joy! 9. I’m one of those moms who takes the easy way out and buys the expensive Star Wars Lego Advent Calendar each year but I REALLY WISH I could make the switch to something like this Simple Christmas Family Traditions: An Advent Tree from Whole Child Homeschool! 10. Here’s another SUPER CUTE handmade ornament to hang on your tree this year! Handprint Candy Cane Ornament from Homegrown Motherhood 11. If you live in a cold-weather climate, here are some great ideas for how you can STILL get your family outside! Outdoor Christmas Activities for the Whole Family from An Off Grid Life 12. I collect nativities, and they’re not always cheap nor CHILD-FRIENDLY, so I really wish I had known of this option when my kid was little! Nativity Set for Kids to Make and Play With from Orison Orchards 13. If you love all of the creative and clever ideas to make the holidays happy and bright but you are short on TIME, check out this great list of Simple Christmas Activities for Busy Working Homeschool Moms from Thrive at Home! 14. How about THIS for an original yet meaningful craft!?!?!? How to make a fork painted manger set from Our Crazy Adventures In Autismland 15. Again with the TOO CUTE nativities! This one is not only cute, it’s easy to make and you probably have every single item sitting in your craft tub right now! Heart Nativity Paper Craft from My Joy-Filled Life

Categories

Archives