6Th Grade Homeroom Mom Has Hubby in the Hospital - Need Ideas for 6Th Grade

My daughter always says that kids just want free time to sit and talk. I like the pizza idea and the Dirty Santa. But if you can, let them do things where they can yak. Like color, and talk. Or make a craft, and talk.

An activity that they will enjoy and will keep them busy for a while is making gingerbread houses. I taught 5th grade and used to do this with my class. A few suggestions that make it fun: purchase a styrofoam board for each house that you plan to make. (you might want more than one so the kids can get to it or have it as a station) Wrap the board with foil. This makes it fun to put toothpics in with marshmallows or gum drops and licorice to make a fence around the yard. They can build snowmen. You can send a note home asking everyone to contribute a bag of candy. You'll get enough even if everybody doesn't bring some. I used to bake my gingerbread and make stencils to cut out the shapes, but you can buy kits for about $10 each. Provide plastic spoons for the icing. I used cake decorators also, but that can get expensive if kids don't bring them. I found a deal at the dollar store one year, so I have about 20. An easier version: Have the kids save their milk cartons from lunch and wash them out. Glue the tops back together. You can then use graham crackers as the gingerbread and each child can make their own. I did this on Saturday for my 4 year-old's birthday party. I bought a large piece of styrofoam and cut it into 6x6 squares and covered them with foil for the bases. Have fun. If you decide to do gingerbread and have any questions, feel free to contact me.

You could let them decorate their own cupcakes of sugar cookies. If your school only allows bakery purchased items, you could order the cupcakes with or without icing and then have stations where the kids can add frosting, sprinkles, gumdrops, etc. You could also play a game where you ask the kids to give you an adjective, a noun, a verb, another adjective, etc. Then, you put those adjectives, verbs and nouns into "The Night Before Christmas Poem." Something like, It was the night before bananas, and all under the city....." You get the picture. The kids will be using their grammar skills without even knowing it! And it will be fun! You could also play a brainstorm game about if you were Santa, what gift would you give your parents? Put the answers on the board. It will teach them to think about somebody other than themselves. Most kids this age don't believe in Santa, but they will understand better the spirit of giving and not just receiving. Have a FUN party!

Pizzq is great or get the little pizza bits. Much easier. A game that is a big hit with our kids is musical present. You wrap in very cheap present several times. But each layer you put a note on it for somthing they have to do in order to unwrap the next layer. like sing a certain song or do a trick or spell something. Something fun like that.

I have been room mom now for 3 years, Now my girls are in younger grades , we usually just do pizza, some kind of snack, and i pass out goody bags(with candy, pencils, etc.. in them), now u might be able to get some craft ideas from oriental trading.. you dont even have to go and buy the stuff from them, just get the idea and buy the stuff from the store. you can also tie die christmas shirts.. red/green.. they are pretty neat... We are planning on doing that this year we also done that for halloween as well!

Here's a few that might help!
Bring in sugar cookies and have kids decorate them to eat and take home.
Bring in small containers you can buy at a craft shop, and have kids make homemade hot chocolate mix and fill containers (make for parent gifts).
Make word finders with Christmas words for activity (you can find it at www.edhelper.com)
If you need a recipe for hot chocolate, there are a ton online, which have nonfat dried milk.
Have a fun party:)

Just a thought, but you could write letters to soldiers wishing them a Merry Christmas. If you have an Army base or other post near you you can call and ask them (or even if not, you can find places to send these letters). This isn't a political thing, it's just brightening someone's day who is away for the holiday. What better way to share the spirit of Christmas? Below are some sites I found when I googled the topic.
Also, you might ask the kids to create decorations for a local soup kitchen or homeless shelter. They often don't have much. If you balance one of these ideas with lots of fun, lighthearted stuff, you could have a great party that's also about a little bit more. Kids love to feel like they are affecting the world in a positive way. Good luck!!!
1. Letters to the Military
www.AnySoldier.com
Freedom Isn't Free. Show Thanks. Write to a Soldier Today!

2.Write to A Soldier
www.SoldiersAngels.org
Become a Military Penpal Support with Cards, Letters,
Email

3. www.amillionthanks.org or www.letterstosoldiers.org

hi, I helped have helped with crafts with this age group and one thing I found that they love is a little hard to explain, but it is easier than it sounds, and they can do it on their own after you get them started is key chains, made out of the vinyl like strips. It only takes two per chain, and you can find it at Hobby Lobby. Maybe someone there can expalin it better than I can......but you X the strips together, then fold over the strips then weave it together with the two other ends, to make a square, then pull tight and continue to make it.When they get them done, you burn the ends together so it doesn't come apart. It is something they may take home and continue to work on. The material comes in all different kinds of colors, and the kids like doing it and it gets habit forming.
anyway hope this helps......As far as food, most kids love hotdogs, you can pre cook them at home, put them in buns and bring the fixings with chips.

Making your own ice cream sundaes fills time and kids in ALL grades love it. You can buy the really large container of vanilla ice cream (it might be a 5 gallon container) .. be sure to carry a sturdy scooper spoon. Ask for parents to call you and volunteer for toppings to send and tell them to have everything already cut up for the party (suggestions - nuts, strawberries, bananas, blueberries, squirt whipped cream topping, squirt chocoloate syrup, caramel syrup, cherries, m&ms, ..). Have plastic bowls and spoons and you're ready! If you have enough, they'll often come back for more! It's really a pretty healthy party snack also. If your parents don't send things, collect money and do the shopping.

We have used chicken nuggetts before. That really worked. Also, you can make inexpensive ornament frames. Take pictures ahead of time to use in them.

You could do a "decorate your own cookie" station. You can go to your local bakery and ask for sugar or butter cookies not decorated. I just get vanilla cake frosting and put like red and green coloring in them. (I have 2 jars). Then just get the sprinkles and stuff. You might send out a letter to all the parents asking everyone to donate some supplies or a couple of dollars so you are not spending all the money. You can also do a "pin the ornament on the tree" thing. Like pin the tail on the donkey only you make a big tree. You may be able to get a big piece of paper from the school. I also do a bingo game. I just make the cards off the computer with pictures of Christmas stuff. If you do all of these things in stations it is a little easier on the budget because you do not need too many of the things to run each station (like only 6-7 things each) except for the cookies. They each get one of these. I hope this helps.