On the 5th Day of Christmas...

Read about the 12 Days of Christmas booklet here.  

...My teacher gave to me a 5-pointed star that's bendy."

Gah!  Who writes this stuff??

Seriously, though, I've tweaked this for years and that's the best I came up with.  Probably the reason I didn't choose "poet" as a career option.  :)

When you're doing today's gift with the littles, it takes some explaining.  We're going to be making a pop-out star.  Here's Martha Stewart's glittery version:

 This isn't quite that elaborate.  For ours, each kid needs a copy of the paper, scissors, and crayons or whatever else you want them to decorate with.

Whenever you're doing paper folding with young children, I think it's easiest to have an example already done and another one you can model the steps with.  In my class it would sound something like this.

"Everybody cut out the star on the black, dotted line.  Hold it up when you're done."

I don't move on until I can see everyone has completed that step.  I try to station myself next to the one or two kids that struggle when it comes to cutting/folding activities.  There's always at least 1!

Once all the stars are cut, I point out the line that runs from the top point down to the bottom middle.
"Everybody fold on that line.  If you've got it, check to see if a neighbor needs help.  When you're finished hold it up."

After all of the stars are folded on the line, I have them fold it on the same line, but fold the star closed this time so you can't see the markings.  Eventually we'll be creating mountain and valley folds, but it's just easier for them if all the lines are folded both ways first. 

When all the lines are folded (and a few are probably mangled now), I point out how some of the lines are dotted and some are solid.  The dotted lines need to be pushed out like mountains.  The solid lines need to be pushed down like valleys.  It might take them a second or two to get the hang of it.

And there you go!  A pointy star ready to be decorated!  And time for teacher to take some Tylenol. 

Get the star paper here.