Holiday Giveaway 2: Movable Alphabet
*****************This giveaway is now closed*************
Here we are, already starting our second holiday giveaway! The first giveaway generated some fantastic ideas for holiday traditions, so take a look at the comments there if you haven’t already.
This giveaway is for one $25 gift certificate from Montessori for Everyone and one printed Movable Alphabet from Alison’s Montessori:
You can even choose the color of the movable alphabet (black, blue, green, or red) and style (print or D’Nealian)!
To enter, please leave a comment sharing one thing you hope to pass along to your children or the children you work with during the holidays. As an example, I want my children to always do something for others less fortunate during the holidays. One yearly tradition is to save all our change during December (they contribute their allowances as well) and then we donate it to a charity that they help choose.
Prize ships to US only (if you live outside the US but have friends or family here that could pass it along to you, feel free to enter).
Contest closes Thursday, December 17th at midnight CST. One entry per email address. Winner will be chosen by random.org and posted on Friday, December 18th. Good luck!
We make gift packages for people in need over the Christmas season, but also throughout the year. We would love for our girls to continue to do this as they grow up.
I hope my girls will someday craft and sew with their kids. The handmade tradition is such a rewarding one, and I hope they will someday find as much joy in sharing it with their kids as I do with them.
We try to enjoy the holiday spirit through simple times shared together. I hope my children will remember Christmas as times laughing in the kitchen baking cookies, taking the moon for a walk on frosty nights, singing carols forhte neighbors, and leaving sweet notes for each other hidden on the branches of the tree. These are the Christmas memories I want to instill, more than toys and trips to the mall.
Love your giveaways
Becky
Oh man, I want this! I will buy it if I don’t win
I want to pass on a love of a peaceful family gathering. So many families go nuts when they get together. I would like to continue a comfortable and non-confrontational feel for Christmas.
When it comes to making the world a better place I hope to pass on an understanding of consumption. I try to buy things that last, and less things too. I think it’s pretty earth friendly to buy things of quality that can be passed on to my children’s cousins or even their own kids!
We purchased piggy banks for each child this year with the phrase, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” printed on them. Our intention is for them to collect their money to donate next year.
That it is more fun to give than to receive! The plotting, the scheming, the making, the hiding… all those little details of creating and delivering a surprise gift to someone you care about… you can’t beat it.
I work with low-income urban youth and the holiday season can be exceptionally difficult for them. It seems that Christmas and presents go hand in hand in our society and that is really not what the holiday season should be about. I feel that all children should be taught to value family togetherness. This in itself is a gift.
Like Danielle, I work with children from a low ses area. I hope to show that gathering together is very much a part of the holidays. We acknowledge and celebrate all of the winter holidays with an emphasis on community and gathering.
I really want my kids to know that even though we don’t have lots of the things other people have, we still have more then most.
I hope to pass on the spirit of giving. We always donate toys to Goodwill to make room for the new. I also am going to take them to a soup kitchen this season . Thank you so much for the giveaway! I would love to have that gorgeous moveable alphabet.
I want my children to be thoughtful of others who are less fortunate. Instead of buying gifts for each other, my husband and I have always adopted a family in need. We help to provide them with items that they need. Thank you for this wonderful question. I can’t wait to read all of the replies.
I hope my children always seek to have a peaceful, meaningful Advent and Christmas instead of getting too caught up in the glitz and gifting. I hope they use the time to prepare their hearts and end the year in a nice way instead of frazzled from the chaos! To use it as a time to enjoy family and remember those in need.
The focus in our classroom for December is Peace. We discuss what peace means, symbols and peace makers (including Maria Montessori). I hope the children carry on this gentle message throughout the year and with them into the future! Thanks Lori!
I hope to pass to my children that family & friends are the gifts to remember most. It’s not about getting but to give. My children have been seeing our family give service & my hope is for them to continue it. Also, to remember that Our Savior is the ultimate example to aspire to.
Thank you for the give-away. I’d like to pass on the general joy of the season – of Christmas carols, lit up trees, multi-faith celebrations, stocking stuffing, Salvation Army bell jingling, fresh snow fall, etc.
One of the things I hope to pass along is the joy of giving and receiving hand made gifts. Thanks for an exciting giveaway!
I hope my kiddos focus on doing for others during the holidays.
Every year, our extended family chooses a family in need to help. We pretty much CRASH their Christmas. Last year we found a single mom with a medical condition that prevented her from having full custody of her children. We gathered clothing/food/household items for her. Different family members left food baskets throughout the month. Purchased a Christmas tree for her.
It would be great if the kids continued this tradition.
The holiday season is a festive time in many cultures for different reasons. I’d like the children in my class to be aware of different types of celebrations during this time of year. Without playing anyone up more than the others, we celebrate a little of each cultural holiday in the weeks coming up to the winter break.
I hope to pass on to my kids that Christmas is about giving. I want them to look outside of themselves and find others they can give to. As a family, each year we pack up a shoe box of small gifts and school supplies to give to a child in need overseas. We also find small ways to give in our own community.
It sounds cliche, but I really want my kids to learn it is better to give than to receive.
I hope to continue to impart upon my children the true meaning of citizenship, volunteerism, and togetherness by continuing to practice kindness during this special time and throughout the year.
I hope that our kids will always remember that Christmas is about being with your family and having a wonderful time celebrating Christ’s birth! It’s not about the hype or the gifts or getting it all done or the house being perfectly decorated. As long as you have a wonderful time and remember the true gift of Christmas it is all good!
While we have lots of traditions meant to instill values in our children, one of my favorites is the idea that we can bring cheer and a smile to others just by doing simple acts. For instance, we always make cards or ornaments for the residents at the local nursing home and pass them out while singing Christmas carols. Handing out the items and singing always makes my children begin to generate ideas for more ways we can make others smile.
One thing I hope to impress upon the children this year is a feeling of giving. I always engage the children in conversations about how we can make others feel good. For example, if one child is struggling at drop-off I may ask the children how they can make her/him feel more comfortable. We extend this topic into how we can make others feel good during the holiday season. We talk about the many people that may have needs and we think of ways to contribute. I hope they are left with a spirit of giving….
That it is more fun to give than to recieve, and that homemade gifts are more thoughtful. We make them homemade gifts and they make gifts for grandmas and teachers.
I hope to pass along that Mary was the greatest example of how to best prepare for Christmas. In her simplicity and her responsiveness to God’s call, she focused only on Jesus’ coming. She stuck with the essentials.
For the past 5 years, we have attended early morning Xmas services at our church. Afterwards, we come home and choose one toy to share with someone less fortunate. This teaches our children to be grateful. Often we find ourselves the recipient of holiday generosity and this is our way of paying it forward.
I want my son to understand our connection to nature and I want to pass that on to him. The environmental health of the planet will be a problem he will inherit from us and I don’t want him to lose sight of its importance.
I want my son to understand the holidays as a time to be with family, actual and extended, meaning the rest of the natural world. Should we get gifts only for other humans?
I want my children to really absorb the symbolism beyond giving and receiving gifts, and how that reflects the gift of Jesus.
I LOOOOVE Montessori tools. The movable alphabet looks great!
I hope to pass to my children the importance of compassion, generosity, and tolerance for all. Each year (all year long, not just at Christmas) we try to find ways to pay it forward. My husband and I are big believers in random acts of kindness. During the holidays, we select 2 names from the Angel tree and provide gifts for those children. I want children to learn that we can be a blessing in others lives.
I also want my children to learn respect for the other holidays around this time of year. Yes, we celebrate Christmas, but others do not. I want my children to have a certain level of sensitivity to others traditions.
I also want my kids to understand how fortunate they are, especially during the holidays. We sponsor a family and they help me pick out toys and gifts for them. We also donate a lot of their own toys to the Salvation Army.
I want the children in my classroom to learn and understand the story of Christmas…to know that we give gifts in honor of the birth of Jesus. I want the children to learn and understand that December is full of several holidays (Hanukkah, Christmas, Winter Solstice, Kwanzaa, etc) and to try and celebrate each one.
There are always seems to be so much emphasis on Christmas, let’s talk about and celebrate them all!!
I hope that my children learn to honor all people and traditions during the Holidays. I want to pass one a sense of connectedness between us all and how each tradition centers around love and giving.
I want my child to appreciate what he has and to think of others. He is 3 and this year we went through his bookcase and selected some books to give to his school that he no longer chose often. Here at Christmas we have gone through toys and clothes, not only to make room for new items, but to give to those who have nothing as well. We also always get an angel at 0ur church’s angel tree. This year he was old enough to really get into it. When we checked out at the store, he told the sales person..that is for my angel, that is for my angel and that is to put my angel stuff in! (the gift bag).
I want to teach my children that Christmas is a time to reflex on the love Jesus has for us. It is a time of giving, not receiving. My children get no presents on Christmas, the focus is solely on the birth of Christ. Because of our Latino roots we then give then a gift on Epiphany. I hope that they continue to dedicate Christmas to Jesus as it should be.
I want for my daughter to be able to look back when she is older and remember every holiday as a time of happiness and love. I don’t want her to think about the gifts and getting, but instead our time together as a family, and the traditions that we carried out from our own culture and others, and for the hoildays being about giving and tolerance.
I love your idea for what you want your children to remember and continue to do. I want my daughter and son to love the Advent season and remember it as a special time where we made more effort to spend time as a family and focusing on the birth of Jesus. I am doing the Jesse tree with my daughter this year and hoping it is a tradition she will continue with her own children.
I want my kids to understand that the holiday spirit is something inside of them, not something that can be bought. I want to teach them to see where they can give back and to reflect on the gifts in their lives of friends and family. Each year it seems like Christmas goes faster and gets crazier and being able to focus on giving to others, choosing gifts with love, and slowing down to be thankful is what will make Christmas satisfying.
When i have a nice thought about somebody, I always share it with them, rather than just think it to myself. I hope my kids learn to do this as well.
I want my children (my own as well as those I teach) to understand the beauty of giving and the inner rewards that come with it. They have been gathering used toys that are in good conditin for those less fortunate than them to give. They really enjoy the happiness that is shown on the child’s face receiving the gift
We pick a child’s name from the local angel tree (names of children that will not have much of a Christmas) that is the same age as our daughter’s. Our oldest then goes shopping for their gifts (we pick out for the youngest since she is only 9 months). Since they are the same age it helps for her to 1) pick out something appropriate and 2) to realize that everyone is not as fortunate. I hope she takes away how important it is to help others not only at Christmas time, but throughout the year.
I take my nieces and nephew to volunteer at the local animal shelter. We also collect donations of clothing and food to give away at the school I teach at.
I want them to experience the feeling of givign and helping others – whether human or animal.
That every person has relevance and importance in this world regardless of skin color, wealth or position in life.
I am learning that it will be ok for my kids to have a small Christmas. Money is short but not the love.
I wish for my children to be thankful, caring and have fun.
I work with kids at a church school. The church members feed up to 2oo homeless once a week, so for several years the children have designed Christmas cards to give to each of the people that are fed – their parents put together gift bags containing warm hats, gloves & other little items that a homeless person might need. I scan the children’s drawings and print out the 200 cards.
I want to pass on the joy of being a giver over being a receiver to my daughter. I want her to know how much fun it is to make things and give them to the people that she cares about in her life.
I want to pass to my son and students the importance of being with family and friends during the holidays. It really doesn’t matter how many gifts you purchase and then give or receive that warms your heart, but the time you share with others laughing, smiling and talking are all priceless.
I want to pass on to my children the gift of being at peace with myself. When we are loving and gentle and accepting of our own individuality and try to help others reach that point too, that peacefulness will be able to radiate to everyone we connect with – and not just during the holiday season!
I wish to pass along to the kids I work with, having compassion for others. Not too long ago their was a little boy on the news that was dying of cancer, my students and I made christmas cards for him and I was amazed at the nice words they wanted to share with him.
i ahve always tried to pass along to my children the idea that no matter how little you may have you can always give a little something. we moved to the states when my oldest was 8 and lived for years from hand to mouth. although we do not celebrate christmas, every holiday season we have always put a quarter in santa’s kettle each time we saw a salvation army bell ringer. every time we sighted a red kettle i would pass out quarters to the children so that each child would experience for himself the act of giving. i am proud to say that today, as grown men, my sons carry on this tradition of giving– in the red kettle as well as many other ways despite the fact that none are wealthy.
I also want to pass on the joy of making and giving homemade gifts. And also a love of peaceful family gatherings, one that is comfortable and non-confrontational.
Movable alphabet is one of those essential items in the classroom that draws the children to read and write. It is also extremely important that the material is of good quality and beautiful so the children will want to continue working with it.
Holiday time is family time and also a nice time to enjoy the community. My kids love going for walks to look at the lights.
We are making all of our gifts to each other this year. I made an advent calendar for my daughter. We are making a desk calendar for my husband.
I hope my children learn to love the baby Jesus as he came into this world and are humble in spirit and kind of heart. That is what I hope to pass on to my children during the holiday season.
I hope to show my children the love of Christ and be an example of many different ways that we can be like Christ to other people. Most especially I hope to teach them this year that Christmas is here for Christ and not for gifts.
Thank you both for having these give-aways,
Michelle
I want me children to realize that Christmas is about more than just presents. We have already talked about the Christmas story. I also want them to associate Christmas with family and non-present/candy fun. We have an advent calendar with fun Christmas activites that we do together each day.
Christmas is about a lot more than presents and gifts. We also do an advent calendar to do family activities together and try to read the Christmas Story and donate to those in need. We focus on giving rather than getting, and spend time with family talking, sharing stories and playing games.
We contribute to food banks during the whole year, at least once a month. We hope that our kids will keep up that tradition.
I hope to pass along to my children an emphasis of the meaning behind the holiday. Towards that goal we will do a Jesse Tree each year with month-long stories, devotions, and activities that will change as they grow older.
I find the responses here inspiring!
I hope to pass along that Christmas is a time to celebrate Jesus Birthday. We put the Christmas tree up for him and we decorate the house for him. I also hope to pass along some of my husbands traditions as well as mine. Posadas, Parandas, and the Joy of Celebrating.
I hope to pass along the family traditions and the sense that Christmas is a time for spending time with family, helping those less fortunate, and enjoying the peace and beauty of the season.
With my own children we began celebrating Advent this year. I think it brings a serenity and focus during the very rushed and hectic time of year.
Beginning of this year I have started the Montessori Class at my house for Japanese little kids. I made “Movable Alphabet” by myself. I hope that I would have real one!! Kids love to make words with it!
I hope to pass on to my kids that Christ is the reason for the season. He came to earth to die for our sins. So many times this reason gets lost in the other things that happen. But really this is the only reason to celebrate Christmas.
I hope to teach my girls that other children are not as fortunate as them to get as much for christmas and that it is better to GIVE then to RECEIVE! Christ is the key word in Christmas:)
As part of the whole year, but especially during the holidays, we teach gratitude. We say thanks every day at lunch (”thank you to all the people, plants and animals that made this food possible. Bon appetit. You may eat now.”) We also teach it through the 5 Great Lessons and through cultural feasts throughout the year, where we all eat at a large table and put paper leaves of gratitude (where they have written what they are thankful for) on a bare tree. They write about being thankful for their families, for the people and nature that came before us, for bees!