Are you stressing over how to homeschool through the holidays?

You can relax!  I have the perfect answer-  Christmas School!

The holidays are coming ! The holidays are coming ! Cooking, cleaning, preparing for company, shopping, parties, children’s plays, church events, cooking some more, oh, yeah….and homeschooling ! Phew! I’m tired just from typing all of that !

How DO you homeschool through the holidays ?

Do you dream every year about decorating cookies with your kids, curling up by a fire and reading Christmas stories, making handmade gifts and cards, and spending time as a family focusing on the real heart of the holiday ?  Do you find it impossible to balance the long list of  “to-do’s” with all the “want to do’s” ? Something always falls short … school doesn’t happen, the fun stuff doesn’t happen, or the sleep doesn’t happen.   Sure you can clean the house at 1am when company is arriving in the morning…. zzzzzz.   Yep me too.  I’ve tried juggling all those plates, and made a mess of it!  Just not my forte.

So, what exactly is Christmas School ?

One day it just dawned on me… I was busy buzzing around the house on my scroogey broomstick doing MY thing, and the kids were busy in THEIR part of the house, dodging the math books I kept throwing their direction.  They wanted to help bake the cookies, and I just wanted them to do their “school work”.   We all were grumpy and not feeling the Christmas spirit at all.  And truly, not much was being accomplished either.  And then I had a thought…

Why not work WITH my children…making the holidays the lesson?

Ok, so I may be a slow learner, since the unschooling crowd has had this figured out for a long time. lol   But if you have to make cookies for a party, why not talk about cookies that American Girl Addy may have made during the Civil War, and whip some up (measuring and baking include lots of foundational math and science concepts too) ?  If you need a covered dish for a church dinner, why not make American Girl Kirsten‘s Swedish Potatoes recipe ?  Want to send the Grandparents something they will cherish for years to come?  How about a homemade card like one Samantha may have made at the Turn of the Century ?!

And so,  “Christmas School” (American Girl Christmas School that year), was born and became an unwavering tradition in our house!

You can read more about it in a previous post, Homeschooling Through the Holidays and Christmas School. Seriously, my kids started looking forward to Christmas School in September…and so did I ! We have incorporated learning and the holidays in many different ways depending on the ages of my kids, and what life was like each year (including spending the holidays in a different country)!

*An American Girl Christmas School*

One of the best “Christmas School” years we had was when we used the historical American Girls Unit Studies we were working on for ideas.  For example, we remembered from the American Girl Felicity Unit , that clove studded fruits (pomanders) were part of the Christmas decorations in colonial Williamsburg.  My girls made a whole bowl of them for a centerpiece on our table !  They smelled amazing ! We worked together to make our home an inviting place for our guests.  We baked (great math practice), and decorated, and even cleaned happily.  I quit worrying if they’d forget all their multiplication tables and really enjoyed the month (and my children).  We practiced those skills in the car or at appointments when we could.

Guess what?!

January came around and so did those math facts. We made so many sweet memories that Christmas and enjoyed all the wonder and peace and closeness of the season.  Now that my kids are all grown, I will never regret setting aside “school work” for those days together.

So I’d like to share some ideas with you for Homeschooling Through the Holidays with An American Girl Christmas !

You can use the ideas from time to time…you can make it a unit study…you can print out the stories and place them in a binder for family reading whenever there are a few quiet moments…I still have a big old 3 ring binder full of our favorite Christmas short story read alouds. However you choose to use these ideas, I hope you will feel confident that your children are learning;  calm that you’re getting that to-do list checked off;  and content that you are finding the time to create those sweet Christmas memories with your children. I’m going to be working through each of the American Girl History Units to create FULL (and FREE!!) Hands-On History Christmas Units!  I will keep adding them in the post below.  UNTIL THEN… when you come to a section that is just a list, you can definitely use it as is for Christmas School, but keep checking back as I will be adding all of the FULL Christmas unit for that section SOON! –>There isn’t a Christmas section for Native America (Kaya), as that wasn’t historically prevalent.  😀 You can find the whole series FREE American History/American Girl Unit Studies listed below. *FREE American Girl History Unit Studies-  Overview *Native America-  AG Kaya *Colonial America – AG Felicity *Southwest Frontier America – AG Josefina *Pioneer America – AG Kirsten *Civil War America – AG Addy *1900 Turn of the Century America – AG Samantha *The Great Depression – AG Kit *World War 2-  AG Molly *Note: Most of the links below are to free resources I have found online. However, there are some that link directly to a resource on Amazon. You may already have these in your home, or find them in your local library. However, if you click on the link and make a purchase on Amazon, I will receive a small commission from the sale. THANK YOU so much for supporting my work!

*Ideas for an American Girl Felicity-  A Colonial Christmas Christmas, as we know it, was just beginning to make an appearance in colonial America.  This section therefore has less specifically Christmas reading selections, but not to fear, I have included some really good stories to read that while not set exactly at the time, will still be something your whole family will likely enjoy!

Here is the first post in the Hands-On History Christmas Unit series! **A Colonial Christmas Hands-On History**

Check out the books/movies list and try these PRINTABLE companion resources! EASY and stress free homeschooling through the holidays! +Colonial Christmas Printable POWER Pack +Colonial Christmas PDF Version! +List of other Colonial America Books/Movies/Resources  +Felicity’s Christmas Pinterest Page –> What’s The Difference Between the POWER Pack and the PDF Version?     *And, if you’d like to learn more about Felicity, the Revolutionary War, and Colonial America, you can find LOTS more fun, hands-on history learning ideas with this FREE Colonial America Unit Study. *Resources For Colonial America Felicity Unit Study- +FREE Colonial America Unit Study – AG Felicity +Felicity Printable Power Pack +Colonial America  (Felicity) Unit Study-  PDF Version +A Colonial America Christmas-  Hands-On History  (Free) +A Colonial America Christmas-  Printable Power Pack +Colonial America Books and Resources List +Felicity- Colonial America Pinterest Board +Colonial America (Felicity) Christmas Pinterest Board –>You may also supplement this unit study for your older students by using some or all of the suggestions in the  Free Early American History Curriculum  and the Early American History Book List  

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*Ideas for an American Girl Josefina-  A Southwest Frontier Christmas* This is the second of the Hands-On History Christmas Units- *A Southwestern Frontier Christmas* is full of all the rich Spanish history and tradition of the holidays! Learn about what life was like in the bustling city of Santa Fe on America’s Southwestern Frontier at Christmas. Read Josefina’s stories, the beloved story of the Christmas Poinsettia, taste the cinnamony biscohos, try some spicy tamale recipes, make your friends and family beautiful crafts for gifts, and maybe even try a new tradition like Las Posadas!     Be sure to also look through the books/movies list  and try these PRINTABLE companion resources for even more fun!   Christmas school-  FUN and DONE! +Josefina’s Southwestern Frontier Christmas POWER Pack +Josefina’s Southwestern Frontier Christmas PDF Version –> What’s The Difference Between the POWER Pack and the PDF Version? (A full video explanation) +American Girl Josefina Christmas Pinterest Page     *If you’d like to learn more about Josefina, life in the American Frontier, and the Santa Fe Trail, you can find LOTS of fun, hands-on history learning ideas with this FREE Unit. *FREE Southwest Frontier America Unit Study – AG Josefina +Josefina Unit Study Printable Power Pack +America’s Southwest Frontier  (Josefina) Unit Study-  PDF Version +Christmas on the Southwestern Frontier- Hands-On History  (Free) +Christmas on the Southwestern Frontier Christmas POWER Pack +Josefina- Frontier America Pinterest Board +Southwestern Frontier (Josefina) Christmas Pinterest Board –>You may also supplement this unit study for your older students by using some or all of the suggestions in the  Free Early American History Curriculum  and the Early American History Book List  

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*Ideas For A Pioneer Christmas- American Girl Kirsten*

What was Christmas like for the brave pioneers who left homes and families to travel west and settle new land?   Christmases on the homesteads was simple, but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t FUN!   Find out what the pioneers ate for Christmas treats, what kinds of traditions they had, and try all of the HANDS-ON HISTORY Christmas fun in this unit! +A Pioneer Christmas-  PDF Version +A Pioneer Christmas Printable POWER Pack –> What’s The Difference Between the POWER Pack and the PDF Version? (A full video explanation) *If you’d like to learn more about Kirsten and Pioneer life, you can find LOTS of fun, hands-on history learning ideas with this FREE Unit.     *FREE Pioneer America Unit Study – AG Kirsten +Kirsten Printable Power Pack +Pioneer America (Kirsten) Unit Study- PDF Version +A Pioneer Christmas-  PDF Version +A Pioneer Christmas Printable POWER Pack +Kirsten-  Pioneer America Pinterest Board +Pioneer America (Kirsten) Christmas Pinterest Board  

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*Ideas for an American Girl Addy- A Civil War Christmas*

*Addy’s Civil War Christmas Reading*

*Addy’s Surprise *Changes for Addy *A Heart Full of Hope *Christmas During the Civil War *Little Women (Read online here-  or at least the first several chapters) Little Women (Free Audiobook Dramatic Reading-  organized by chapters) *Christmas In the Big House, Christmas In the Quarters *A Christmas Journey to Freedom   (YouTube video – about 1 hour) *The Story of “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” by Longfellow You may also like to watch this well done video on YouTube- song set to actual photos of Civil War soldiers and soldiers today – “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day” *The Christmas Pickle (Do you think the Civil War story is true ?) *Christmas Eve in War Times (This is a bit of a heart wrenching story, but with a happy ending.  You may want to read it through before you print it for your children to read) *A Christmas Dream and How It Came to Be   (short story by Louisa May Alcott) *Christmas Dreams: Portraits of Little Women   (Easier language ) *Children’s Christmas Stories from American Literature *Little Women   (DVD) *List of other Civil War America Books/Movies/Resources 

*Addy’s Homemade Christmas Decorations and Gifts *

*The History of Christmas Trees   &  History of Ornaments (interesting to read before you decorate ) *Addy’s Craft Book & Kit (comes with materials for the projects) *String Popcorn into garlands  or  make Scrap Garlands *Gingerbread Ornaments *Simple Papercraft Ornaments and Decorations *Woven Cardboard Stars Ornaments *Clothespin Dolls (could make the nativity as ornaments or dolls-  since this project is super creative it would make nice ornaments or great gifts !  You could even fashion them to represent the people in your family !) *Easy Paper Angels *65 Pinecone Decorations (while not all of these would’ve been decorations during this period, you get the idea  🙂

*Christmas Recipes from the Civil War*

*Addy’s Cookbook *Addy’s Mini Sweet Potato Pies  or  Sweet Potato Pudding *Addy’s Civil War Beef Stew *Addy’s Turkey Stuffing *Addy’s Hoppin John *Civil War Snowballs *Apple Fritters *Jefferson Davis Pie *Ginger Nuts *Cruellers *Short Cakes *Civil War Idiot’s Delight Cake (sorry- that’s really the name ! lol) *Cake from the “Civil” War

*Civil War Christmas Entertaining Ideas*

*Take a “Sleigh Ride” ! Sleigh rides were very popular during this time. If you don’t have a horse drawn sleigh :D, maybe a wagon, some bikes, or even your car would work !    Decorate your favorite mode of transport with bells and garlands and gear up for perhaps the first annual sleigh ride tradition !  Invite the neighborhood kids too!  You could end your “sleigh ride” with a bonfire complete with snacks & songs. *Decorate an outdoor Christmas tree in the park (or one in your neighborhood!) Decorating Christmas trees was just beginning to be popular in America during the Civil War period.  Try this activity for a unique take on it ! One of the treats I discovered when I moved to Texas, was that every year in December, many families “secretly” decorate a tree along the highway.  You wouldn’t believe how many trees and how creative they get !  Since this might be frowned upon where you live, why not make a new tradition of decorating a tree with things that the birds and squirrels would like for Christmas ?!  Think strung cheerios, pinecones dipped in peanut butter and birdseed, and orange slice ornaments.  This would make a great activity for a houseful of guests needing something to do ! *Host a New Years Day Celebration Be sure to serve Hoppin John  & Collard Greens !    Why ?  Read more  HERE You can see a very interesting visual of how the holiday was celebrated by different people at that time–  Harper’s Weekly  Illustration You can also read more about “Mumming” and the Mummers Parade *If you’d like to learn more about Addy,  Slavery in the United States, and the Civil War , you can find LOTS of fun hands-on history learning ideas with this FREE Unit. *American Girl Addy- Civil War Unit Study *American Girl Addy Pinterest Page *Extras for Addy- Civil War Unit Study *Addy’s Christmas- A Civil War Christmas (Pinterest) *American Girl Addy Printable Power Pack *Civil War (American Girl Addy) Unit Study-  PDF Version  

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*Ideas for an American Girl Samantha- A Turn of the Century Christmas

*Samantha’s Turn of the Century Christmas Reading & Listening*

*Samantha’s Surprise   *An Ellis Island Christmas *Manners & Mischief- A Samantha Classic *Samantha:  An American Girl Holiday  (DVD) *The Gift of the Magi *A Christmas Carol    (read online) or   Listen to the free Audiobook (Dickens’ contribution to Christmas as we know it is huge! *Christmas Carol Unit  (My FREE Christmas Carol/Dickens Unit Study!  You can also grab the Printable Power Pack for this Unit Study as well!) *Christmas With Dickens *A Christmas Tree  (Short Story-  text and audio) *Other Christmas Short Stories by Charles Dickens *The Presidential Christmas Tree *Christmas Every Day *Christmas Carol  By Sara Teasdale *Christmas at Beacon Hill   (Explains the candles in the windows during Christmas) *List of other Turn of the Century America Books/Movies/Resources 

*1900’s Homemade Victorian Christmas Decorations and Gifts*

*I love to receive ornaments as gifts ! Maybe make doubles-  one for decorating your home, and one for a gift ! *Samantha’s Christmas Crafts *American Girl Samantha Craft Book *Authentic Victorian Christmas Ornament   (with printable template) *Make a Decoupage Scrapbook   (This would make a lovely gift !) *Raisin and Nut Garlands  *8 Victorian Christmas Tree Ornaments    (Children can make !) *Create a Christmas Putz   (yep…a putz !) *History of Christmas Crackers   and  DIY Christmas Crackers *Decorate a Window for the Holidays *Victorian Roses Ornament *Miniature Tree Table (This is only a photo, but I think it would be easy to print out some victorian santa images, glue to pasteboard, and make this sweet little tree !) *Paper Fan Ornaments *Old Fashioned Christmas Postcards  (these would make cute ornaments too!) *Christmas Cornucopias *Gift Giving at the Turn of the 20th Century *Teddy Bears were all the rage ! And so were handmade gifts ! Try this Easy Teddy Bear Sewing Project   or you can buy the kit  HERE

*Victorian Christmas Recipes*

*Samantha’s Snickerdoodle Cookies *Roosevelt’s Fat Rascals  (they’re justttt cookies !) *Samantha’s Gingerbread Cakes *Make Real Victorian Gingerbread  and  Christmas Pudding   (YouTube) *Turn of the Century Victorian Christmas Dinner Menu *10 Victorian Christmas Recipes *Old Fashioned Barley Candy *Sugar Plums *Bread Sauce

*Turn of the Century Christmas Entertaining Ideas*

*Start a neighborhood Christmas candle lighting tradition (see Christmas at Beacon Hill) *A “Christmas Carol” Reading Night Wouldn’t this be so much fun ?  You could prepare some typical snacks (maybe some punch too!). *Host an Egg Nog Party – Play Victorian Parlour Games – Make & Take  Ornaments Station – Egg Nog Recipe *Samantha’s Nutting Party  (A How-To complete with recipes from Peek Into the Pantry) *Teddy Bear Christmas Tea Party *Other FUN Christmas Ideas for Gathering Friends and Family *If you’d like to learn more about Samantha ,  The Industrial Revolution, and the Turn of Century , you can find LOTS of fun hands-on history learning ideas with this FREE Unit. *American Girl Samantha- Turn of the Century Unit Study *American Girl Samantha Pinterest Page *Extras for Samantha- Turn of the Century Unit Pinterest Page *Samantha’s Turn of the Century Christmas Pinterest Page   *Turn of the Century (American Girl Samantha) Printable Power Pack *Turn of the Century (American Girl Samantha) Unit Study- PDF Version

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*Ideas for an American Girl Kit- Christmas During the Great Depression

*Kit’s Christmas During the Great Depression- Reading & Listening*

–Christmas During the Great Depression  (real photos & short intro) –Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town   (This song debuted in 1934- nice Depression era photos set to this original recording) –A Memoir of Christmas During the Great Depression –An Orange For Frankie   (Read aloud- YouTube) –Christmas Day In the Morning (One of my absolute FAVORITES!!) –The Homecoming:  A Christmas Story   (Full length movie- YouTube) –‘A Christmas Memory’ by Truman Capote (Includes discussion questions at the end!) OR ‘A Christmas Memory’   (Full movie- YouTube) –‘Letters From Father Christmas’  by JRR Tolkien (Audiobook on YouTube) –The Gift of the Magi (Though not set in the 1930’s, it is a timeless tale with similar setting) –Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (Did you know this classic children’s Christmas story was written in the 1930’s?) –The First Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree –Kit’s Surprise –Christmas After All –The Boxcar Children Winter Special –Kit Kittredge: An American Girl Movie –Christmas For a Dollar   (Movie) –Babe’s In Toyland   (Shirley Temple Movie) –A Day For Thanks On Walton’s Mountain  (Movie) –It’s A Wonderful Life   (Movie- FREE with Prime!) –Lulu’s Christmas Story: A True Story of Faith and Hope During the Great Depression –Letters From Father Christmas   *1930’s Homemade Depression Christmas Decorations and Gifts* Most Christmas trees in the 1930’s were decorated quite simply.  Families made paper ornaments from scraps and newspapers, strung popcorn, tin from cans, and used whatever their imaginations could create!  Gifts were also mostly homemade, frugal, and made from scraps and other things people could find to repurpose around their homes. –Paper Ornaments –Foil Pie Tin Ornaments –Another Christmas Ornament Pie Tin Idea –Salt Dough Ornaments –Stamped Salt Dough Ornaments –Popcorn Strings (Popcorn was very inexpensive during the Great Depression.  It was a favorite snack & perfect for making holiday decorations!) –Juice Lid Ornaments (The first Christmas Tree at Rockefeller Center was decorated partly in aluminum can ornaments!) –Carved Soaps –Easy No-Sew Sock Dolls –Embroidered Handkerchief or Napkins (Draw your own pattern or here you can also find some simple embroidery patterns for kids) –Arm or Finger Knitted Scarves (Scarves were a very common gift during the Depression) –Kit’s Friendship Fun Book (This book is full of crafts, recipes, games, indoor and outdoor activities, and lots more!) -Gifts from the kitchen People during the Depression era often gave gifts of food along with a favorite family recipe. Does your family have a favorite baked good, candy, or even dinner casserole recipe you could make and share? The holidays can be busy times…it’s a lovely gift to be able to grab a homemade muffin for breakfast, or have a dinner casserole ready to pop into the oven!  Be sure to add a recipe card! If you need more recipe ideas try one in the Depression Era Christmas Recipes section below.

*Depression Era Christmas Recipes*

–Kit’s Cooking Studio –Clara’s Kitchen –Potato Candy –Sweet Fried Saltines –Poor Man’s Cookies –Kit’s Pumpkin Soup –Kit’s Raisin Spice Cake  or  Kit’s Sour Milk Spice Cake –FDR’s Christmas Cake (Scroll to the bottom for the recipe) –Wacky (Depression) Cake –Tomato Soup Cake –Depression Mock Apple Pie –Bologna Casserole –Great Depression Casserole Recipe  

*Great Depression Christmas Entertaining Ideas*

–Charades –White Elephant –Caroling -People LOVED to play board games during the 1930’s!   Many of the board games we still play were created during the Great Depression era. +Monopoly +Life +Scrabble +Tiddly Winks +Dominoes *If you’d like to learn more about Kit Kittredge,  the 1930’s,  the Dust Bowl, and the Great Depression, you can find LOTS of fun hands-on history learning ideas with this FREE Unit. *The Great Depression- American Girl Kit Unit Study   (FREE!) *The Great Depression Unit- Printable PDF Version *American Girl Kit- Great Depression Printable Power Pack  (COMING SOON!) *The Great Depression (Kit) Pinterest Page

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If you are reading this post at the beginning of the holidays, and looking for fun homeschooling ideas for the whole holiday season, you might also like to check out these Thanksgiving units- Thanksgiving Throughout History  is a perfect fit to go along with American Girl Christmas School …. You may also enjoy  “An Old Fashioned Thanksgiving” , which could easily be worked in with the American Girl Kirsten Unit, or the American Girl Addy Unit.   I’ve also included several other fun Christmas Units as well!              

Wishing you and your family a wonder-filled Christmas of living, loving, and learning together!