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Co-Op Lesson Plan, Week Five

Updated: Nov 21

When I told my co-op class we were heading to Sweden this week, one of the kids immediately shouted, “Like IKEA?” And honestly… same. For most of my life, Sweden just meant those famous meatballs and half of the furniture in my home. But as we settled into our lesson, a new picture began to unfold. A story filled with a courageous girl, candles, evergreen branches, a goat and some ginger cookies!


The Christmas tradition that captured their attention most was St. Lucia’s Day. I watched their little faces take in the tale of a brave young girl carrying food to persecuted Christians, wearing a crown of candles so she could hold more food and to light her way through the darkness. The image of a girl bringing light where it’s needed most felt especially meaningful. Moments like that make every bit of prep worth it.


Next, we talked about Swedish decorations. Not the bright, flashy kind we’re used to, but natural, simple pieces. Wreaths draped in greenery, bundles of straw tied into ornaments, and candles glowing softly everywhere. Then came the Yule Goat. This is where the quite ended. The Yule Goat is a popular decoration made of straw and red ribbon that sits in people's homes. There are also giant Yule Goats put up in town squares that, unfortunately, often get burnt down. I told the kids we were going to play a game: “Every time you see the Yule Goat in the videos… say ‘GOAT!’” They took this very seriously. The moment the goat appeared, the whole room erupted. They were bouncing, pointing, laughing completely absorbed. It was chaos, but the joyful kind, that fills a classroom with life.


Before they left, I pulled out my bag of Farmor’s Pepparkakor, thin, crisp ginger cookies I baked the night before. The kind that makes your house smell like Christmas the moment the oven warms up. I handed the little bags out one by one, first asking "what country did we learn about today?" and asking each student to point it out on the map.

co-op lesson plan

Co-Op Lesson Plan

I have fourteen students, and our lesson is one hour long. I also have two helper teachers. As all you moms out there know, keeping the attention of fourteen 5–7-year-olds is a big challenge in itself. So, I deiced to break the lesson up into three parts, geography, Christmas traditions, and craft time. Each child would also take home the Christmas treats I made for them. Here is the co-op lesson plan I made, I hope you find it helpful!


I start every lesson with a name circle. Each student says his or her name and we repeat their name as a group. Hopefully we all know each other's names by the end of the semester!


Geography:

  • Look at the map of the world and ask, "how many contents do we have?" Sing the content song. Link to my world map

  • Give hints about the country we will be learning about. Challenge one of the students to find the country on the map.


Christmas Traditions:

  • Pick out three to four Christmas traditions unique to Sweden.

  • Read from the curriculum and ask question comparing to our own Christmas traditions to those in Sweden.

  • Show videos if appropriate. I showed three videos for Sweden, Christmas in Sweden, Swedish Christmas, and Santa Lucia Sweden.

    

Craft:


Curriculum:


Farmor's Pepparkakor (Swedish Ginger Christmas Cookies)

Makes 3-4 dozen cookies depending on the design


Ingredients:

118ml (1/2 cup) heavy cream

151g (2/3 cup) butter, room temp

300g (1 1/2 cups) brown sugar

170g (1/2 cup) honey or molasses

1 egg, room temp

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 tablespoon ginger

1/2 tablespoon cinnamon

1/2 tablespoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons clove

1/2 teaspoon cardamon

480g (4 cups) flour, you may need a bit more


Method:

  1. in the bowl of a stand mixer add all the ingredients, except for the flour, and mix together.

  2. Slowly add the flour one cup at a time until the dough is well mixed and has lost its stickiness. The dough should stick together but not to your hands.

  3. Divide the dough into two pieces, wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 2-24 hours. Not all the dough needs to be used at once. You can keep it in the freezer for a few weeks and bake the cookies just before Christmas!

  4. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees. Roll out the dough to approximately 1/8 an inch thick and use festive cookie cutters to make shapes.

  5. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake 5-8 minuets. Cool on a wire rack and decorate with icing if you like.


The craft was simple this week. I wanted to keep with the Swedish tradition of rustic and natural Christmas decorations. So, I brought wooden ornament the kids could paint. As they dipped their paint brushes in and out of the various colors, I felt so grateful for this small weekly rhythm. Teaching them, learning with them, discovering the world’s Christmas traditions together… it’s been such a gift.

Next week, our Christmas journey continues in Spain, and it’s going to be one full of new traditions, new stories, and of course, a special treat for the kids. I hope you’ll follow along as we keep exploring the wonder of Christmas through the eyes of children.

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