Lesson video

Hello everyone and welcome back to another lesson with me, Miss Sidenius.

Today, I'm really excited to be learning all about Christmas traditions from all around the world.

In today's lesson, we will be learning about different ways that people celebrate Christmas from all around the world.

We're then going to create a Christmas decoration.

And finally, we're going to share that decoration with somebody in our household, a teddy or a toy.

In this lesson, you're going to need four things, some paper, some scissors, some paint and some pens and pencils.

You might also need some string, okay.

So pause the video here, make sure you've got those things and come back when you're ready.

Let's get started.

Star words, star words, star words.

My turn, tradition, tradition.

A tradition is a custom or a belief that is passed down from generation to generation.

Giving gifts at Christmas time is a tradition, because it's something that's happened for a very, very, very long time.

Grandparents gave presents to their children and then those children gave presents to their children when they grew up as well.

It's a tradition that goes down the generations of the family.

When children grow up, they'll probably give presents to their children, if they celebrate Christmas as well.

So in lesson two, we learned all about how people celebrate Christmas in the UK.

Can you remember some of the ways that people celebrate Christmas? Have a think, tell your screen, that's right.

In the UK, people will often have a Christmas tree with a star or an angel on the top.

They will give presents that sit under the tree until Christmas morning.

Why do we give presents at Christmas time? Hmm, that's right, it's because it's like the three kings who came to visit baby Jesus when he was born and they gave Him three presents.

People also like to have a big meal together at Christmas time, eating something like roast turkey and roast potatoes.

And in the UK, people celebrate Christmas with a stocking to open on Christmas day.

The stocking is usually filled with presents too.

But Christmas is celebrated in lots of different countries, all around the world.

Let's go and explore Christmas in Denmark.

Denmark is a country that's not very far away from England.

It's a little bit colder at Christmas time.

Well apart from that, it's quite similar.

Lots of the ways in which Danish people celebrate Christmas are similar to how English people celebrate Christmas.

But there are some differences.

What can you see on your screen? I can see some Christmas elves.

Can you point to the Christmas elves? These Christmas elves are called nisse.

Nisse.

These elves come every year and they cause all kinds of trouble, like hiding presents, eating people's biscuits and making a mess in people's houses.

What else can you see on the screen? That's right, you can see a Christmas tree, but this Christmas tree doesn't have fairy lights on it, it has real candles.

Danish people put candles on their tree and they liked them and dance around the Christmas tree on Christmas Eve.

Do you think that might be a little bit dangerous? Yes, I think most Danish families blow out the candles after they've danced around the tree, to make sure that there's no risk of a fire.

So we've learned about Christmas in the UK, Christmas in Denmark.

Let's take a look at our world and see where we're going now.

Christmas in Spain.

Spain is also not very far away from the UK, but it's a bit warmer in Spain at Christmas time.

There is a Spanish Christmas tradition that starts on the 8th of December.

Every night until the night before Christmas children feed a happy log with dried fruits and nuts, just like the one you can see on the screen here.

They cover the logo up with a blanket to keep it warm.

The log is called.

On Christmas Eve, the children then sing a song and beat the log with a stick until it poops out lots of treats.

That's funny.

Children in Spain may also be given gifts on Christmas day, but traditionally, they open them on the 6th of January, when it is believed that the three kings visited baby Jesus and gave Him the gifts.

I hope you had fun learning about all of those different Christmas traditions.

As we have seen, many countries around the world have Christmas trees in their house.

So I thought it would be nice to make a Christmas tree to honour this Christmas tradition, that lots of different countries take part in.

I'm going to use a handprint to make my Christmas tree today.

So I've got some green paint and I'm painting my hand green.

I'm going to make sure that the whole thing gets covered in green paint, all the way to my fingertips and back down.

And I'm making sure there's quite a lot of paint on there, so that when I do my handprint, it shows up really nicely on the paper.

It's a very green hand, I think I'm almost ready.

Okay, so I'm putting my plate to the side and I'm going to press my hand down onto the paper.

I put my other hand on top of it so that I can press it down and really make the paint show up on the page.

I'm pressing down all of my fingers as well.

So I lift it off and there you go, I have a green handprint.

Doesn't look very much like a Christmas tree yet, does it? Don't worry, we'll get to decorating it later.

So before we let the handprint dry, I'm going to add glitter to mine to make it look like a sparkly Christmas tree.

So I'm pouring the glitter on really carefully on the wet paint.

So pause the video here, add some baubles to your tree, just make sure that you use different fingers for each of your colours.

Might even be a good idea to do one at a time, so you could dip it in the yellow, do some yellow baubles, wash your finger, dip it in the red, do some red baubles and choose another colour after you've washed your finger again.

Pause the video here, add your baubles and come back when you're done.

So, time for the finishing touches.

I'm going to draw a star at the top of my tree.

You could also use a sticker or a shiny gem to stick at the top of your tree.

'Cause drawing stars can be a little bit tricky, if you would like a star and you don't know how to draw one, you can always ask the parent or carer to help you.

So I've got a lovely gold star at the top of my tree.

And I'm going to add a little pot for my Christmas tree to sit in.

And colour that in as well.

Has to be quite a big pot actually, to hold the tree up.

So I'm colouring in my pot and my tree is starting to look really good.

Pause the video here, add your pot and something to the top of your tree, you might choose an angel or something else at the top of your tree and press play when you're finished.

Brilliant, now if you would like you could even make this into a hanging decoration.

To make it a hanging decoration that you could put on your tree, you need to start by cutting out your Christmas tree.

Best to make sure it's all dry before you start doing this.

So cut around your Christmas tree really carefully, keeping your fingers well away from the blade on your scissors and leave a little bit of extra room with the paper at the top so that you can make a hole to hang it on your tree.

So I'm turning the paper around as I'm cutting, to make sure that I don't get anywhere near my fingers.

If you need help with cutting, you can ask a parent or a carer as well.

So there we go.

Pause the video here, cut out your tree and come back when you're ready.

Yours and make a hanging decoration if you would like to.

Well done everyone.

I hope you're really proud of your lovely Christmas tree.

Does it look like a real Christmas tree? I'm sure it's even more beautiful.

So thinking back to the beginning of our lesson, I want you to tell me, what is your favourite Christmas tradition? It might be one that we've spoken about in the lesson today, or it might be something that you've heard about somewhere else or something you celebrate at home, if you celebrate Christmas.

Have a think, tell your screen.

Oh, it's so lovely to hear so many different Christmas traditions.

I think my favourite are the cheeky nisse, the Danish elves that come and mess up people's houses and do cheeky things, when they're not looking.

Great job today everyone, go and enjoy the rest of your day, bye.