Middle and High School Christmas School

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The season of advent is one of my favorite homeschool traditions. In fact, my teenagers yesterday were so excited to see that I moved our regular school books up to the bonus room to prepare for our Christmas decorations and Christmas School - they look forward to it as much as I do! We take a month off of our regular scheduled curriculum and jump into learning that is centered on celebrating the Christmas holiday.

In years past we have done something different each December. My first time creating our own December Term was a hodgepodge of different music, literature, and art. We had several years of studying Christmas in other countries through beautiful literature, and last year we focused just on the country of Germany while also adding the literature of Dickens and the science lectures of the Royal Institute. (Follow each hyperlink to see these plans!)

I have created a guide this year that stays true to the celebration of the season while also providing a rich literary feast for my teenagers. Our literature plans are to read the Christmas writings of Henry Van Dyke.

As I began to read his Christmas short stories I realized how perfect they were for our homeschool. The first story is right up my son’s alley who loves the era of knights and chivalry. The First Christmas Tree reminds me of the setting of Beowulf with descriptions of ancient Britain civilization and legends! Henry Van Dyke brings adventure and excitement through legends and myths and brings it back to a beautiful picture of the greatest gift of our Savior’s sacrifice and love.

The Story of the Other Wiseman is also a wonderful Christmas read from the perspective of the Magi who learned of Jesus’ birth but also retells the life of Christ and the gift He gives of Salvation. I have really enjoyed learning about Henry Van Dyke and look forward to reading his stories and poetry with my children this month!

I decided for our art we would continue studying Winslow Homer who we currently are studying with our Charlotte Mason co-op. I love his paintings but the many illustrations he provided Harper’s Weekly have fascinated me this year! I have included 2 paintings and 2 illustrations for our artist study this month.

Music is a huge part of our life and the history of the composers of some of the greatest Christmas hymns and folk songs brings an extra layer of appreciation to our music study! I’m excited to sing these classics with my children this month! I’ve included my favorite recordings of each song and a lyric sheet for each of us to follow. In my store I also have a free composer guide for December that you might enjoy! Download it for free here!

The final piece of our Christmas School is science. I know science doesn’t sound very “Christmassy” but after discovering the Christmas Lectures at the Royal Institute I have been excited to implement these lectures into our weekly rhythm in December. We loved the videos last year focused on biology and this year I found lectures on physics to match what we have been learning in our science curriculum. My children write down written narrations in a science notebook but I also have these reflection sheets to use after we watch a lecture.

The final piece of our Christmas School is history and making treats in the kitchen! Last year we enjoyed making German baked goods each week - this year we are focusing on Colonial America in the kitchen with videos by the Townsends! I’m excited to make a plum pudding with my children this year!

I have put all these plans together for you to follow too if what you have seen sounds like a good fit for your family! Make sure to follow me on IG @kindandcultivated to see how each week unfolds with our baking, literature, and more! You can download the guide here for $10 - use the code THANKS24 to take 24% off from now until Christmas!

I hope you have a blessed Advent season!

 

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