SANTA'S 18-WHEEL CHROME AND STEEL SLEIGH

We Need a Little Christmas . . . 

If you, like me, already have Christmas music playing and are counting down the days, already doing your shopping, etc., this episode is for you!  If you have a little one who loves Santa and loves trucks, this one is for you, too.  If you're a country music fan, this one is for you as well!  So much fun, so many layers, and a great conversation awaits!  Climb up in the big rig and let's have a chat!  Breaker, breaker 19; Out.

SANTA'S 18-WHEEL CHROME-AND-STEEL SLEIGH

This is a fun take on "What would happen if the reindeer couldn't pull Santa's sleigh?"  In Brandon's version, Santa cranks up the big rig to deliver gifts around the world!  The illustrations are bright and fun and full of music and energy.  It is a country-rocking Christmas tale that blends trucker fun with country music, a little geography, and a whole lot of Santa and his reindeer. Every truck-loving kid will also love this book, and the song that accompanies it!  It's the perfect gift to go under the tree or read in the weeks leading up to Christmas -- or really, any time to keep the fun and magic of the holidays rollicking all year long!

A Little Jam. . .(The Music Kind)

To hear the song that started it all, click the photo below.  It will take you to the website where you can give it a listen, sing along, and get your own copy of the book!  Country-rock fans will be ready to create their own boogie to go along with this fun take on a Christmas story, told in a song.  With a strong beat, it would be fun to use in the music classroom, or anywhere Santa's 18 wheeler might fit!

​Teacher Tips, Tricks and Topics

Check out these layers and how you can use them at home with your kids or in the classroom:

Country music (Check out the music teacher section!)

Trucking!​
Preschool/Kinder ideas:

• Trucker play
• Sensory bin
• Pretend CB radio 
• Truck crafts

Primary/Elementary ideas:

• Truck matching
• Parts of a truck
• Vocabulary/trucking language
• Conversation/using quotation marks (w/CB radio)
• How goods travel (Use in conjunction with I TRUCK by Kelly Rice Schmitt)

Santa/Reindeer
Preschool/Kinder ideas:

• Santa/reindeer crafts (See Pinterest board below)
• Other stories and songs about Santa and/or reindeer alternatives
• Sensory play

Primary/Elementary ideas:

• Writing activities
• Other holiday stories surrounding Santa's travels
• Letters to Santa

Around the World with Santa
Preschool/Kinder ideas:

• Introduce globe/map
• World floor puzzles/foam puzzles, simple puzzles
• Ways to travel/transportation
• Play with globe inflatable balls
• Christmas Around the World songs/dances/stories
• ​Christmas traditions around the world

Primary/Elementary ideas:

• Plot the locations mentioned in the book on a world map
• Learn the 7 continents
• Christmas Around the World songs/dances/stories
• More challenging puzzles
• We Wish You a Merry Christmas in different languages
• Christmas traditions around the world

​​Tips and Topics for Music Teachers

Country and country/rock music

• Country music as genre -- Characteristics
• Compare old/traditional country music and country rock music
• (for older or advanced students) chord progressions I-IV-V

Form study

• verse/chorus/verse/chorus/verse/chorus/tag
• Create choreography/body percussion/percussion play-along or scarf routine to the song

Compare with other country Christmas songs according to theme, tempo, instrumentation, etc.
Listen and identify instrumentation (timbre)
Write their own Christmas song about Santa and an alternate form of transporation

​​Writing Prompts from Tonnye

1. Write a letter to Santa thanking him for your gifts last year and telling him your wish list for this year.
2. Write your own Christmas song about Santa having to use something besides his sleigh to deliver gifts.
3. Write a story about a new reindeer that Santa hired.
4. Write a story about a student in one of the stops around the world. Who are they? What did they ask for? Why? Did they get it? How did they feel?  etc.
5. Write a CB conversation between Santa and another trucker.
6. Read this book and I TRUCK by Kelly Rice Schmitt. Compare and contrast the two. Use a Venn diagram to plan and then write it out.
7. Write a letter from Santa to a kid who saw him on the 18-wheeler instead of the sleigh. 
8. Write the story of what the reindeer did while Santa delivered toys without them.
9. Write a cinquain or diamante poem moving from sleigh to 18-wheeler (or the other way around)
10. Make a list of words that rhyme with sleigh. Write a story or poem using as many of them as possible.
11. This story infers that Santa and his Reindeer perform this song. Writ about a gig where they perform. What do they sing? Who plays which instrument. How does the audience respond?
12. This book says Mrs. Claus fixed him a "cup of Joe" (coffee), but often Santa is pictured drinking hot chocolate or Coca Cola.  What is his favorite beverage?  And why?
13. Do you like this story? Why/why not?
14. Write a letter to the author or the illustrator telling them 3 things you like about the book and one thing you wish they had done differently.
15. What is your favorite genre of music? Why do you like it the best?
16. If you could celebrate Christmas anywhere else in the world, where would you go and why?
17. Write a report about how Christmas is celebrated in the places the author mentions in this story.

Writing Tips from Brandon

Hey there everybody, this is Brandon Boron- Thank you all for taking a few moments to
get to know a bit about my latest project, “Santa’s 18-Wheel Chrome-and-Steel Sleigh”.
A special shout-out to Tonnye Fletcher here at PBJamz for sharing this post! I’m so
happy to have brought this song to life as a children’s picture book and I sure hope you
and the little truckers in your life get a kick out of the story and illustrations!

As a writer, I am often asked about my process and if I have any routines that I follow
while writing. Conversely, I also enjoy hearing from other folks about their own creative
process. So I am happy to share with you a few tips that help me bring my ideas to life
and please feel free to add your tips in the comments section (which will also enter you
in a chance to win one or more of the Christmas Give-away Prizes).

Tip One: Write Even When You Aren’t “Feeling It”.

Writing after being struck with inspiration is wonderful, and often leads to exciting,
inspired stories and songs, but if you are like me, that can be inconsistent and often
comes at inconvenient times or not at all.
In the often hectic, scattered world of a multi-job, hustling Creative, having a routine is
challenging (and maybe even contradictive), but committing to a block of time,
consistently, is probably the most important step to creating “product”. I understand that
we are talking about creating art, but as a “commercial artist” we are also talking about
creating products. And nothing puts a business out-of-business faster than not
producing anything.

Writing and creating art is a great hobby, but can also be a rewarding profession, both
financially and personally. Acting and treating yourself as a professional is a great way
to help manifest those traits and manifest pro-level product and art.

Tip Two: Find Your Happy Place.

Having your place to create that is inspiring and allows you to work is important. For
some that may be an office or studio, the kitchen table, the front porch, or the coffee
shop (I love my “music room”). Some people thrive on stimulation; others need less
distraction (that’s me). The key is to have your place always at the ready. If it’s
unavailable when the muse strikes (or see Tip One, it’s your designated time to write)
you will be more likely to skip that session (and the next, and the next, and so on).

Tip Three: Write Down All of Your Writing Ideas, ASAP.

Getting started is the hardest part, and nothing makes getting started harder than
having nothing to write about. Having an idea that you’re sure will lead to a Pulitzer is
wonderful, but sometimes writing about the mundane or what seems to be the simplest
of topics can lead to great creativity.

Having an extensive list of random thoughts and topics and using those as simple
exercises to get started can be freeing and push you to think outside the box about a
subject or look at something from a different angle. Play with the words, over-use
adjectives and punctuation, don’t take yourself too seriously. Have fun. That mental
exercise with topics you may not feel worthy of extensive investment will still certainly
enhance your writing (and maybe even land you that Pulitzer Prize after-all).

Tip Four: Use Outlines, Maybe.

This may be a contentious tip, after all, there are “plotters” and “pantsers” (Google it).
Diving into a writing session or project without a plot, theme, or character arcs may work
for some (i.e., Stephen King), but not so much for others (i.e., J.K. Rowling). I have no
desire to tell anyone what to do (I cringe at the idea), and where you fall on the
spectrum is your business, but again this is a business and having a plan makes good
business sense.

For me, having an outline is a great way to start broadly and then begin filling in the
spaces in-between. While others may find this ridged or restrictive, I find it the opposite.
I feel it’s more liberating to have a structure that I can then allow myself to be free and
expressive within without losing cohesion or direction. And there is no harm in altering

the outline, plot, characters, or any other elements should your imagination steer you
there- It’s your ship!
If you’re new to writing or simply enjoy the conversation, I hope that these writing tips
may be helpful or reinforce what works for you. More than anything, I hope you enjoy
yourself and the process and thank you for sharing your gift and stories with us all!
Please share your tips and comments below (and enter to win Christmas Give-away
Prizes)!

Links, More Fun, Extensions for Families and Everyone!

YouTube list of "Best Trucking Songs" (*Some may not be appropriate for young children. Please preview before sharing.)

Curated YouTube playlist of songs and activities to go with SANTA'S 18-WHEEL CHROME AND STEEL SLEIGH 

Pinterest board with activities to go along with SANTA'S 18-WHEEL CHROME AND STEEL SLEIGH

Guest Links and Giveaway

Website (order the books here, listen to the song, contact the author and more)

FB

Instagram

Brandon is offering a very generous Christmas giveaway!  We will be selecting 7 winners for 7 prizes!!!!

~2 thematic squishy balls (1 each to 2 different winners!!)
~2 thematic Christmas ornaments (1 each to 2 different winners!!
~2 thematic T-shirts (kids and adult sizes [SML] available) (1 each to 2 different winners)
~1 copy of the book!!!
​
Leave a comment below to be entered and be eligible to win one of these very fun Christmas giveaway prizes!

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