Christmas Technology Activities
#HawkinsHelp
Dice Activities
Roll Your Dice, then share with your group what the number shows. Keep going until time expires.
Christmas Theme- found here
Roll a Story
Roll a Christmas story- found here
use the online dice found here-Roll Your Dice,
then draw or make (using Canva) your story
Roll a Christmas Story
then draw or make (using Canva) your story
- use character builder
- use elements to search
- use draw to make your own
Merry Animated GIF Creation Directions
Steps 1: Create pictures/slides
- Open Google Slides
- Under File >Page Settings >Pixels Set 400 x 400
- Create your first slide
- Choose a background color
- Add your content: I drew lights and added clip art snowflakes and a text box with Happy
- Duplicate your first slide
- I changed the coloring of the lights and switched out the word “Happy” for “Holidays,” but used the same text box. *You do not want to change the alignment of the text.
- Duplicate the second slide
- For the third slide, I added a tree and snowflakes
Step 2: Download slides->pngs
1. Use the Slides to Drives add-on
(Click on <Select a File) Find your Google Slide Presentation and click select
This will save the three slides as a .png. Be patient on this part. (It takes a little bit of time to make the magic work.
2. Click on the blue link to open up the folder in your Google Drive.
3.Download this file. On my Mac, it downloaded it as a zipped folder. I put it on my desktop and double-clicked on it to unzip it.
USING SLIDES:
File- Download -png (current slide)
-Do this for EACH picture.
Step 3:
- Go to gifmaker.me
- Upload your folder with your three .png files
- On the left side, set your Canvas Size to 400 x 400
- Set your animation speed (I used 750 for the blinking lights)
- View the GIF or Download the GIF. But you don’t really need to view it because you can see it in the control panel.
- Use this copy to guess the Christmas Pictionary using emojis
- They are all Christmas Themed answers
Directions…
Copy and paste items from the following slides onto your snowman.
If you need different pictures, you can search for more by clicking “Insert” then “Image” then “Search”.
When done building, write about your snowman or snowwoman in the textbox. You can describe them, tell a story about them, or explain who they are.
When all done you can download a picture of your snowman and writing by clicking “File” then “Download as” then “PNG image”.
Paper Snowflake Maker
The Snowstorm Stumper Breakout
Snowballs, snowshoes, and snowmobiles all come out for the coldest time of the year. You have 45 minutes to solve this breakout which is all about the fabulous things centered around WINTER! Your mission is not to get stumped! -link found here
Winter Digital Breakout
Beginner level breakout: -link found here
- here are only two sections available for clues.
- The locks give an example.
- I included only one obvious distractor – the little birds in the trees.
- No commas, and the order of a color/number/letter is NOT mixed up. (But then again – insider tip – I never mix up the order of my locks. What you see is what you get: WYSIWYG! For further verification, the order is never in alphabetical order, backward, or any other order you might think of. )
Extra Fun Ideas
Emoji Puzzles
Emoji Puzzles
There’s a popular site called Solvemoji.com where emojis are used in maths puzzles.
Students could try making their own puzzles using holiday emojis!
They could use a tool like Google Drawings, Google Slides, PowerPoint, or Canva. Or they could just hand draw them.
Here are some examples from the Solvemoji.com website. There are puzzles for all levels from junior up to master.
Calculate the Cost of "12 days of Christmas"
link to lesson plan found here
The 12 Days of Christmas - How Much Does True Love Costs These Days?
Elf Comic Strips
Explain to your students that they are going to create a comic strip about two elves that are working in the toy factory and having a conversation. Review the rules for writing dialogue and then let them work on their comics. If students are struggling to come up with ideas suggest some starters. The elves could be having a debate about which toy is better, who broke the machine, or who gets to load Santa's sleigh.
Have the students share their comics with the class if they would like.
use Canva Comic Strips- link found here
Christmas Coordinates
Students mark and join the coordinates as they go, then shade the shapes.- link found here
syllacrostic puzzle
A syllacrostic puzzle has 15 to 20 words to solve. You use the given pool of syllables to help you find the answers. The activity also has the following information as clues for each word:
- A related word or phrase
- The number of syllables in the word
- The number of letters for each word
STEM Ideas
Candy Cane Building Challenge
Challenge your students to make their own candy cane creations in this fun STEM candy cane building challenge. You’ll need candy canes (regular-sized and mini) and a hot glue gun with glue sticks. Ask your students to build a 3D structure from the candy canes that can stand on its own. This is a perfect activity for teaching the Engineering Design Process since students will need to put their engineering skills to work.
Learn more about the challenge at Lemon Lime Adventures.
Gum Drop Building Challenge
This building challenge uses candy gumdrops and toothpicks. Students use their engineering skills, creativity, and imagination to create unique building structures. It is like the Marshmallow Engineering STEAM Building Challenge but uses gumdrops to celebrate the season.
Learn more about the challenge at Lemon Lime Adventures.
Christmas Tree Cup Tower Challenge
This activity challenges students to build a Christmas tree using only cups. All you need is lots of cups. Students must use as many cups as possible to build their own Christmas tree. Allow your students to plan, build, and problem solve during this challenge. They can even decorate the cup tower with pompoms! This challenge reminds me of the Solo Cup Engineering Challenge.
Learn more about the Christmas Tree Cup Tower Challenge at Little Bins Little Hands.
Flying Reindeer
How can you get reindeer to fly? That is the question this STEM activity answers. Using basic household and craft supplies and a little imagination, your students will see flying reindeer this Christmas. Students will assemble a mini reindeer from toilet paper rolls, pipe cleaners, and googly eyes. Using a flight path made of yarn, students will see if their reindeer can fly by attaching a balloon to the top of it.
Learn more at Team Cartwright.
- Team Challenge-