Posted in Christmas Books

UPDATED with a new website. Elizabeth Foss and Katherine over at Serendipity have posted a Saint Nicholas flip book that looks great! There is a color by number, dot to dot, maze and more. Check it out HERE if you are interested in another St. Nicholas activity!

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Here are some ideas that I hope to use as we learn more about Saint Nicholas, who he was and what he was known for.

 **First of all, you must check out this Saint Nicholas Center website - it is fabulous!!

**I will print a few of THESE coloring pages for us to color on Saint Nicholas Day.

**Look at this adorable Saint Nicholas HAND PUPPET!!

**HERE are some Saint Nicholas figures to make. I think my favorite is the one made out of the wooden spoon! I also think it is really neat how they give you the suggestion to turn a chocolate candy Santa into a candy St. Nicholas by adding just a little hat!

**Another page with a wide assortment of CRAFT ideas. I personally like the St. Nicholas mobile!

**And on this page are some great conversation starters and facts to tell your child about Saint Nicholas as you work on these projects together.

**There really are just so many great things on this website! Recipes, songs, many things I didn't even mention! So do take a look around yourself and see what you would like to do with your family to learn more about this man.

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And now for the books we will be reading to learn more about St. Nicholas. The ladies on the 4Real Learning message board recommend these books. I will not be reading all of them with my children, as a few of them are a little long. But, they are all the favorites mentioned by ladies there, so I thought I would at least give out this list.

The Real Santa Claus by Marianna Mayer 

This first title is definitely way too long for us this year, but it has absolutely beautiful illustrations in it! So, if you do have access to this book, you might get it just for the pictures and art discussion!

The Miracle of Saint Nicholas by Gloria Whelan

The Baker's Dozen - A Saint Nicholas Tale, retold by Aaron Shepherd

This is one of the stories I will share with my children, it is not too long for us this year. This tells the old legend of how a baker's dozen became 13, as a means of generosity.

The Legend of Saint Nicholas by Demi

I would like to read this book, as it tells the history of the boy Nicholas. However, I will admit that I am a little bit curious as to the story told in this book. The author notes that as a baby, Nicholas stood up in his bath and prayed. As a toddler he did not nurse on holy saint's days - he fasted. I admit, I have not researched the history of Saint Nicholas, and after reading this book, I think I will look and see what I find! Because I would like to read this book with my kids, I do want to find out about all these details.

Saint Nicholas: The Real Story of the Christmas Legend by Julie Stiegemeyer

I have not found this book yet, but this is another one that several recommend.