Presentation By:
Western Reserve Schools – Kathy Yaussy
BGSU Methods Students --Andi Yaussy
Samantha Scott
Ethan Binger
Jeremy Salmonski
Mike Schwartz
Need to Do before the Big Day!
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Pick a day and times: I have the older children (4th thru 6th) in the morning and the younger children (K thru 3rd) in the afternoon.
Send notes home to parents about the event, The Activities ARE Holiday Themed!
Allow about 1 ½ hours, of course you can allow more time or limit your time as needed.
Send game descriptions to teachers. Let teachers know if students need to be chosen for an event (some events are not “entire class
participation”) or you can choose students.
Remind students and teachers to COME prepared! Wear comfortable clothes that day! Jeans! Sweats! Think mobility and being
comfortable for the sleigh ride and the reindeer race.
Change lunch schedules and physical education classes around as needed
Get all your equipment out and ready to go.
Volunteers come in and help set up and remove equipment quickly so the transition/down time is minimal.
Decorate as you wish. I have a Charlie Brown Christmas Tree, Music, The Grinch Cartoon, A Lot of snowflakes on the walls, and
……
Buy a set of ear plugs…it gets loud! Just Kidding!
Create a list of materials that you will need based on the activities you want to include in your Reindeer Games.
Example: I need 350 plastic “solo” cups for “Stackin’ Around the Christmas Tree – that is enough to have 7 classes participate at the same
time.
Candy Kisses…enough for each child to have a “kiss”, 1 pair of socks for each class. (note: if you have students who are lactose intolerant
use an Oreo).
Bed Sheets for Santa’s Sleigh Race
Handy Wipes for Skatin’
Scooters for Reindeer Bowling: Cups or Coffee Cans to make Christmas Tree.
Panty Hose and Balloons for Reindeer Antler Game
Santa’s Sleigh Race Entire Class Participation with Teacher!
Your elves (students) will pull you (the teacher) each way on your sled (bed sheet). You will
divide your students into 4 equal groups before you come down. The first group will pull
you to one end of the gym AND LET GO, group 2 will pull you back AND LET GO, group 3
will pull you back to the other end of the gym, LET GO, and group 4 will finish the race
pulling you back to the start line (shuttle relay). Your whole class is involved this way.
(Note – there will not be an ALL Teacher Race….refer to Reindeer Antler Game!
Stackin’ Around the Christmas Tree– Entire Class Participation, teacher
supervise and place the “star” on top.
The whole class will participate in this one. It is a relay to build Santa a Christmas Tree.
You would be “Santa”. It is ultimate “cup stacking”. The students have practiced this one
in class. Each class is given 46 cups; that would mean you would have a 9 cup base and
build it up from there. First team to build their Christmas Tree wins! The Christmas Tree
has to remain standing! If a tree falls down it can be rebuilt! First tree built and REMAINS
standing wins! Team must be sitting down behind their cone before tree falls down!
Teacher will finish the tree by adding the “star”!
Reindeer Bowling…
Choose just 6 students. “Teacher on the sled”!
Three students will push Santa (their teacher) simultaneously into the Christmas Tree (a
stack of coffee cans with a star on top). Think bowling and you pretty much understand
the concept. Each teacher will get two turns to knock down the tree with a bat. The idea
is to knock down ALL the cans on the first try (strike). Your second turn you are trying to
clear/knock the rest of the cans out of the square (spare). Students will have to let go of
Rudolph before they cross the designated line. Teacher must stay on the sleigh or it is
considered a “gutter ball”. Distances will vary for each grade level. This is the one you
want to wear a helmet! Kidding!
Candy Kiss Game…
Entire Class Participation
This is a relay race. Everyone will participate at the same time. I will have cones out for
you to line up behind. There will be a plate of hershey kisses for each class and a pair of
socks. Your class will be lined up with the plate of kisses in front of them. Each student
will take their turn and run down to the candy (5 ft. away) , put their socks on, take a
candy kiss out off the plate and unwrap it with the socks ON! They pop it in their mouth
and go back to tag the next player in line. Their first team to unwrap and eat their kiss
wins. Classroom teacher will go first (by request).
Ice Skating … Entire Class Participation
Classes will line up for a shuttle – relay! That means…1/2 the class will be at one end
and the other half will be opposite them. On go the first student will skate to the opposite
end and then their teammate will skate back…repeat until the first skater returns to the
front of the opposite line. The skaters will skate in a straight line or any pattern you
choose.
Ice Castles (IGLOO)…
Entire Class Participation
Two classes participate at one time. There are three ice castles (igloos) set up on each
side of the gym (6 hula hoops that form a sphere). score. If people get hit by a snowball,
so be it, of course it would be accidental! The students try to knock down each other’s ice
castles by throwing snowballs (nerf balls) at them. The students and teachers try to block
the snowballs so the ice castles are not destroyed. Ice Castles can be rebuilt when
destroyed; one point for each castle knocked down will be awarded to the team that
knocked it down. At the end of the time period, the team with the most points… wins! You
don’t have to keep
Reindeer Antler Game:
Teacher Only Race!
Each grade level of teachers are on the same team vs. the other grade level teachers!
Choose
one teacher to be Rudolph. Each team gets one pair of pantyhose and 8 balloons. Teams
will blow up their balloons and stuff them into the pantyhose. “Rudolph” (pre-chosen) will
wear the “antlers” down to the opposite side of the gym and ring the “jingle bells” The
first one to do so wins for the team.
At the conclusion of this game…all teachers will join together in singing “We Wish You a
Merry Christmas”
More ideas……. Next page!
Run A Way Sleigh Need 2-4 Students!
Fun but limits student participation.
2-3 Students will push Santa (their teacher) as close to the Christmas tree as possible without touching the tree. Think shuffle
board. Students will have to let go of Santa before they cross the designated line. Hence - “runaway sleigh”. May want to
bring a helmet for this one! JUST KIDDING!
Grinch vs. Abominable Snowman!…half the class will participate
The Grinch Team and the Abominable Snowman’s Team will throw and roll snow balls at each other.
Vs.
Actually the students will be throwing/rolling the snow balls at the juice bottles that have the picture of the Grinch and the
Abominable Snowman in them (color a picture of the grinch and roll it up to insert inside bottle, it unrolls and you have a grinch
in a bottle, same for the snowman). The team that knocks down all the opposing characters first… wins. They will be the
ultimate bad dude of the Christmas season!
Gift Exchange!
(did this just one year…kind of hard)
(your class, the elves) Students will bring a box to school wrapped in gift wrap or you can do this in the classroom.
Any box will
do. Students will shuttle their gifts back and forth until all presents are at the same end. Each student will hand off their arm
full (stack ) to the next person at the far end of the gym. This will continue until the last person (the teacher, SANTA) brings
the entire stack back to the opposite end of the gym.
Wrap It Up!
(need 4-5 students) Students will gift wrap their teacher and race them to the Christmas Tree. Teachers must be wrapped so only
their feet, forearms, and head stick out. First “gift” to Christmas tree will not be left on the Island of Misfits, all other gifts…
well, there is always “next year”! Your arms need to be “somewhat” free in case you lose your balance and fall. We have ice!