One of the great features of my library is what we refer to as the Pit Area. Nestled in a nook along the front wall of the library (and surrounded by huge windows!) is a big open space. Normally this space is great for younger kids to play in or older kids to lounge around. The floor is lower down than the rest of the building, with a few steps leading down into the Pit. These steps make great seating while a presenter sits or stands in the big open space.
The kids and their parents gathered on and around the steps, eagerly awaiting the appearance of Santa himself. To start out the program I suggested that the kids all sing a Christmas song with me to call Santa out. And what better song than Jingle Bells! The kids sang, and after one round of the chorus Santa appeared, ringing his own set of magical bells. The kids were thrilled.
Then it was time for Santa to share his favorite story, The Polar Express. The kids listened, enraptured by Santa's stunning tale of Christmas magic.
As a side note, if you have never picked up The Polar Express, you need to do so now. It's really a magical story about the Christmas spirit. The pace of the text is perfect and it's such a good story to share aloud with family close by. Chris Van Allsburg's illustrations are absolutely stunning - it's no wonder that this book was the Caldecott Medal winner in 1986 when the book was published. Track down a copy of this book and share it today with someone that you love.
After the story we invited the kids to visit with Santa. A line quickly formed and most of the kids took the chance to tell Santa what they wanted for Christmas. We also had several craft projects available around the Children's Room for kids to work on, either while they waited for their turn to see Santa or after they finished sitting on his lap. We had plenty of coloring sheets, plus three other crafts available.
The first craft was a paper wreath:
For this craft, take one paper plate and cut out the center (we used small snack plates). Punch a hole in the top and tie on a piece of yarn for hanging. Then cut out one-inch squares of crepe paper or tissue paper. I personally prefer the tissue paper as it is a bit easier to manipulate. Crunch up each piece of crepe/tissue paper and glue it onto the plate. Then glue on three small red circles to act as holly berries - you'll probably want some sort of liquid/tacky glue for this. Take home and hang in a festive location.
We also had some festive ornaments:
These were super easy. We were able to cut out these ornament shapes in bulk using our die cut machine, but for home use I'm sure you can find templates with fun shapes. Punch a hole and thread with a small length of yarn for hanging. We gave the kids a few stickers (three stickers were plenty!) and some crayons to decorate the ornament. Perfect for your Christmas tree!
Our last project was a pair of mittens:
Just as with the ornament, we cut out the mittens using a die cut machine. Instead of paper, we used foam (available at your local craft store) for the shapes. We gave the kids each one festive foam shape with adhesive on the back to stick on one mitten. The other we decorated using glitter glue. In our sample we wrote the message "warm wishes," but I saw a lot of kids get creative with their glitter designs. Holes were punched in the mittens and the two were tied together with a length of yarn. I envision these mittens being hung over a doorknob or on a hook for some added fun.
All in all, our Santa Night was a great success! I'm definitely in the holiday spirit now.
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