The Nutcracker Extravaganza

I know it’s only just November! But I thought I’d share one of my plans for the rest of term. In the lead up to Christmas we are going to go ‘Nutcracker’ crazy!

Tchaikovsky’s perfect seasonal ballet.

E.T.A. Hoffman’s classic Christmas Eve story.

I’ve been busy finding our Nutcracker books from around the house (some for the young one, some for the older ones) and sourcing a narrated version of the ballet to listen to in the car. I find that the more familiar the children are with the story and the composer, the more they appreciate and picture the story as they listen and watch. It helps me at any rate!

I have also bought The Nutcracker Unit Study from SQUILT. It’s a downloadable pdf with links to listen to. I love these. This will help us to appreciate and understand the music itself – the dynamics, tempo, rhythm, instrumentation and mood. I need this as I’m very much learning along with them!

Have a little scroll down for some books and craft ideas…

Nutcracker Arts and Crafts

For some beautiful Nutcracker art for the walls or for the children to give as Christmas presents to doting grandparents, we enjoyed this Nutcracker Art Lesson last year, using chalk pastels. The online drawing lesson How to Draw a Christmas Nutcracker from Art Hub for Kids is also good for some Sharpie fun.

Here are some arty Nutcracker gifts good for young ones or a handy project to have up your sleeve for these dark afternoons: