The holiday season is upon us! Whether you observe Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, or all of these, the Web is your source for holiday cheer. How do you make soofganiyot? What is a kinara? Who was St. Nicholas? Find the answers to these seasonal questions and tons of related activities as we celebrate ten holidays in December. Included: Activities for ten special dates in December, a geography teaching master, and more!
Note: This article was originally published by Education World in December 1999. The introductory paragraphs are now dated (the Web site created by teacher Carole Swinford is no longer available). We decided to leave the introduction intact, because the information in it might provide other teachers with project ideas. All the activities and links that follow the introduction have been updated to ensure that they remain as valuable now as when they were first published.
What do stockings have to do with geography? In an Internet project, stockings are teaching students about the world! Carole Swinford, a third grade teacher at Southside Elementary School in Pulaski, Tennessee, created the Hang Your Stocking Project. It celebrates the season by inviting people everywhere to make stockings and send them to students at the school. The children then display the stockings and locate their places of origin on a map. Many of the stockings also will be displayed on the Hang Your Stocking Project Web page.
"I teach third grade and have what is called a 21st-century classroom," Swinford told Education World. "We have five computers, educational software, and Internet access. The curriculum includes the use of technology. I was interested in doing an Internet project but just hadn't come up with the right idea. A friend of mine sent me the story of Chris Cringle and the stocking project that her son's class had done. I knew it would make a great Internet project. I made the Web page using graphics that I had gotten from the Internet. We e-mailed friends, relatives, and schools to invite them to participate in our project."
Tahnya Gallio, a second-grade teacher from El Segundo, California, sent Swinford the idea for the project. Gallio and Swinford have been friends for twelve years, but they have never met in person. They communicate over the Internet to exchange activities and share personal stories. Gallio's goal for the stocking activity was to promote generational storytelling. By adding the Internet, Swinford illustrated the tremendous scope of the Web and transformed the project into a dynamic social studies event!
Swinford's class can't wait for more stockings to arrive. "The students have been involved by reading the story and making their own stockings and promoting the project by inviting friends and relatives to participate," she said. "As stockings come in, the children are counting and hanging them and marking locations on a map of the United States. The children are having fun. They love the Internet and, of course, they love the stockings of Christmas. Getting stockings in the mail is very exciting. Parents have been very supportive and want to make stockings too."
Students in Swinford's class are full of glowing remarks about the Internet project.
"The Internet project is fun!" -- Trey
"I think it is neat to see different stockings." -- Taylor
"I think it makes our hall shine." -- Zach
"It is a real nice project." -- Allison
"I like to see how other people create their stockings." -- Lashae
"I like the project." -- Treasure
"It is a nice thing that people send us all those stockings." -- Ann-Claire
"The Internet has everything in it!" -- Tan
"The Internet has lots of exciting things to look at." -- Whitney
"We need MORE stockings!!!" -- Tobias
December is full of special days to celebrate in the classroom. Here are activities for ten of the observances you won't want to miss this month!
Hanukkah
Jewish families begin the eight-day celebration of Hanukkah, or the Festival of Lights, beginning at sundown on a date in November or December. (For dates, see source 1 or source 2.) If you are not familiar with the history and customs of this holiday, visit Torah Tots. Young children will adore the site's Chanukah Coloring Pages.
People in Israel make delicious jelly doughnuts called Sufganiyot during Hanukkah. You can enjoy them also when you experiment with a recipe from the Net.
Fun and games are also a part of Hanukkah, and the most traditional children's game is The Dreidel. This simple game is easy to play and easy to make with the Dreidel Pattern from Holidays.net.
December 1
Rosa Parks Day
Celebrated as the beginning of the end of segregation, this day is the anniversary of Rosa Parks's arrest for refusing to relinquish her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama, bus and move to the back. The incident sparked a boycott of the municipal bus system that is now viewed as the beginning of the modern civil rights movement. Read all about the life of Parks, an unlikely heroine, at Rosa Parks: Pioneer of Civil Rights. You can find the story of her involvement in the boycott at Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott. If you need a ready-made lesson on the subject to jump-start your study, Lesson 1: Riding the Bus -- Taking a Stand has everything that you are looking for!
December 5, 2002
National Christmas Tree Lighting
On December 5, the tree-lighting ceremony for the National Christmas Tree will be held. Senator Tom Daschle of South Dakota sponsors a Web site for The Capitol Holiday Tree. The site includes pictures of previous Capitol Christmas trees, some information about the holiday season in Washington, D.C., and a "tree cam" that allows students to view the tree when it is unveiled. This year's tree comes from the state of New Mexico.
Other trees in Washington are featured on The Trees of Christmas. The White House also gets into the holiday spirit with beautiful Christmas trees. Keep an eye on the White House Web site for information about this year's theme and trimmings.
Study the history of the Christmas tree through two sites devoted to this holiday favorite: Christmas Trees & More and National Christmas Tree Association. The NCTA Web site contains a Teacher's Resource section that has puzzles for children to solve and information about various types of Christmas trees.
December 6
St. Nicholas Day
In some countries, St. Nicholas is the fairy tale character who bestows presents on well-behaved children. His special holiday is December 6, and there are customs associated with St. Nicholas Day. Find out more about the celebration of St. Nicholas Day and other European customs at http://www.pastrywiz.com/cookies/christmas.htm, which offers a brief outline of Christmas in several countries in Europe as well as recipes for holiday goodies. The Many Faces of Santa tells students about the various Santa Claus personas and how they developed.
December 12
Poinsettia Day
The poinsettia is a beautiful plant with a nasty reputation that is not deserved! Previously thought to be poisonous, the poinsettia is actually safe. Although people are not encouraged to eat the plant, it is not harmful to children and animals. Read about the background of this staple of the holiday season at Poinsettia History. Read The Facts About Poinsettia online.Coloring Fun has a printable coloring sheet of the Poinsettia.
December 16
Beethoven's Birthday
The holiday season and Beethoven -- the perfect match! Ludwig Van Beethoven was born on this day in 1770, in Bonn, Germany. Many people consider Beethoven one of the finest composers of all time. Although he eventually lost his hearing, he continued to write music and to conduct. The Beethoven Depot has all kinds of information about the life of this master and his works and midi files of his music for students to hear.
Ludwig Van Beethoven: The Magnificent Master is a wonderful Beethoven resource with a picture gallery. Use Beethoven's Symphony Number 9: Third to Fifth Grades as the basis for a great music lesson plan for your classroom. You might try Composer "Road Rally," another online lesson that introduces students to this musical genius.
December 18
Nutcracker First Performed
Fans of the ballet will be pleased to learn that the Nutcracker was first performed on this day. Students may listen to an online audio clip of the Nutcracker Suite Overture by Tchaikovsky. The Official Nutcracker Site has music and a description of the story. Kids Domain offers the Nutcracker tale and midi files of many of the tunes on The Nutcracker Story and Music page.
December 21
First Day of Winter
People who live in the northern United States shouldn't be surprised if Jack Frost is nipping at noses! December 21 is the first day of winter. The official change of seasons makes many of us pause to think about cycles, beginnings and ends. The Library of Congress's Winter Begins contains a wonderful variety of winter images. Pictures, text, and audio give you and your students a chance to reflect on the shift from autumn to winter, no matter where you live. A scientific explanation of The Winter Solstice is available in three versions -- beginner, intermediate, and advanced -- at Windows to the Universe.
If you do not know how to celebrate the first day of winter, The Winter Solstice has some terrific suggestions. You can take quizzes about winter traditions and Build Your Own Stonehenge! Winter Fun has downloads, games, and printable word searches.
December 25
Christmas Day
Nothing says Christmas more than delectable scents wafting from your kitchen! You can take those scents into your classroom or school cafeteria with recipes designed for the holidays. Visit Mrs. Claus's Kitchen or Christmas Cookie Recipes to find recipes your class won't be able to resist.
Print and distribute Christmas Word Search Puzzles. For more fun, read the holiday treasure How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss. Don't miss a special Education World Holiday Geography Teaching Master, your students' opportunity to find U.S. cities that have holiday-related names!
December 26
Kwanzaa
Like Christmas, Kwanzaa has its own customs and traditions. Kwanzaa Recipes will have any class cooking and sampling unique foods for the season. Find a handful of ideas for activities your students will enjoy at Kwanzaa Activities at this site. Learn about the holiday, create holiday stationery, and bring the celebration to your computer desktop with Kwanzaa Fun from Billy Bear.
Re-create the Kwanzaa kinara, or candle holder, on paper with the pattern from Kwanzaa Craft.
- Winter Festivals Check out the work from a class of first-graders studying winter celebrations.
- Don't miss Education World's December Holidays archive page. There you will find dozens of ideas for teaching about the holidays as well as craft activities, resources, and more.
Article by Cara Bafile
Education World®
Copyright © 2005 Education World
Originally Published 12/06/1999
Links last updated 11/02/2005
|
