I love my Secret Santa. Today, I got a gigantic bag of chili cheese fritos and the latest People magazine with Ali (do I even need to say “from the Bachelorette”) which is all about her break up with Roberto. I have no idea how I am going to finish my progress reports. Other important matters keep taking precedence. What can I do besides use big, important words like precedence and precipice to get my point across? I know precipice has nothing to do with precedence but it just came to me. Preposterous.
My kids are writing letters to Santa this week as part of their Step Up to Writing. They have no idea that we are incorporating the question words that we studied last week from our grammar lesson. I just basically lied to them and said that Santa has always written back to my kids who ask questions, rather than write a wish list of toys. They bought it. Hook, line, and sinker. Done. They were ready to write some questions.
By the way, slightly off topic, but do you know the Question Song? It goes to the tune of “He’s got the whole world in His hands”. Here’s how I sing it but you can choose to sing it on key and with less dramatic flair.
Santa Letter Writing
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And some stationery choices:
Presentation 1
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Presentation 2
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Some questions that my kids brainstormed ranged from “How are you?” to “Which reindeer is your favorite?” to “What’s your favorite kind of cookie?”
I make everything up. I try never to get specific. For example, answers could be “Ho Ho Ho – I am great!” to “My favorite reindeer? Ho Ho Ho – I love all of my reindeer!” to “My favorite cookie? I eat them all and that’s how I got this bowl full of jelly! Ho Ho Ho!”
Before I leave you tonight, I want to tell you that I am the ONLY PERSON entered in a giveaway right now. For $20 to Amazon (not Target, as previously stated–thanks, Hadar, for pointing that out! May have been wishful thinking but I would love an Amazon gift card so that I can buy books for my Kindle for my THREE WEEK BREAK!!!!!!!! Hello? Santa, did you hear that? ) and/or $10 to TpT.
I’m debating on whether or not I should just keep it a secret and let the blogger do the random number generator thing. Plug in number of entries. One. Spin. One.
HOORAY!! I win!
But seeing as how it’s the Christmas season, I guess I should share. Please go check out this new blog: Classroom Confetti. She is looking for some followers and some more people to enter her giveaway.
Well, I suppose I did my good deed for the day.
Leave me a comment if you grab anything and/or if you do something similar with letters to Santa. I’d love to know.
I’m being really, really, really bad right now in the Reality TV department. I’m watching Real World. It’s hurting my eyes and my ears and I think I need to find Tori and Dean. Fast.
I lie to my kids too. Frequently. It builds character (theirs, not mine). Adorable idea about the freezer- gotta remember that one!!
Okay. I had to stop reading your post and jump straight to comment after I read your paragraph about your typing skills. I didn't know anyone else in the world pretended to have an imaginary keyboard! I so do this!! I "type" things all the time. I've had that habit since my Keyboarding class from freshman year of high school, so it's been goin' on for a looooooong time. I'm better about not doing it as much now, and like you said, I hope I'm discrete about it. I feel like I would look like a big freak if anyone ever saw my fingers tearing through the air as I transcribe what I hear. I'm glad we're similar and share a strange habit. I feel quite bonded with you now.
I'll go back and finish reading the rest of your post now.
funny about the spaghetti smell! I teach third grade so my letter writing to santa is slightly harder. I have the kids write to santa, asking him to bring them whatever it is they want, then they have to explain to santa why they deserve it, thus turning it into a persuasive writing piece. They turn out really cute and i am sure their parents find them to be very amusing!
Love the freezer idea! And how could Santa not love pasta. I mean come one! You don't get that fat on cookies alone.
2B Honey Bunch
Hi Kristin!
I was wondering how Santa and spaghetti would be tied together! (I certainly hope he is not thrown off course by The Big Wind!)
I am a terrible typist (I still have to look at the keys), so now I have one more reason to be in awe of you!
I once hid a People magazine behind the sixth grade earth science textbook during Everyone Reads time. It made me look very interested in learning about tectonic plates.
Sending you CyberHugs!
Kim
Finding JOY in 6th Grade
Very Christmas-y of you to share about the giveaway! That's good Karma. I'm all blurry eyed and so tired from my list of my top 1001 things to do but I can't figure out what the Y and G mean on your sheet?! I'll still use it anyway b/c I LOVE the concept of Santa writes back to those who ask questions!!!
Love the Santa letters! Such a magical day for the kiddos….a few years ago I started putting dry ice in the box with the letters so when the box opened…whoosh…a puff of frost came out…but you have to put a poem about how they cant touch it….let me know if you need the poem 🙂 miss you…enjoy the last 7 magical days, hope the spoil you…you deserve it!
I love the freezer idea. As for the question song, I posted a similar thing a while back.
http://learningwithmrsparker.blogspot.com/search/label/questions
I think I love you more and more each day! I have a bad habit of writing things out that people say with my finger…sometimes I think I have OCD…but I also do the typing thing. I think it just means that we're {{{basket cases}}} geniuses {THAT WAS MY ATTEMPT TO STRIKE OUT BASKET CASES BECAUSE BLOGGER DOESN'T LIKE MY CODE! Sorry, not sure why I yelled that}. And thanks for sharing about the Target giftcard! I mean, if I were you, I wouldn't have…but that's cause I'm selfish and love Target 😉
KRISTIN!!! What are you talking about!?!? It's an Amazon giftcard, not Target!!! Blah! {secretly, I'm still happy ;)}
Kristin, Thank you so much! You are the best. 🙂
Sorry that it's Amazon, Hadar!! Watch, now you're going to win that one too!
Classroom Confetti
I am so glad that you posted about your "typing"! For YEARS I thought that I was the only one. Now I'm just relieved to know that other people are out there leg typing too!
Thank you for your cute freezer idea and freebies! You always have the neatest things to share!
http://firstgrademagic.blogspot.com
No typing skills here…none- totally hunt and peck, delete, hunt and peck again! Thanks for the great freebies!
LOL! I always laugh everytime I read your blog! You always have something funny to say. Oh…and thanks for sharing your letters to Santa idea. It might be too advanced for my kinders but I always love to model write at a higher level. I think I will try something whole group using your idea. I can't wait to stick it in the freezer; however, I hope that no one is having spaghetti that day.
🙂 Ann @
http://mrsgreeneskindergartenkorner.blogspot.com/
OMG what a great idea to put them in the freezer so that they are cold!!! Love it.
Lindsay
msnoren.blogspot.com
I am awarding you the sunshine award. Head on over to my blog and check it out! 🙂
http://www.bloomingintofirst.blogspot.com
You're hilarious! I love this blog! Thanks for the Step Up to Writing Frame and the question song, too!
Heidi Butkus
http://www.heidisongs.com
http://heidisongs.blogspot.com
Thanks for letting us know about the Classroom Confetti contest. I was #31 this morning. That was so nice of you!
Did you watch Survivor? Brandon's dad was on & I couldn't believe how young he looked and how much he looked like Russell.
Anyway, thanks for sharing your funny stories!
I used to sit and type the sermon in my lap during Church…now that I am older and more mature I try and look like I am ALWAYS listening and am holier. My best friend is a doctor and once we were looking at her high school scrapbook and she won so many academic awards…my claim to fame, fastest typer in Gr. 11, really….
Love the Santa letters, will definitely use them. Our Christmas concert is this p.m. and tonight.
Last thought….when I visited California last summer the only celeb I saw…Tori and Dean, at Church no less….
I'm another leg typer, too. Who knew there were so many of us?
And to think for all these years I thought I was the only one discreetly typing conversations on my thighs since Freshman typing (I'm old…no such thing as keyboarding) class!!! I can't believe there are so many of us.
I stopped doing letters to Santa because of the long list of "wants". Great idea with the questions.
As always, thanks for the laughs.
Dragonflies in First
I am nominating you for the Sunshine Award! Hop on over to my blog to pick it up!
A Cupcake for the Teacher
Girl you are hilarious! I feel we would be ridiculous together. Regardless, love that you put the letters in the fridge. Must do that tomorrow!
-Ms. Thomas
The First Grade Jungle
Love the freezer idea too. I have had my kids write to Santa for over 20 years….we send them to the north pole via the high school marriage and parenting class. These high schoolers are taught how to write back, but not to promise anything. Then our secretary comes running in with the replies from Santa. She is screaming, look! Look! Out the window..these fell from the sleigh! Then we open them and read them..it's a riot. But the coolest part is that this high school teacher sends the original letters back to me later on. I have kept them in a special place. Then when these kids become seniors, I mail them back to them at Christmas time. I include a cover letter saying how the toys have changed, and how strongly they once believed in Santa….now I believe in them as much….and I hope they follow their dreams in life. I get so many nice responses from doing this…try it, it's very worth it.
wait….2 things –
1st – that was REALLY nice of you to tell about the giveaway that you had in the bag! ha!! That takes a "big" person (get it?? haha – cuz you're the teeny tiny teacher! lol..ok, I'll stop).
2nd – Is Tori & Dean back on??! We just switch cable companies so all my dvr shows aren't getting dvr'd! ah! lol…
♥ Jen Ross
The Teachers' Cauldron
Did I tell you I won this?? muhahaha!
I think telling the blogosphere about the contest is the nicest thing ever. I hope you still won!
– Lisa
(from the extremely new blog ateachersbagoftricks.blogspot.com)