Christmas in July

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AREA SETUP

Print a variety of posters and use them to decorate the walls of your daycare. (Open thematic poster-Christmas in July)

Stickers-Christmas in July
(Open stickers-Christmas in July) Print the illustrations on adhesive paper and use them to create original stickers for your group.

Educa-theme-Christmas in July
(Open educa-theme-Christmas in July) Print and laminate the different elements representing the theme. Use them to present the theme to your group (and their parents) while decorating your daycare.

Educa-decorate-Christmas in July
(Open educa-decorate-Christmas in July) Print, laminate, and cut out the illustrations. Use them to decorate your walls and set the mood for the theme.

A tent full of gift bags
Set up a tent in your daycare or yard. Hang tiny camping lights and set several small Christmas-themed gift bags inside your tent and throughout your play area. You may hang them on hooks, fences, toys, branches, etc. Encourage children to pick a gift bag.

SPECIAL TOOL

This document was created in response to a special request received. (Open poster-Change of clothes-Swimming) Print and use the poster to let parents know which items are needed during swimming season.

CIRCLE TIME

For the duration of the theme, transform your circle time area to represent a campfire. Set a large black pot or red blanket (ember bed) in the centre of your circle. Enjoy snack time around your pretend campfire and provide long sticks to encourage children to pretend they are roasting marshmallows. Sing Christmas carols and, if you wish, add to the fun by providing musical instruments.
Suggestion: Dress up like a camper or Santa Claus.

Let's chat
(Open word flashcards-Christmas in July) (Open giant word flashcards-Christmas in July) Print and laminate the word flashcards. Children take turns picking a flashcard and naming the item (ex. a tent). As a group, discuss each item. Ask children questions to encourage them to speak.

Animated discussion-Christmas in July
(Open picture game-Christmas in July) Print and laminate the pictures in the format you prefer. Use them to spark a conversation with your group. Ask children questions about summer.

Suggested circle time questions:

• Who has gone camping?
• What kind of activities can we enjoy when we are camping?
• What do we sleep in when we go camping (tent, travel trailer, motorhome, etc.)?
• What must we wear to protect ourselves from insects and the sun?
• Which insects bite?
• Can you name foods we eat mainly when we are camping (marshmallows, BBQ)?
• Which animals can we see at a campground?
• Do you know different types of camping?
• During which season is camping possible?
• Can you name camping accessories?

PICTURE GAME

The pictures may be used as a memory game or to spark a conversation with your group. Use them to decorate the daycare or a specific thematic corner. (Open picture game-Christmas in July) Print, laminate, and store in a "Ziploc" bag or in your thematic bins.

Memory game-Christmas in July
(Open picture game-Christmas in July) Print the pictures twice and use them for a memory game.

ACTIVITY AND WRITING SHEETS

Activity sheets are provided for each theme. Print and follow instructions. (Open activity sheets-Christmas in July)

Fine motor skills activity sheets-Christmas in July
(Open fine motor skills activity sheets-Christmas in July) Print and follow instructions to provide children with an opportunity to work on their fine motor skills.

Writing activities-C like camping
(Open writing activities-C like camping) Print for each child or laminate for use with a dry-erase marker.

Creating your own activity binder
Laminate several activity sheets and writing activities and arrange them in a binder along with dry-erase markers. Leave the binder in your writing area and let children complete the pages as they wish. At the end of the day, simply wipe off their work so the activity binder can be reused.

Stationery-Christmas in July
(Open stationery-Christmas in July) Print. Use the stationery to communicate with parents, in your writing area, or to identify your thematic bins.

Educa-nuudles-Christmas in July

(Open educa-nuudles-Christmas in July) Print for each child. Have children color the sheet and use Magic Nuudles to give it a three-dimensional look. Variation: You don't have Magic Nuudles? Have children fill the spaces designed for Magic Nuudles with bingo markers or stickers. To order Magic Nuudles.

VARIOUS WORKSHOPS-Christmas in July

Different tools designed to help you integrate and plan worksops are available in the educatall club.

For planning: (Open workshop planning booklet)
For organizing your workshops: (Open chart workshops)
For identifying your workshops: (Open posters-workshops)

Construction/Building blocks:

• Add pieces of fabric to your building blocks bin and encourage children to build tents.
• Provide only red, white, and green blocks.
• Unroll cotton batting on the floor and encourage children to build on "snow".
• If you have an old cardboard Christmas village, children will enjoy creating and recreating Santa's village.
• Offer log-shaped blocks.
• Figurines of all kinds.
• Forest animals.
• Insects.
• Add "gifts" (wrapped boxes) to your area.
• Felt squares in Christmas colors.
• Empty wrapping paper rolls for creating tunnels...simply decorate them in your arts & crafts area.

Arts & crafts:

• A variety of elements found in nature near campgrounds (pinecones, tree branches, wild flowers, etc.) that can be used for crafts.
• Wooden sticks and fabric pieces for building tents.
• Empty toilet paper rolls and colourful construction paper to represent trees.
• Christmas-themed stencils.
• Glitter and glitter glue.
• Construction paper, tissue paper, and other types of paper in Christmas colors (red, white, green, gold).
• Kraft paper (roll of brown paper) for creating unique gift-wrap. Children can use cookie cutters and paint to stamp pretty shapes on the paper.
• Christmas-themed stationery for writing to Santa Claus.
• Pinecones can be used as paintbrushes.

Drawing:

• Coloring pages involving camping or vacation scenes.
• Stencils related to the theme.
• Educatall creative coloring activities or your own.
• Musical drawing activity to the sound of Christmas music.

Role play:

• Christmas Eve party:
  o Fancy dresses and suits, necklaces, high-heeled shoes, etc.
  o Fancy dinnerware, plastic wine glasses, Christmas plates, colourful utensils, etc.
  o Christmas pictures for decorating your walls.
  o A decorated Christmas tree.
  o Empty boxes wrapped with Christmas wrapping paper.
  o Christmas music.
  o Plastic food items and recipe books.

• The North Pole:
  o For elf costumes, you will need elf hats, shoes with pointed toes, tights, tutus, colourful Christmas socks, bracelets and necklaces with tiny bells, etc.
  o For a Santa Claus costume, you will need a Santa Claus hat, boots, a beard, a belt, and red clothing items.
  o For a reindeer costume, purchase a headband with reindeer antlers, and red makeup for painting the tip of each child's nose.
  o Toy workbench and tools children can use to pretend to build and repair toys.
  
  
• Campground:
  o A tent, a picnic table, a toy barbecue, plastic food items, a checkered tablecloth, a pretend campfire, sleeping bags, an inflatable mattress, a cooler, etc.
  o Hang decorative lights in your area.

Manipulation:

• Memory game with educatall.com picture game.
• Modeling dough with cookie cutters representing items found in nature.
• A bingo game related to the theme.
• Different card games.
• Mushroom shapes cut out of construction paper for a simple homemade memory game.
• Collect several items found in nature, invite children to observe them, hide them with a blanket, and remove one item. Children must identify the missing item.
• Ropes for knot-making practice.
• Association game involving animals that have fur and animals that have feathers.
• Christmas-themed memory game with educatall.com picture game.
• Red, white, and green modeling dough. Add glitter.
• Puzzles related to the theme.
• Red, green, and white necklace beads for a Christmas lacing activity.
• Boxes containing objects that produce interesting sounds wrapped in Christmas-themed wrapping paper.

Pre-reading:

• Books about camping, vacations, the forest.
• A small tent to create a special reading corner.
• Puppets representing a variety of forest animals.
• Finger puppets representing insects.
• Beautiful Christmas cards for observing and manipulating. You can even find musical ones.
• Books about Christmas and winter.

Pre-writing:

• Hunt and seek activities.
• Activity sheets related to the theme.
• Games with educatall.com word flashcards.
• Tracing activities and mazes that involve the North Pole.
• Stationery and special crayons for writing to Santa.

Sensory bins:

• Sand table with buckets and shovels.
• Water table with sponges.
• Snow (if you have some in the freezer) with mittens and gloves.
• Cereal bin (reindeer food).
• Container filled with glitter.
• A container filled with ribbon and bows.
• Coniferous branches, pinecones, pine needles, etc.
• A HUGE ball of modeling dough in each of the following colors: red, green, and white. Let children mix the colors together.
• A rice or pasta bin with Christmas colors.
• A large bin filled with Christmas-related items you've collected over the years (candles, bells, ornaments, etc.).
• Green and red ice cubes.

Motor skills:

• An obstacle course that children must complete pretending they are different forest animals.
• An obstacle course designed like a treasure hunt where children must collect pictures of forest animals.
• Practice whistling like birds.
• Have fun pretending you are animals or insects.
• Pretend you are firefighters fighting a forest fire. Children stand in line and pass a bucket of water down the line, trying to have it reach the fire as full as possible.
• Sing Christmas songs by a pretend campfire and explain the importance of putting a campfire out completely.

Science:

• Pine needles, coniferous branches, magnifying glasses, pinecones, and a scale.
• Make your own Christmas-colored modeling dough.
• Set up a Christmas-themed nature observatory next to a window.
  o Binoculars, bird and animal identification cards, crayons, white paper, CD with chirping bird sounds, etc.

LANGUAGE ACTIVITIES

The flashcards may be used during circle time to spark a conversation with the group or in your reading and writing area. They may also be used to identify your thematic bins. (Open word flashcards-Christmas in July) (Open giant word flashcards-Christmas in July) Tent, travel trailer, Christmas tree, flashlight, decoration, mosquito, Santa Claus, campfire, marshmallow, gifts, July, summer

Christmas in July felt board game
(Open felt board game-Christmas in July) Print the items and glue them on pieces of colourful felt. Glue four pieces of black felt on a piece of cardboard and display your felt board on a wall. The felt shapes will easily stick to the felt board. Children will enjoy creating different scenes and stories.

Word clothesline
(Open word flashcards-Christmas in July) (Open giant word flashcards-Christmas in July) Print two copies of several word flashcards. Hang one copy of each word on an indoor clothesline with colourful clothespins. Arrange the copies in a pile on a table. Let children take turns picking a word and finding the matching word on the clothesline. When they find a match, they can place the flashcard on top of the one that was already hanging on the clothesline. Help younger children manipulate the clothespins if necessary.

Word race
(Open word flashcards-Christmas in July) (Open giant word flashcards-Christmas in July) Print several word flashcards and hide them throughout your daycare or yard. Divide your group into two teams. When you give them the signal, children must search for the flashcards for a pre-determined period, for example three minutes. When the time is up, children must be able to "read" their flashcards to earn a point for their team. If they are unable to find the correct word, the other team can earn the point if they succeed.

SPECIAL ACTIVITIES-CHRISTMAS IN JULY

Organize a special Christmas in July party with several kiosks and games.

Perpetual calendar-Christmas in July
(Open perpetual calendar-Christmas in July) Print and display the poster to announce your special activity day.

Greeting
Invite each child to bring a small gift and wear red, green, and white clothing items. Organize a gift exchange and talk about Christmas with your group.

Lunch and snacks
Bake Christmas cookies and serve a traditional Christmas meal.

Activities
Celebrate Christmas in the middle of summer. Decorate your daycare and a Christmas tree. Make a special Christmas present for parents. Use an imaginary game to ask children what they like most about Christmas. Provide wrapping paper and ribbon and let children have fun wrapping daycare toys. When they are done, pretend it's Christmas morning and unwrap them.

Invitations-Christmas in July
(Open invitations-Christmas in July) Print and send an invitation home with each child.

Passport-Christmas in July
(Open passport-Christmas in July) Print for each child. Don't forget to write each child's name on his/her passport. Every time children visit a kiosk or participate in a game, remind them to stamp their passport.

Kiosks-Christmas in July
(Open posters-Kiosks-Christmas in July) Print, laminate, and display. Once you have greeted children in the morning, explain the various kiosks you have chosen among those that follow.

Kiosk-Ornament toss
You will need three cardboard boxes (different sizes). Wrap each one with Christmas wrapping paper. Provide old unbreakable Christmas ornaments and encourage children to try to toss them in the gifts.

Kiosk-Christmas painting
(Open models-Ornaments) Print. Give each child a black and white ornament and ask them to paint it as quickly as possible. There must be no white areas left! Time children. The fastest, most efficient painter wins!

Kiosk-Christmas necklaces
Provide several necklace beads in Christmas colors and simply encourage children to create unique pieces.

Kiosk-Christmas tree decorators
Set two small Christmas trees on a table. Fill two boxes with similar decorations/ornaments (each box must contain the same number of decorations). Children compete to decorate their Christmas tree as fast as possible. The first child (or team) who hangs all the decorations wins.

Kiosk-The red-nosed reindeer
(Open game-red-nosed reindeer) Print and display on a wall, at children's level. Blindfold children and invite them to try to place their reindeer nose as close to the right spot as possible.

Kiosk-Baste the turkey
(Open turkey) Print and laminate. Determine a start and finish line. Divide your group into two teams. For each team, set a container filled with colourful water (a red team and a green team) as well as a turkey baster at the start line. Set a second container at the finish line for each team. Stick a turkey picture on each one and indicate the level the water must reach with a piece of adhesive tape. Children must fill their turkey baster with water and run to the finish line to empty it in the other container. The first team who reaches the pre-determined level wins.

Kiosk-Catch my ribbon
Two players stand in a delimited territory. Each child inserts a piece of Christmas ribbon in the back of their pants, at their waist. For a pre-determined length of time, they try to steal their opponent's ribbon.

Kiosk-Don't wake Santa
Divide your group into two teams. Each team forms a line. Give a bell to the first child in line for each team. The goal of the game is to pass the bell all the way down the line and back to the first child without hearing it jingle.

Kiosk-Christmas treats
Set 25-30 Christmas Smarties in a container filled with icing sugar. Children must find the hidden candy pieces.

Kiosk-Ornament relay
You will need two ping-pong balls. Paint one ball red and the other ball green. Divide your group into two teams, a red team and a green team. Draw a start and finish line on a table. Children take turns blowing on their team's ball. The ball must roll from the start to the finish line and back again. Each child must succeed. The first team to complete the challenge wins.

Kiosk-Christmas souvenir photos
Stick several large pieces of white poster board together to create a mural and paint a Christmas tree, Santa Claus, or other Christmas items. Cut a hole out of the centre, big enough for children to insert their face. Photograph each child and print the pictures.

Kiosk-O' Christmas tree
Fill a bin with Christmas garlands and hats (Santa Claus, antlers, etc.). Each child picks a partner. Children take turns "decorating" their friend. Take pictures.

Kiosk-Red noses
Provide non-toxic makeup and unbreakable mirrors. Encourage children to paint their nose red or use the makeup to represent another Christmas character.

Kiosk-Christmas treasure hunt
Make a list of Christmas items children must search for. Make sure the children in your group recognize each object you have chosen for your treasure hunt. Divide your group into pairs. Each team searches for the items on the list. The team who finds the most items wins.

Kiosk-Christmas in July relay race
Have children crawl between the legs of your dining room chairs, slither under a coffee table, and hop over an exercise ball. Hang Christmas garlands between two chairs and have them jump over it. Use whatever you have on hand to create a Christmas-themed obstacle race. Divide your group into two teams. Each child must complete the course. The first team to finish wins.

Kiosk-Christmas in July clothespins
Hang a long Christmas garland between two chairs. Divide your group into two teams. Give each team a bag containing clothespins. When you give the signal, children add clothespins to the garland for the duration of one Christmas song. At the end of the song, count the clothespins each team added to the garland. The team with the most clothespins wins. You may use a green marker to identify one team's clothespins and a red marker to identify the other team's clothespins.

Kiosk-Fragile Christmas in July ornaments
Fill a basket with red, green, and white water balloons. Divide your group into two teams. Determine a start and finish line. Set two baskets on the finish line, one for each team. The goal of the game is for children to transport as many fragile ornaments (water balloons) to their team's basket as possible before the end of a Christmas song. To make this more challenging, ask children to transport them between their legs.

Kiosk-Ornament race
Give each child a small spoon and an unbreakable plastic ornament. The goal of the game is to reach the finish line with the ornament still in the spoon. If a child drops his ornament, he must go back to the start line.

Songs & rhymes-Christmas in July
(Open songs & rhymes-Christmas in July) Practice singing this song as a group throughout the theme. You may also play Christmas music to set the mood.

Sung to: Are you sleeping?

Christmas in July

Let's celebrate, let's celebrate
Together, together
It's Christmas in July, Christmas in July
Ho! Ho! Ho!
Ho! Ho! Ho!

CAMPING DAY

Perpetual calendar-Camping Day
(Open perpetual calendar-Camping Day) Print, laminate, and display.

Greeting
Invite each child to bring a flashlight from home.

Circle time
Create a pretend campfire, gather around it, and sing Christmas songs.

Lunch and snacks
Prepare a picnic lunch and serve marshmallows at snack time.

Special activities
Set up a tent. Children will love to sleep in your tent at naptime. Turn the lights off and tell each other stories and walk around the daycare, flashlights in hand. Ask parents to help you explore different types of tents: tent trailer, teepee, traditional tent, screened gazebo, etc. Set them all up in your yard and use each one to present a different workshop.

• In one tent, offer plastic dishes with summer designs and colors. Set a toy barbecue and a small table nearby to create an original kitchen corner.
  
• In another tent, set books related to the theme and add cushions to create an outdoor reading area.
  
• A third tent can become a construction area. Add blocks, trucks, a toy car mat, etc.
  
• Set up a screened gazebo and add plastic insects inside as well as a variety of accessories that can be used to capture and observe insects.
  
• Hang your parachute in a fenced area to represent a tent and hang pieces of white paper on the fence. Let children paint on the paper.
  
• Prepare a picnic lunch and serve it in one of your tents.
  
• Older children will enjoy sleeping in a tent at naptime.
  
• Let your creativity inspire you.

ACTIVITIES FOR BABIES

Tents are for playing hide-and-seek
Set up a small tent that little ones can hide and play in. Use colourful bed sheets to build tents in your daycare. Babies will enjoy crawling in and out of the tents and playing peek-a-boo.

Hat-filled bin
Fill a large bin with sun hats, scarves, winter hats, Santa Claus hats, elf hats, etc. Let babies manipulate the hats. They will enjoy admiring their reflection in the mirror.

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND MOTOR SKILLS

Hide-and-seek
Set several boxes (different sizes) on the floor in your daycare. Let children hide in them like the little squirrels we often see running around campgrounds.

Gift hunt
(Open miniature gifts) Print and laminate. Hide the gifts within your daycare and invite children to search for them. The child who finds the most gifts can hide them for the next round.

Illustrated Christmas in July
Collect several pictures and illustrations related to Christmas in July and stick them on walls, cupboards, and the floor. Children will discover the pictures and illustrations as they play throughout the day.

Camping races
Use camping-related items to create an obstacle course. For example, set a flashlight in one corner, a marshmallow in another corner, etc. You can ask children to hop on one foot between the different items they must collect.

Picture hunt
(Open picture hunt-Camping) Print twice, laminate, and hide one copy of each illustrated item (or the corresponding items) within your daycare. Children search for the items on the sheet.

Leaf race
Use adhesive tape to draw a start and finish line on the floor. Set two leaves on the start line, approximately 10 cm apart. Two children participate at a time. Give each child a drinking straw or an empty toilet paper roll. They must blow in their straw or cardboard tube to project their leaf across the finish line. The first child who succeeds can race against another child. Variation: Add obstacles such as chairs, a table, bowling pins, a naptime mattress, etc.).

OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES

Words in the sand
(Open word flashcards-Christmas in July) (Open giant word flashcards-Christmas in July) Print and laminate the word flashcards. Stick each word on the end of a Popsicle stick and poke them in the ground, throughout your yard. Invite children to stand on a line, at one end of your yard. When you give them the signal, they must run to find a word flashcard, grab it, and go to your sandbox where they can "trace" the letters of the word in the sand using a stick (or their finger). Help children if necessary. Younger children can simply stick the word flashcard they found in the sandbox and "read" the word with you. If you wish, you can encourage children to use sand to represent the word. For example, if a child found the word "campfire", he/she could draw a circle with flames in the centre in the sand. The goal is to give children the opportunity to notice different words. When everyone is done, simply use a small rake to "erase" their work and start over again. Ask children to pick a different word for each round.

Words in our yard
(Open word flashcards-Christmas in July) (Open giant word flashcards-Christmas in July) Print and laminate the word flashcards associated with the theme. Use chalk to write the words in your yard. Before heading outside with your group, hand each child one or more word flashcard(s). Encourage them to search for the corresponding word(s) in your yard. When they find one, help them "read" the word.

Ornament fishing
Fill a large bin or kiddie pool with water and drop unbreakable plastic ornaments in it. Children use a net (for catching insects) to fish the ornaments out. Encourage them to sort the ornaments by color, size, etc.

MUSICAL AND RHYTHMIC ACTIVITIES

Musical flashlight
Children sit in a circle. Play Christmas music. Children pass a flashlight around the circle. When the music stops, the child holding the flashlight receives a sticker (or a hug from the child on his right for example).

Mattress canoes
Set a few naptime mattresses on the floor to represent canoes. Have two or three children sit on each mattress. They can hold the sides of the mattress and rock back and forth, following the rhythm of different Christmas songs.

COGNITIVE ACTIVITIES

Educ-math-Christmas in July
(Open educ-math-Christmas in July) Print and laminate for durable, eco-friendly use. Children must count the items in each rectangle and circle the correct number.

Color by number-Christmas in July
(Open color by number-Christmas in July) Print for each child. Children must color the picture according to the color code.

Hunt and seek-Poni-Camping
(Open hunt and seek-Poni-Camping) Print and laminate. Children pick a card and search for the item in the scene.

Association game-Christmas or camping
(Open association game-Christmas or camping) Print, cut out, and laminate. Children pick a card and name the item before associating it to the correct season (summer or winter).

Raccoon
Set a few camping-related objects in a cooler: a flashlight, a fishing rod, a fork, a bag of marshmallows, an egg carton, etc. Show children one object at a time and ask them to name it. Close the cooler and encourage your group to name the items that are in the cooler. Use this activity to explain how, when we go camping, raccoons like to visit and steal our food. Remove one object, open the cooler, and ask children to identify the missing item.

RELAXATION ACTIVITIES

I hear something in the woods
Children lie down and close their eyes. Make a noise and ask children to try to identify it. You can, for example, bang on a wall, snap your fingers, break a tree branch, crumple a leaf, whistle, tap your foot, make bear or mice sounds, etc.

Sleeping under the stars
Organize an outdoor naptime. Stick glow-in-the-dark moons, stars, or planets on your tent's ceiling using adhesive putty (after leaving them out in the sun for a few hours). During naptime, children will love sleeping under these stars. Ask parents to send their child's sleeping bag to daycare for this activity.

MORAL AND SOCIAL ACTIVITIES

Shadow puppets
Set up a tent within your daycare and turn the lights off. Invite children to enter the tent while you remain on the outside. Cut animal and insect shapes out of cardboard. Use a flashlight to project shadows on the tent. From inside the tent, children must identify the various shapes.

Cabins
Drape old bed sheets over furniture, tables, and chairs to create tents or cabins. Let children play in them with flashlights, their favorite toys, and their friends.

I can't see
Stick several pictures under a table and drape a thick blanket over it. Children must enter this hideout with a flashlight and use it to observe the pictures. Ask them to tell you what they saw. If children missed something, let them visit the hideout again.

I am going camping and I am packing...
Sit in a circle with your group. Begin the game by saying, "I am going camping and I am packing my flashlight." The child sitting next to you must repeat your sentence and add another item. Continue all the way around the circle. Each child must repeat the previously mentioned items before adding one of his own.

EARLY SCIENCE/EXPLORATION/MANIPULATION

Is it waterproof?
Collect different types of papers and fabrics. With your group, test each one to see if they are waterproof. Use an eyedropper to deposit water droplets on each one. Help children identify differences and similarities and encourage them to come to different conclusions.

Natural vivarium
Use an old aquarium to create a vivarium. Deposit soil, a bowl of water, and different items found in nature inside it. Set a piece of tulle or a screen on top. Let children add insects they find outside to your vivarium.

Camping in the dark
Give children a flashlight. Turn the lights off and pull the curtains to make your daycare as dark as possible. Children walk around the daycare and use their flashlight to observe different items.

Ice block
Fill a large container with water. Add tiny Christmas figurines and set it in the freezer. Once the water has turned to ice, set your ice block outside with your toolbox containing plastic tools nearby. Children use the tools to "sculpt" the ice block and recover the figurines.

A storm in a bottle
Fill a clear plastic bottle with water so it is ¾ full. Insert tiny Christmas figurines and shredded coconut. Put the cap on the bottle and seal it with hot glue. Shake the bottle to represent a snowstorm.

Hunt and seek in a bottle
Put tiny Christmas figurines in a clear plastic bottle. Fill the bottle with sand so it is ¾ full. Put the cap back on and seal it with hot glue. Children will shake the bottle, roll it, and hold it upside down to move the sand around and discover the figurines.

Christmas pool
Fill your kiddie pool with water and add several different Christmas accessories. Children will enjoy playing with them in the water.

Worm painting
Search for worms with your group. Collect as many as you can and store them in a container with a lid. Rinse the worms to clean them. Let children dip the worms in poster paint and drop them on paper. As the worms wiggle around, the paint will spread across the paper. This is an unforgettable experience for young children. If you prefer, purchase worms at your local drugstore.

CULINARY ACTIVITIES

A sweet campfire
Give each child a piece of heavy cardboard. Glue "Smarties" candy pieces in a circle to represent a fire ring. Ask children to crumble 2-3 chocolate cookies and spread the crumbs inside the circle to represent soil. Add pretzels to represent fire logs and jelly raspberries to represent embers. You can stick Tootsie Rolls next to the fire to represent additional logs. Children will enjoy creating this sweet campfire.

Blazing fire
Have children place pretzel sticks in a bowl and add Cheez Whiz on top to represent flames. Let them eat their blazing fire at snack time.

Fishing
Give each child a wooden skewer. Attach a black licorice lace to one end. Knot a jelly worm to the end of the licorice lace to make it look like a fishing rod.

Christmas punch
Purée strawberries in a blender. Add lemon juice and maple syrup to taste to sweeten the mixture. Add water and pour the punch in Christmas-colored paper drinking glasses. Invite children to decorate the glasses with decorative items. Add red fruit pieces to each glass.

Marshmallow cookies
Melt chocolate and marshmallows. With your group, spread this delicious mixture between two Graham crackers to represent smores.

ARTS & CRAFTS

Puppets-Christmas in July
(Open puppets-Christmas in July) Print the puppet models on heavy cardboard. Have children cut them out and decorate them with a variety of arts & crafts materials. Stick a Popsicle stick behind each one to complete your puppets.

Collective campground
Cut the bottom off a cardboard box, keeping about 2-3 inches around the edge. Ask children to use colourful pieces of construction paper to represent tents by folding them in two. Add figurines, a lake, trees, etc. You may also use tiny cardboard boxes to represent tent trailers.

Sleeping bags
Give each child a pillowcase. Let them paint and decorate it with fabric paint. Once the paint is dry, children can either use them as personal sleeping bags or sleeping bags for dolls.

Cardboard tents
Collect several empty one or two-litre milk cartons. Clean them and transform them to make them look like tents. Children can stick construction paper on them, add pompoms, and draw on them.

My Christmas palm tree
(Open Christmas palm tree) Print for each child. Use poster paint to add colourful ornaments on the branches. They can press corks, their fingers, pompoms, or cotton balls in the paint and then on their paper.

Summer Christmas tree
Collect branches and rocks in nature. Cut the branches so they are all different lengths and paint the rocks so they look like ornaments. Hang the branches horizontally on a wall, the longest on the bottom and the shortest one on top. Use hot glue to add the painted rocks/ornaments to your original Christmas tree.

Christmas branches
Collect several branches. Let children paint them and sprinkle them with glitter. If you prefer, have children dip one end of each branch in paint and encourage them to use the branches as paintbrushes to paint different scenes on construction paper.

Animal prints
Gather several animal figurines. Use them to make prints in modeling dough and set the dough out to dry. Ask children to associate the prints to the correct animals. This activity can be adapted. For example, you can press the figurines in paint and then on paper or, if you prefer, use the figurines to make prints in wet sand.

Magical rocks
Search for large rocks in the forest. Have children paint them with a variety of Christmas paint colors. Use the rocks for hopscotch.

Rowboats
Use large cardboard boxes to represent rowboats. Let children paint them as they wish. Set the boxes on a blue shower curtain on the floor. Children can sit in their rowboats and use swimming pool noodles as oars. Provide a tackle box for added fun!

Fly swatter
(Open model-fly swatter) Cut a 30 cm x 10 cm piece of heavy cardboard. Cut an oval out of construction paper or a plastic drawer liner. Cut the oval in half and glue both halves together, at the end of the cardboard strip. Let children decorate their fly swatter as they wish.

COLORING PAGES

(Open coloring pages theme-Christmas in July) Print for each child.

DIFFERENT WAYS TO USE THE COLORING PAGES

Identical coloring pages-Christmas in July
Print the same coloring page for each child and an additional copy for your model. Color only certain parts of your picture. Present the model to your group and ask them to color their picture to make it look exactly like yours.

Coloring binder-Christmas in July
Print and laminate several coloring pages and arrange them in a binder with a few dry-erase markers. Leave everything on a table for children to explore.

Musical drawing-Christmas in July
Play musical drawing with your group. Give each child a coloring page. Have children sit around a table. When the music starts, they must pass the coloring pages around the table. Every time the music stops, they must color the picture in front of them until the music starts again.

Homemade puzzles-Christmas in July
Give each child a picture to color. When they are done, cut each picture into pieces to create unique puzzles.

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