December, 2007 -

Handprint Menorah - Trace around children’s fingers or have them dip them in paint and press them on the paper as shown. Add a candle to the middle.

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Menorah Snack - Children will need a small banana, pretzel sticks, and a piece of red licorice to make this menorah. Peel the banana and insert a piece of red licorice in the middle. Insert 4 pretzel sticks (candles) on either side.

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Holiday Alphabet
(Tune: “Deck the Halls”)

Deck the room with letters and sounds,
Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la. (Arms out like an opera singer.)
Read and use them all year round, Fa-la-la-la-la, la-la-la. (Arms out.)
Listen up and then you’ll know, (Hold up index finger and shake.)
How the letters and sounds do go.
Start with A and end with Z--
Happy holidays for you and me!

A for angels, /a/ /a/ /a/,                (Invite children to make up
B for bells, /b/ /b/ /b/ /b/ /b/ /b/         motions for each word.)
C for candles /c/ /c/ /c/
D for dreidel
E for elves
F for fun
G for goodies
H for Hanukah
I for icicles
J for jingle
K for Kwanzaa
L for lights
M for menorah
N is for Noel
O for ornaments
P for presents
Q for quiet
R for Rudolph
S for Santa
T for toys
U for unity
V for vests
W for winter
X for X-mas
Y for yuletide
Z for z end

Note! I realize some of the sounds in the song are not the ones you usually teach. Use this as a “teachable moment” to explain different vowel sounds, blends, etc. Adapt the words for your school’s philosophy and the children’s cultures. It would be fun to let children suggest their own words to sing for each letter in this song.

School Program - This would be a great song for a holiday program at your school. Each child could take a letter and illustrate it. She could then hold up her picture as her letter is sung in the song.

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