Areas of Learning: Personal, Social and Emotional Development, Creative Development and Knowledge and Understanding of the World.
Context: The children had discussed their Christmas trees at home and talked about the sort of tree decorations they liked.
Learning Intentions:To talk about and recogise the ways that Christians celebrate Christmas (PSE). To select colours and tools in a simple paint program (KUW).
To choose colours and tools for a purpose (CD).
Child Speak Targets: I am learning to/can use different different tools and colours to decorate a Christmas tree.
Key Vocabulary: festival, celebrate, Christmas, pattern, colour, palette, tool, mouse, click, paintbrush, size, undo, print, tinsel, lights, baubles, stars

You will need: Simple paint program

Show the class the empty tree in your Paint program. Discuss how we can decorate a Christmas tree on the computer.
Demonstrate choosing tools and colours to decorate the tree. Discuss how different tools work better for different decorations.

Click here to download template: Christmas tree template (right click on this link and save on your computer. Once saved open in the paint program.)

In talking pairs, ask the children to plan the tools and colours that they are going to use to decorate their trees:

What decorations do we want on our tree?
Which tools shall we use to make those decorations?
What colours shall we use to decorate our trees?

You will need: Small artificial/real Christmas tree, a box of decorations.

Set up a small real/artificial Christmas tree in the classroom. Give children a selection of decorations in a box. Ask children to take turns to decorate a real tree.

Give children the opportunity to create a picture of the real tree in the Paint program.

Thinking Questions: What decorations have you put on your tree?
Which tool did you use to make the tinsel?
How did you make the baubles? What shapes are they?
Would you add anything else to your Christmas tree?
How is decorating a tree on the computer different to decorating a real tree?