Gingerbread Unit Activities for First Grade

Hello, teachery friends!  I just thought I'd interject my normal posts with some holiday themed activities we did this past week...

Our focus skill in reading this week was comparing and contrasting, so this unit went great with our reading series.  I made this large graphic organizer that we added to throughout the week as we read different stories.  Unfortunately, my printer wasn't working, so the book covers I printed aren't in color...and my handwriting is super sloppy (major pet peeve of mine!). 

We had a gingerbread taste-test (I just bought Keebler Gingerbread Men from Kroger) and we graphed our results.   I also had the kids complete speech bubbles with their responses to the flavor.   Afterwards, we discussed adjectives and completed a whole-group graphic organizer describing the gingerbread men.

My favorite activity was decorating the crafty gingerbread boys/girls.  I collected a bunch of craft supplies (odds and ends from The Dollar Tree, mostly) and let the kiddos have it!  I love their creativity.  Afterwards, they wrote about their gingerbread person.  They turned out darling :)



Today, we observed what would happen if the gingerbread man had gotten wet.  The kids loved touching the soggy cookie and many asked if they could EAT it!  YUCK!  You can find a printable for this activity here: Gingerbread Science. 

I also made up several gingerbread-themed activities for our literacy centers.  You can get the printables here: Gingerbread Literacy Activities. 

Here's how I used the activities:

You can use the first one for a variety of things, but since we were working on beginning s- blends this week, I wrote an s- blend on the right hand and the word ending on the other.  The kids then had to say, spell, and write (with a vis-a-vis marker) the word on the center of the laminated  "gingerbear."

The second activity is a sticker story.  I gave the kids a variety of stickers to make a story rebus-style about the gingerbread man. 

The third and fourth worksheet go together and are self-explanatory (draw and write about a gingerbread man).

The fifth activity is a spin-off of "write-the-room." I hid 10 numbered gingerbread men throughout the room and the kids had to search for them and then write down their location next to the right number. 

Tomorrow, my cafeteria has generously offered to bake gingerbread men for us to decorate - as if my kiddos need any more sugar reason to be wound up on a Friday! 

I hope these are helpful to some of you out there!  I now how much fun it can be to scramble for activities/units/worksheets!  Feel free to use them and alter them if need be :)

{PS.  I've never used Google Docs before, so if you have trouble with anything just holler!}