National Christmas Center
A Pennsylvania Christmas Cryptogram - A brain teaser designed for older students; teachers may choose to add additional letters to the puzzle to make it easier for younger students to solve (A Pennsylvania Christmas exhibit)
Christmas around the World Word Scramble
Unscramble the names of these gift givers from around the world, and then use the clues to spell out a message (Christmas around the World exhibit)
Christmas Center Crossword Puzzle (page 1, page 2)
Use information learned on the National Christmas Center tour to fill in the answers to this puzzle (all exhibits)
Father Christmas Chimney Puzzle
See if you can figure out how to connect all nine chimneys in four straight lines without lifting your pencil (Christmas around the World exhibit)
Fruit of the Spirit Discussion Guide (page 1, page 2)
How did the characters of TudorTowne demonstrate the fruit of the Spirit? Answers suggested here are intended to be a starting point for thoughtful discussion (Christmas Comes to TudorTowne exhibit)
Gift Givers Guide (page 1, page 2, page 3, page 4) These fact sheets list legendary Christmas gift givers, customs and traditions of nine different countries (Christmas around the World exhibit)
Happy Holidays D’Nealian Handwriting Sheet - Practice handwriting skills with this lined sheet that spells out “Happy Holidays”
Holiday Word Search - Circle the words from the list (secular words used)
Holiday Word Search with TudorTowne graphics
Same as above, but uses illustrations of TudorTowne characters (TudorTowne exhibit)
List of Suggested Discussion or Essay Topics
Use these suggestions as a starting point for discussion or written assignments (encompasses ideas from Images of Santa, The First Christmas, Yes Virginia there is a Santa Claus, Christmas around the World, The Art of the Nativity and TudorTowne)
Merry Christmas Basic Manuscript Handwriting Sheet
Practice handwriting skills with this lined sheet that spells out “Merry Christmas”
Merry Christmas D’Nealian Handwriting Sheet - Practice handwriting skills with this lined sheet that spells out “Merry Christmas”
Reindeer Handwriting Sheet - Reindeer graphics decorate this lined paper, perfect for composition or writing practice
Saint Lucia’s Candle Maze - Trace a path through the maze of candles (Christmas around the World exhibit)
Santa/Country Match Game - Use what you learned in Christmas around the World to match these gift givers to their countries
Scavenger Hunt – Basic
“Can you find …?” A simple “spot the item” scavenger hunt designed to help children focus on each exhibit (all exhibits)
Scavenger Hunt – Advanced
Along with “spot the item” directions are questions which require higher thinking skills such as telling time, counting, reading and hypothesizing (all exhibits)
Science Web Site Information
Check out these web sites to learn some amazing science facts about National Christmas Center wonders such as stereopticons (Yes Virginia …), nickelodeons (Santa’s North Pole Workshop), basic electricity (Toyland) and reindeer (North Pole - reindeer barn)
The First Christmas Word Search - Find and circle the words from this vocabulary list pertaining to the very first Christmas (The First Christmas exhibit)
World Christmas Greetings Decoder - Use the code given to unscramble Christmas greetings spoken in other countries, and then copy the circled letters to spell out a message (Christmas around the World exhibit)
Christmas around the World Word Search
Circle the words listed and then use information learned in Christmas around the World to match the words to their definitions (Christmas around the World)
Yes, Virginia Word Scramble
Unscramble these words and terms relating to the true story of Virginia O’Hanlon, and then copy the letters in the numbered blocks to spell out a message (Yes, Virginia there is a Santa Claus exhibit)
A Little Bit of Christmas History Cryptogram
Fill in the missing letters to spell out a message. Teachers may choose to add “giveaway” letters to make the puzzle easier to solve. (The Art of the Nativity exhibit)
Once Upon a Time Coloring and Activity Book (available to tour participants for $.50 per copy, regularly sells for $2 – these copyrighted materials may not be reproduced)
Puzzles and activities appropriate for a wide range of ages, from coloring pages, to mazes, matching, and hidden pictures – This book contains the Christmas around the World information presented at the National Christmas Center, and more (Christmas around the World) – this link shows the cover art only
TudorTowne Story and Coloring Book (available for purchase for $2 per copy – these copyrighted materials may not be reproduced) Our original Christmas fairytale is retold here, followed by coloring pages sketched by the TudorTowne artists - (TudorTowne exhibit) – this link shows the cover art only