- The popular song at Christmas is the 12 day of Christmas .From what I understand, the song was said as a round during celebrations after Christmas. Each person had to remember to add a new verse and remember what came before. If you forgot you had to do a forfeit. Sounds like a fun game!
- During the long days of Christmas holiday we’re looking for a together family activity. There’s a lot of imagination at Christmas time with Santa, Christmas movies that many things seems magical to the little ones and perhaps a little far away or beyond them. They are creative too and we can encourage them by providing fun opportunities to be silly as well as use their environment.
- It’s that looking at everyday things around us and playing with them in our homes and area that we want to cultivate in our children. Let them problem solve by finding things and using them/seeing them for use in other ways.
- Think of the Swiss engineer, George de Mestral who while out walking his dog one day saw his dog return with lots of sticky burrs on him. Taking sticky burrs off a dog must be one of the most tedious jobs around. But he saw something past the inconvenience. Using observation, creativity, problem solving , using his environment, perseverance, trial and error, time ( lots of time) and flexibility he invented what we now know as Velcro.
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He played with his idea .
- Where would we be now without the hook and loop fastener?
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Try this scavenger hunt or game to get us all moving:
- Hide objects around the house that represent the 12 days. You can get really creative. Alternatively you can use post it notes of pictures or words around the house in unusual place. For older children no need to hide things but let them find things especially with a visiting relative.
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Here’s our possibilities list ( Things they can find in our home if they look)
….the nice thing is they are bound to find different ideas themselves. ( My back up plan)
- 12 Drummers Drumming
- :: drum +stick- Coffee can/formula can and wooden spoon
- 11 Pipers Piping
- :: play saxophone, pretend flute
- 10 Lords-a-Leaping
- :: leap over 10 cushions one at a time in a long row with space in between to land between jumps.
- Can they make it to the end without crashing?
- 9 Ladies Dancing
- :: 9 individual dances or dance for 9 seconds.
- 8 Maids-a-Milking
- :: stoop and pretend to milk a cow with the left and right hand alternatively
- 7 Swans-a-Swimming
- :: using a your winter sensory tub push your pretend bird/swan across the “waters” or pretend swimming with big arm movements and move across the room.
- 6 Geese-a-Laying
- :: have them find an egg. Make a nest with a scarf. Get creative
- 5 Gold Rings
- :: Masking tape circles. Watch them walk around the circle without falling off
4 Colly Birds - 3 French Hens
- ::( flap like a chicken)
- 2 Turtle Doves
- :: represents love- bring the favourite teddy/family member for a hug
- And a Partridge in a Pear Tree. ( Pear)
- Assemble all the items and have a presentation during Christmas time.
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Photo credit and make your own photocube
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Photo credit
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Any ideas for No.4?Share your Scavenger hunt activities and ideas- what would you do?
