So to wrap up our winter fun, I must talk about one of my very favorite winter theme days...our reindeer craft day/lesson. Reindeer are a fun way to celebrate Christmas/winter without getting too Christmas-y.
I like to start with some reindeer facts.
- Can reindeer swim? (yes)
- Do female reindeer have antlers? (yes)
- Do reindeer shed their antlers every year? (yes)
- Are reindeer herbivores or carnivores? (herbivores - plant eaters)
- What do reindeer eat? (grasses, mosses, lichen)
- What are the hard type of toes reindeer have called? (hooves - reindeer hooves spread apart as they walk to act like snowshoes)
- Are reindeer solitary animals or do they live in herds? (herds of 1000-10,000)
- Where do reindeer live? (Northern parts of N. America - Alaska, Canada - N. China, Russia)
- Do reindeer live in tundra, marshes, deserts, or rain forests? (tundra - a treeless area near icecaps where the ground is always frozen)
After the reindeer facts, I ask for the names of all of Santa's reindeer: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, and Blitzen. And don't forget Rudolph!
You can round out the fun with reindeer jokes, the reindeer hokey pokey, and a reindeer craft.
Reindeer Jokes
You can round out the fun with reindeer jokes, the reindeer hokey pokey, and a reindeer craft.
Reindeer Jokes
What do reindeer hang on their Christmas tree? - "Horn"-a-ments.
Why is Prancer always wet? - Because he's a "rain" deer.
How does Rudolph know when Christmas is coming? - He looks at his calen-"deer".
Reindeer Hokey Pokey
(Make antlers with your hands above head)
You put your antlers in, you put your antlers out
You put your antlers in, you put your antlers out
You put your antlers in, and you shake them all about
You do the Reindeer Pokey, and you turn yourself around
THAT'S WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT!
(Right hoof, left hoof, fluffy tail, reindeer body)Reindeer Paper Bag Puppet
The antlers are construction paper hands. Have the kids make one or two sets of hands...either will work just fine. The eyes are made of 2 small pieces of construction paper (one black oval and one white circle) with googly eyes on top. The nose is a black pom-pom although red works really well too! I folded the bag a little to give the face a bit more shape. A simple rectangular piece of green construction paper with some glitter glue on top makes a harness. My reindeer has a tag on his harness. His name is Ralph!
If you need an even simpler craft, make candy cane reindeer! For each child, you will need:
- one candy cane
- 1/2 of a pipe cleaner, brown or black
- two small googly eyes
- one small pom-pom
To assemble the reindeer, twist the 1/2 piece of pipe cleaner around the curve of the candy cane to make the antlers. Glue the eyes below the antlers and the pom-pom below the eyes for the nose. Voila! You've got a cute little reindeer to hang on the tree.
