The Wild Christmas Reindeer Unit Study & Printables

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This unit study includes lessons and printables based on the book The Wild Christmas Reindeer by Jan Brett.

Little Teeka thought she had to be firm with the reindeer to get them ready for Santa’s important flight, but when her bossy yelling only got their antlers tangled up, she knew she had to try something different.

This fun story serves as the base for a variety of lessons on kindness, compassion, the North Pole, Norway, details in art, reindeer, and more. Grab your free The Wild Christmas Reindeer unit study and printables and get started.

Thanks to Kim Fry for writing the lessons for this The Wild Christmas Reindeer unit study.

The Wild Christmas Reindeer Unit Study Lessons

Here are some sample lessons from the The Wild Christmas Reindeer Unit Study.

Geography: The North Pole
Find the North Pole on a map or globe.

The North Pole is located in the middle of the Arctic Ocean. The Arctic is inhabited by people unlike the Antarctic (South Pole). The North Pole is significantly warmer than the South Pole. Winter (January) temperatures at the North Pole can range from about −43°C (−45ºF) to −26°C (−15°F), perhaps averaging around −34°C (−30ºF). Summer temperatures (June, July and August) average around freezing point (0°C, 32°F).

During the summer months, the North Pole experiences twenty-four hours of daylight daily but during the winter months the North Pole experiences twenty-four hours of darkness daily. Sunrise and sunset do not occur in a twenty-four hour cycle.

Geography: Norway
Read through this page of Jan Brett’s News Notes. Based on what she tells us, we can assume the setting of this story is Norway. Use the Norway printables to learn more about this country.

Official Name: Kingdom of Norway

Size: 125,021 square miles

Capital: Oslo

Official Language: Norwegian

Products: Norway produces barley, wheat potatoes, pork, beef, veal, milk, and fish.

Major Industries: Major industries include petroleum and natural gas, food processing, shipbuilding, paper products, metals, chemicals, timber, mining, textiles, and fishing.

Currency: Norwegian krone

Climate: Norway’s climate is milder along the coast, but colder inland and in the arctic regions. Inland and the arctic regions also have more rain and snow.

Population: For current information, use this website: Population of Countries

Comparing Times: To compare the time in the capital city to the time where you live, use this website: The World Clock

Science: Reindeer
The reindeer, known as caribou when wild in North America, is an Arctic and Subarctic-dwelling deer. Reindeer are found throughout the world including places such as Scandinavia (including Iceland); in Finland; in Russian Europe including Northern Russia; in Russian Asia; in North America on Greenland, Canada, and Alaska.

The weight of a female varies between 60 and 170 kg. In some subspecies of reindeer, the male is slightly larger; in others, the male can weigh up to 300 kg. Both sexes grow antlers, which (in the Scandinavian variety) for old males fall off in December, for young males in the spring and for females during the summer. The antlers typically have two separate groups of points (see image), a lower and upper. Domesticated animals (reindeer) are shorter-legged and heavier than their wild counterparts (caribou). The caribou of North America can run at speeds up to 50 miles per hour and may travel 3,000 miles in a year.

Reindeers are ruminants, having a four-chambered stomach. They mainly eat lichens in winter, especially reindeer moss. However, they also eat the leaves of willows and birches, as well as sedges and grasses. They can also eat voles, lemmings, birds and bird eggs.

You can grab a copy of the entire The Wild Christmas Reindeer Unit Study and Lapbook in an easy-to-print file at the end of this post.

The Wild Christmas Reindeer Lapbook Printables

In addition to the unit study lessons, the file also includes these mini-books for your student to create a The Wild Christmas Reindeer Lapbook:

Norway’s Flag
Time Comparison Flap Book
Population Graph (compare Norway to the USA)
Weather Comparison Activity Page
Norway’s Major Industries Simple Fold Book
Norway’s Capital City Simple Fold Book
Norway’s Climate Simple Fold Book
Teeka Changed Twice Folded Mini-book
The Wild Christmas Reindeer Beginning, Middle, and End Activity Page
Reindeer Names Activity Page

Reindeer Tab Book
December Calendar Page
Ways I Can Show Kindness Page
Number Cards & Pocket
R is for Reindeer Simple Fold Book
And more!

How to Get Started with Your The Wild Christmas Reindeer Unit Study & Lapbook

Follow these simple instructions to get started with The Wild Christmas Reindeer Unit Study:

Buy a copy of the book, The Wild Christmas Reindeer by Jan Brett, or borrow one from your local library.
Print The Wild Christmas Reindeer unit study.
Choose the lessons you want to use with your student (a highlighter works great for this).
Choose and prepare the lapbook printables you want to use with your student.
Enjoy a week of learning with Teeka and the wild reindeer.