Showing posts with label seasons and holidays. Show all posts
Showing posts with label seasons and holidays. Show all posts
Kattenstoet and Six Books About Cats
Every three years during the month of May, people in Ypres, Belgium participate
in a festival specifically dedicated to cats. Yes, to cats! (I love cats.) This
festival is called Kattenstoet or Kattenfestival. On this day,
people attend Kattenstoet parades, dress up in cat costumes, and toss stuffed
toys cats in the air. Sounds like fun, yes? Keep reading to learn more about
Kattenstoet and for a quick list of children's books about cats.
What is Saint Nicholas Day?
December is here and children all over the world are getting excited about their favorite holidays! Christmas will take place on the 25th... Boxing Day will take place on the 26th... Kwanzaa will begin on the 26th and will last until January 1st... and... Hanukkah often falls during this month. But... there is another holiday in December that takes place on the 6th... Saint Nicholas Day! Have you ever heard of Saint Nicholas Day? Who is Saint Nicholas? What did Saint Nicholas do to deserve his own special day? What are some of the traditions associated with Saint Nicholas Day? Keep reading to learn more!
15+ Easy Spring Crafts for Kids
Hooray! Spring is on its way! This is a terrific time for some bright and
cheerful arts and crafts for kids. Spring flowers, types of weather, rainbows,
insects, and animals are popular themes during this time of year. The spring
crafts featured in this round-up were created by moms and teachers from all over
the internet. If you see a craft in this post that you'd like to try, click on
its link and head to its original website for material lists, directions,
photos, etc. There are lots of spring craft ideas in this post, so let's dive
right in!
How to Make an Afikomen Bag for Passover - Pesach
Passover. . . also known as Pesach. . . is a Jewish holiday that commemorates the Hebrews’ escape from Egypt. Passover lasts for seven days. During this time families have a special meal called a seder and read from the Haggadah that tells the story of how Moses led the Hebrews out of Egypt and into freedom. A fun Passover tradition for families is to have a scavenger hunt for afikomen. What is afikomen? What is its symbolism? Read on to learn the answers to these questions and how to make a simple afikomen craft.
20+ Spring STEM Experiments and Activities
Spring is a terrific time to conduct STEM (Science Technology Engineering Math)
experiments and activities in your classroom. Plant life cycles, types of
weather, and the water cycle are popular STEM themes during this time of year.
The STEM experiments and activities featured in this round-up were created by
moms and teachers from all over the internet. If you see an activity in this
post that you'd like to try, click on its link and head to its original website
for material lists, directions, photos, etc. There are lots of spring activities
in this post, so let's dive right in!
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!
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!
Disclosure: Affiliate links to Amazon are included in this post.
10 Children's Books About Kwanzaa
Kwanzaa is a weeklong celebration in the United States that honors the African
heritage of Black and African American families. It begins on December 26 and
lasts until January 1st. During Kwanzaa, many families gather together to
share a meal, exchange gifts, and light the candles in a kinara. The
following children's books introduce Kwanzaa and its history, rituals,
traditions, and symbols. Fiction and nonfiction books are included in this
list. Keep reading to learn more about this joyous holiday!
Disclosure:
Affiliate links
are included in this post.
How to Make a Spring Flowers Busy Bag
One of the first blog posts I ever wrote was about
making pizza bags for your children. That was a fun post to write and lots of children had fun creating different
types of pizza with the pieces in their busy bags. This blog post is about
making another type of busy bag your students and children may enjoy... spring
flowers! Keep reading for directions.
How to Make a Macaroni Christmas Wreath Craft
Sometimes the best gifts we receive from our children and our students are the
ones they make from the heart. These gifts don’t have to be store-bought. They
don’t have to look 'perfect.' And they don’t need to cost a lot of money. The
gifts that mean the most are often the ones that are homemade by someone we
love. Today's blog post is about a quick-and-easy Christmas craft you can make
with your students and children... macaroni wreaths! Keep reading to learn more.
Animals of the Chinese Zodiac + Children's Books
Have you ever looked at a menu from a Chinese restaurant and read about the
Chinese zodiac? The Chinese zodiac is also known as Sheng Xiao and is based on a
12-year cycle. Each year in this cycle is named for an animal: rat, ox, tiger,
rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog, and pig. Each animal
in the zodiac is associated with specific personality traits. For example, if
you were born in 1999 under the sign of the rabbit, you may be shy, peaceful,
and affectionate... whereas those born under the tiger may be sensitive yet
aggressive. Pretty interesting, yes?
Keep reading to learn more about the animals of the Chinese zodiac. In
between each animal description, you will find children's books about the
Chinese New Year. Clicking the images will take you to Amazon where you can
learn more about each book.
Snowflake Bentley by Jacqueline Briggs Martin
Snowflake Bentley is a children's biography about Wilson
Bentley... the man who discovered that no two snowflakes are
alike. Author Jacqueline Briggs Martin wrote Snowflake Bentley in
1998 and the book has been in constant publication since then. In 1999,
illustrator Mary Azarian won the Caldecott Award for her illustrations in the
book. Who is Wilson 'Snowflake' Bentley? Why is the book about him so popular?
Keep reading to learn more about Snowflake Bentley and how to integrate
it into your language arts and STEM activities!
10 Games for Indoor Recess Days
I live in a part of the United States that can see snow up to six months out of
the year. It can get so cold and blustery that on rare occasions we've had snow
as early as October and as late as May and June! When it is too cold and snowy
for outside recess, I open my closet of board games and puzzles and let the
children play quietly with each other for their 45 minutes of recess. Here is a
list of their absolute favorite board games to play!
Minecraft Math: Thanksgiving Pixel Art
I love Minecraft pixel art. Back in September, I wrote a blog post about the advantages of having children create pixel art while playing Minecraft, described how creating pixel art can strengthen their math skills, and shared directions for making three Halloween pumpkin designs. In today's post, I'm sharing the directions you need to make this Thanksgiving turkey pixel art in Minecraft. Keep reading for details!
Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner
Winter is almost here in the northern hemisphere and many children are learning
about animals and animal adaptations such as migration and hibernation. I
recently discovered a book that works really well for an integrated science +
art + language arts lesson. It’s called Over and Under the Snow and is
written by Kate Messner. It’s an excellent book for teaching about hibernation,
which animals hibernate, and which ones don't. Keep reading to learn more!
Disclosure: Affiliate links to Amazon are included in this post.
13 Halloween Treats for Your Class Party
Trick or treat! Every year, children look forward to their Halloween
parties at school. Traditionally, children bring Halloween candy to school
to share with their friends, get to wear their Halloween costumes, and march
throughout the school in a Halloween parade. Good times!
The Halloween snacks featured in this round-up would be perfect for a
Halloween party at school. They were created by moms and teachers from
all over the internet and are made from fresh fruit and/or prepackaged
items. These treats can be made at home or as a Halloween craft at
school. There are lots of tasty treats in this post, so let's dive
right in!
Rosh Hashanah Recipes
Cooking with kids is a terrific way to teach a variety of math and reading skills in a hands-on, enjoyable, and meaningful way. It may not always be practical to cook with students in the classroom, but it's worth a try if you can. Many homeschooling families already find ways to integrate cooking into their lessons. By working together to follow a recipe, your students and children can practice the following skills:
- reading for information
- following directions
- following a sequence
- fractions
- units of measurement
- problem-solving
- making observations
Pumpkin Life Cycle STEM Activity ("Pumpkin Jack")
Autumn is the perfect time of year to learn about pumpkin life cycles.
You can find pumpkins at farmer's markets, grocery stores, and roadside
stands. And... you can even find them in coffees, teas, bread, pies,
soups, muffins, and more! Since pumpkins seem to be everywhere and in
everything during this time of year, it makes sense to incorporate pumpkin
life cycles into your science lessons in the fall instead of waiting until
spring when other plant concepts are taught. Keep reading to learn about a
fascinating pumpkin life cycle STEM activity and a popular children's book you
can use as a part of your science lessons!
Disclosure:
Affiliate links
to Amazon are included in this post.
All photos in this post are used with the permission of Blakeley Kantor.
Painting the Fourth of July Fireworks
Five little firecrackers getting ready to zoom...
Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle, sizzle, sizzle, sizzle...
... BOOM!
10+ Children's Books About Juneteenth
Juneteenth will be here in a couple of weeks! What is Juneteenth?
Juneteenth is an important day in American history and for Black Americans
across the country. On June 19, 1865... two years, five months, and 18
days after the Emancipation Proclamation was issued... slaves in Galveston,
Texas finally learned they were free. Since then, Juneteenth... named
for June + 19th... has been celebrated with festivals, cookouts, picnics,
family reunions, fireworks, church gatherings, etc. There is no one way
to celebrate Juneteenth. Anywhere people gather together to commemorate
Juneteenth is a celebration.
Listed below are 10+ fiction and nonfiction children's books about Juneteenth,
the Emancipation Proclamation, and Opal Lee... the Grandmother of
Juneteenth. Keep reading to learn about these books. If you know
of a children's book that should be added to the list, tell me in the comments
below. If it's a good fit for this list, I'll add it for you!
Disclosure:
Affiliate links
to Amazon are included in this post.
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