Week three of Christmas Around the World took us to MEXICO! Feliz Navidad! Here are the plans I used:

Passport Pals: Christmas Around the World

Christmas in Mexico

 Play “Christmas Around the World” from the Wiggles cd as the kids enter. Have them join in with shakers.

Welcome! Remember, we are all around the world this month celebrating Christmas! We are going to many of the continents! Does anyone remember any of the continents? Let’s sing our Continent Song.

Continent Cheer (GGM #3)

Suitcase: nativity scene pieces, white paper bag, candle, pointsettia picture

This week we are going to read books about Christmas in MEXICO! They speak Spanish in Mexico. Who knows how to say “Merry Christmas” in Spanish?

Read “Feliz Navidad” by Jose Feliciano (I sang through this book . . . and the kids and parents joined me. It was lots of fun — made even more fun by the fact that I have a couple Spanish speaking families who attend Passport Pals!

Song: Feliz Navidad with shakers or other instruments.

Read ‘Twas Nochebuena by Roseanne Greenfield Thong

Song: Murray’s Christmas Samba” (Wiggles #4)

Tell the story, “The Flower of Christmas Eve” (about the pointsettia). I found a Mexican girl and boy coloring page, baby Jesus in a manger coloring page, weeds coloring page and pointsettia coloring page. Then I copied them at a smaller size on cardstock, colored them with markers, cut them out and put magnets on the back. I brought in a pizza pan to be my magnet board and told the story to the kids using the script from the above link and my magnet pieces. The story really held the attention of the kids . . . I think it went over quite well.

Read “N is for Navidad” by Susan Middleton Elya

Craft: Pointsettia craft using toilet paper tubes (http://thepreschooltoolboxblog.com/poinsettia-cardboard-tube-3-d-crafts-preschool-kindergarten/ ) I had the kids do this craft out at the craft tables.  We used yellow tissue paper to make the seeds on the inside of the pointsettia.

Stamp Passport