Printable and PowerPoint Holiday Trees
The PowerPoint® and PDF versions of Holiday Tree are non-linear activities. There are three choices in each of the first three steps to put shiny balls, fancy ornaments, and a topper decoration in place. Then clicking the lights button completes the tree.
Text in these versions suggests what choices a student has at each step. No choice is incorrect, because the activity can generate 27 different decorated trees. Students will enjoy repeating this one!
Holiday Tree Online Book
The Annie’s Books Online version is also an errorless, non-linear construction activity, with text guiding students through the process. Besides making the 27 trees, this version has some fun sound effects and ends with snow falling on the lighted tree.
Be sure to take a look at Holiday Tree online! It’s a good way to preview the activity. Link is at the foot of this page.
Holiday Tree In Classroom Suite
The IntelliTools Classroom Suite® version of Holiday Tree is a little different in structure. Students choose ornaments directly to create original decorated trees.
Toolbars offer eight shiny balls, nine fancy ornaments, and three choices for topper. Sorry, no partridge and no pears 
Students can insert these in any order and quantity, and move them into any part of the tree.
There is an original overlay for students using IntelliKeys®, and a Dynavox® package version of the overlay to run the activity from Dynavox AAC devices. See the Special Needs Access section on the System Reqs page for information on controlling the Classroom Suite version from PRC devices.
Once they complete a tree, IntelliMation® supplies the twinkly tree lights and a soundtrack. Students can print their creations or save the completed activity for future printing. A final option is to turn the picture into a holiday card by typing into To and From text boxes.
I adapted the structure of this version from the Writing In Science template that ships with Classroom Suite. It’s a good example of using the machinery of one activity to build a new one in an entirely different part of the curriculum.
Holiday Tree Puzzles
Click the button on the cover page to read the Teacher Tips in the Classroom Suite version of Holiday Tree. Besides printing tips, you’ll find out how to make a puzzle in either of two Classroom Suite templates from a finished tree picture.
I did one for you, copying a tree picture and pasting it into the 6 Piece Puzzle Template, and it’s included in the Classroom Suite zip file you download for this activity. You could use the same trick with the Printed Puzzle Maker template.
If you are using the Online, PDF, or PowerPoint versions, you can still make a puzzle using a print-out of a finished tree and a printer or a copier. Download Printed Puzzle Patterns here.
Online Holiday Tree Puzzle
I’ve also done one online puzzle with a Holiday Tree picture. Take a look at it, and keep this option in mind for student art work. If you have a graphics editing application, try taking a screen shot of a finished tree, crop it, resize to 400 x 300, and you’re ready to turn it into an instant online puzzle!
More Holiday Activities
When you finish trimming this virtual tree, you might also enjoy making a virtual wreath. And if there is any time left before Santa comes knocking, try wrapping some virtual gifts. These two activities were originally posted for the 2008 and 2009 holidays.
Bonus: Holiday Tree Clip Art!
The Holiday Tree Clip Art Collection includes the tree on a white background, the tree with the dark background and snow, and all 21 ornaments. Print these to decorate the trees off-computer.
Also print out the ornaments separately to use for matching and remember games. There are nine different shiny balls to use for color matching games, while the fancy ornaments bring in shape matching skills.
Application needed: Classroom Suite, Acrobat Reader, PowerPoint.
Subject area: Holiday, Life Skills, Cause and Effect.
Level: K-Grade 3.
Online Links-Activities
Books
Holiday Tree link: holidayTree/index.html Holiday Tree activity to read online. For details on using Annie’s Books Online, click here.
Puzzles
Holiday Tree Puzzle link: CLICK HERE. decoratedTree online puzzle. Image is one of the finished decorated trees from the Holiday Tree activity set.
Downloads-Activities
Printable Activities
HolidayTree.pdf (26.5 MB) Holiday Tree activity to print or read onscreen. No movies. Acrobat Reader.
Classroom Suite
HolidayTreeSuite.zip (7.0 MB) Holiday Tree interactive activity and Holiday Tree 6 piece puzzle in Classroom Suite v.3 or later. Custom IntelliKeys overlay is attached.
HolidayTreeDynavox.zip (456 KB) Holiday Tree activity overlays saved as a Dynavox package file.
PowerPoint
HolidayTreePPT.zip (35.3 MB) Holiday Tree interactive activity saved as a .ppt file. PowerPoint 2003 or later.
Downloads-Resources
HolidayTreeClipArt.zip (2.0 MB) Holiday Tree clip art including tree backgrounds and all the ornaments.
