Chinese Dragons Paper Bag Puppets Craft

Several months ago, I wrote a blog post about the children's book Brandon Goes to Beijing (北京) by Eugenia Chu. Brandon Goes to Beijing (北京) is the second book in a multilingual series written in English, Pinyan, and Chinese.  Since then, Eugenia Chu has released another children's book related to Chinese culture. This book is called Celebrating Chinese New Year and is packed full of crafts, games, recipes, and information about the Chinese New Year. In today's post, I'm sharing some fun photos of the paper bag Chinese dragon puppets we made using the directions from Eugenia Chu's new book. Check them out!

 

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We All Live in a Yellow Submarine Kids Craft

In the town where I was born

Lived a man who sailed to sea

And he told us of his life

In the land of submarines

So we sailed on to the sun

'Til we found a sea of green

And we lived beneath the waves

In our yellow submarine

-Yellow Submarine by The Beatles

Under the Sea is a popular thematic unit for young children in elementary school, afterschool programs, summer schools, and even summer camps. As a part of this unit, children learn about aquatic plants and animals, the oceans and seas around the world and the types of transportation people use to travel them. Sometimes they will also read fictional stories about mermaids and pirates. Fun! This craft particular craft would integrate well with any Under the Sea unit and is inspired by The Beatles' song Yellow Submarine. Keep reading to learn more!

Parts of this article were used as a guest post that I wrote for Lil Tigers, a children's crafting blog owned and operated by Susanne Williams. Disclosure: Affiliate links to Amazon are included in this post.

Why Do People Celebrate Pesach - Passover?

Passover... also known as Pesach... is a major Jewish holiday that is celebrated on the 15th day of the Hebrew month Nisan. It is celebrated to commemorate the Exodus of the Israelites out of Egypt. What is an Exodus? How does the food eaten during Passover (Pesach) symbolize its significance to the Jewish people? Keep reading to learn more!

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Simple Activities for Toddlers: A Practical Play-At-Home Handbook for Parents by Lisa Forsythe

Back in March, I wrote a blog post about Crackle and Pop! Bible Science Experiments by Hanna Holwerda. Crackle and Pop! is a fun collection of STEM and science activities that parents and teachers could use with their students. In today's guest post, author Lisa Forsythe tells us about her new book Simple Activities for Toddlers. Simple Activities for Toddlers is another fun collection of activities parents and teachers need to know about. It is packed full of crafts, games, STEM activities, and other fun ideas. Keep reading to learn about Simple Activities for Toddlers and how it can be a tremendous resource for parents... and teachers... of our littlest learners!

This is a guest post written by Lisa Forsythe, author of Simple Activities for Toddlers. To learn more about guest posts, please visit the Authors, Publishers, and Sponsors page. Disclosure: Affiliate links to Amazon are included in this post.

Broccoli Rob and the Garden Singers by John S. Armstrong

Several weeks ago, I wrote a blog post about The Saint Nicholas Day Snow by Charlotte Riggle.  In that post, I wrote about the benefits of reading a story multiple times to help students improve their comprehension of the story.  

Broccoli Rob and the Garden Singers by John S. Armstrong is another story in which students can benefit from reading multiple times.  It lends itself well to choral readings, dramatic play, and music... making repeated readings of Broccoli Rob and the Garden Singers FUN!  Keep reading to learn more about Broccoli Rob and the Garden Singers and how you can integrate it into your language arts lessons.

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Zester the Zebra and His Missing Stripes by Christen Conrad

Early readers start learning about story plot and structure right from the get-go.  They learn that stories tend to follow a pattern and how to identify the story elements within that pattern.  The basic story elements include:

• characters (the main people or animals in the story)
• setting (where and when the story takes place)
• problem (the biggest problem in the story or decision that needs to be made)
• solution (how the problem is solved or the final decision made)

Zester the Zebra and His Missing Stripes by Christen Conrad is a fun, fast-paced story with easily identifiable characters, setting, problem, and solution that could be integrated easily into a language arts unit about story elements. Who is Zester the Zebra? How did his stripes go missing? How can you integrate Zester the Zebra and His Missing Stripes into your lessons? Keep reading to find out!

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Red Bird Sings: The Story of Zitkala-Ša by Gina Capaldi and Q.L. Pearce

I enjoy reading biographies, especially when they are about important figures from history who may or may not be well known.  I recently found the biography Red Bird Sings: The Story of Zitkala-Ša, Native American Author, Musician, and Activist... Red Bird Sings for short... by Gina Capaldi and Q.L. Pearce.   Red Bird Sings is a sophisticated picture book packed full of detailed information and some primary sources about the life and accomplishments of Zitkala-Sa, a Native American woman who sought equality and justice for others.  Red Bird Sings would be a good book for upper elementary students.  Read on to learn more about Zitkala-Sa, her interesting life, and how she used her voice to help others.

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What's My Instrument? by Johnny Oddsocks

I need to lay something out there for everyone to see.  I am a HUGE advocate for keeping music education in our schools, so when the author Johnny Oddsocks asked if I would be willing to write a blog post about his book What's My Instrument? I quickly agreed.  In his book, Johnny Oddsocks tells the story of Marilyn the Mongoose who wants to start a band and introduces kids to a variety of musical instruments.  Keep reading to learn more about What's My Instrument? and how you can integrate it into your language arts or music lessons at school.

Disclosure: Affiliate links to Amazon are included in this post.