Gingerbread, gingerbread, gingerbread....

First grade classrooms were filled with gingerbread activities this holiday season.  We spent several days reading various stories about different gingerbread characters.  Students compared the stories to find out how they were similar and different.  We practiced retelling the stories too.  Then we had a little fun with gingerbread (actually graham crackers).

Thanks to donations from parents, students were able to experience building their own ginger bread house.  The students used graham crackers and frosting for the foundation.  Students found out that building is not as easy as it looks.  Once the walls and roof were done, the fun part of accessorizing was on it way. The students used skittles, lifesavers, sixlets, licorice ropes to add details.  Some houses had tire swings while others had hoses with gardens.  Students did a great job of working together to help each other and share the supplies.  (Some of the pictures show students making other holiday crafts as well.  We had 3 activities going on at the same time!)

After construction was finished, more writing fun was awaiting.  This time students used their senses to tell what they might see, hear, smell, taste and feel inside a gingerbread house.  Students reflected back to the process of created their 'gingerbread' house as they wrote about how to make a gingerbread house.  Our final writing project had students writing their own version of a gingerbread character.  Students had to decide which characters would be trying to catch the gingerbread character, setting of the story, chant the character would say, and ending to the story.  Sharing these stories was a great way to spend our week before our holiday break.