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 I will be making a conscious effort to wish everyone a Merry Christmas this year ... My way of saying that I am celebrating the birth Of Jesus Christ. Maybe we can prevent one more American tradition from being lost in the sea of "Political Correctness". To one and All... Jesus is the reason for the season! |
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 | About Winter Background on the season and when it's observed in both the northern and southern halves of the world. |
 | When is the First Day of Winter 2010? Learn which day in December starts the first day of winter in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014. |
 | Winter Coloring PagesUse your interactive crayon to paint these fun coloring pages of winter symbols and activities - A baby bundled up in a snowsuit, a girl with her snowman, ice skaters, making a snowball, a man with a snow shovel, sledding, a snow scene, a snow shovel, a snowwoman, a snow couple, and a snowman sledding. |
 | Jigsaw Puzzles Warm up from winter with these fun interactive jigsaw puzzles. One of these animated puzzles contains a virtual snowball that you can tag your friends with! |
| Snowflake Factory Make your own virtual snowflake. No scissors necessary. Great game to teach symmetry. Comes with its own hole punches. Instructions:
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 | Winter Worksheets and Printables Worksheets include a word jumble, word search and placing vocabulary words in alphabetical order. Try using the interactive addition mat to write number sentences. Other manipulatives are printable as well. |
 | CraftsMake a snowman out of craft sticks, snowflake photo magnet, penguin thermometer, or a winter welcome sign. Tons of resources for other winter craft ideas! |
 | Short Stories about WinterPrintable winter stories for the classroom or home. Classic favorites include Mother Frost and The Babies Blankets. |
 | Winter Poems and Rhymes Printable winter poems for the classroom or home. Includes some great poetry about the seasons: A Riddle on Snow, Picture Books in Winter, and Winter Time |
 | Kids Books - Winter - Thematic Reading List Winter book descriptions and reviews for preschool and elementary reading. Titles include: Hello Snow, I Like Winter, It's Winter, Lights of Winter, Ollie's Ski Trip, Poppleton in Snow, Snowball Fight, Snowmen at Night, Teaching About Winter Holidays, The Big Snow, The Tomten, The Winter Solstice, There Was A Cold Lady, When Winter Comes, While the Bear Sleeps, Winter Alphabet Acrostic, Winter Lights, Winter Lullaby, and Winter Waits. |
 | Winter Word Search PuzzleCan you find all the vocabulary words in the interactive word find puzzle that are associated with winter? Hundreds of games in one! The words you search for change each time you play the puzzle. Game is printable if you want to play with paper and pencil or use for vocabulary dictionary skills. The puzzle will contain nine words chosen at random from the following list: blizzard, boots, cold, crystals, December, drifts, earmuffs, February, fireplace, flake, flu, flurries, freeze, frost, frostbite, frozen, gloves, hat, hibernate, hockey, holidays, ice, jacket, January, mittens, plow, scarf, season, shovel, skate, skiing, sled, sleet, sleigh, slide, slippery, snow, snowing, snowman, snowsuit, storm, white, winter Go to the Source: http://www.apples4theteacher.com/holidays/winter/ Winter Classroom Activities Coloring pages, Games, Crafts, Poems, Worksheets, Printables and Stories for Kids Online Classroom Games and Classroom Learning Resources for Toddlers, Preschoolers, Kindergarten, and Elementary Students Kid Safe Teacher Created Primary Website with Homeschooling Activities and Lessons First Grade, Second Grade, Third Grade, Fourth Grade, Fifth Grade and Sixth Grade Teaching Materials and Lesson Plans More Resources at: http://www.mrscjacksonsclass.com/ |
| January Lesson Plan Ideas | ||
| January events you will want to include in your class. 1. New Year´s- Resolution time. 2. Trivia Day (Jan. 4) - Do a trivia review. 3. National Bird Day (Jan. 5) - What´s your state bird? 4. Poetry Break Day (Jan. 13) - Write a poem. 5. Martin Luther King Jr.´s Birthday (Jan. 15) -What is your dream? 6. National Kazoo Day (Jan. 28) - Form a kazoo marching band. 7. Popcorn day- Third Monday in January. 8. Cheese Day- Third Tuesday in January. 9. National Handwriting Day- Third Friday in January. 10. National Puzzle Day- Fourth Thursday in January. Source: http://www.teach-nology.com/monthly/jan/january.html More Resources: http://www.mrscjacksonsclass.com/ http://www.mrscjacksonsclass.com/januaryfun.htm http://www.mrscjacksonsclass.com/januarythemes.htm |
| When students come back from their Thanksgiving break, chances are Christmas is quite the topic of conversation. Students who celebrate the holiday may have already started to help with decorating the tree, hanging stockings, or even developed the lists they plan to mail to Santa. Here are some fun ways that you can incorporate Christmas themes into your classroom. If your school does not allow Christmas to be celebrated because of religious connotation, some of these themes can be changed to a winter or holiday celebration. 1. Send a card. Greeting cards can be used regardless of the religion, whether it is to wish someone a merry Christmas, a happy Hanukah, or just a great New Year. In the classroom, they can help develop grammar and writing skills, spelling, handwriting, foreign languages, art, or even computer skills. Depending on the skills you want to focus on, you can have students draw or use computer art programs for the artwork, as well as practice different writing styles for the message. For instance, they can practice a style of poetry you have been working on, include your winter-themed spelling words, write in a foreign language, or use cursive writing instead of printing. Consider spreading the good cheer by sending the cards to a local hospital, nursing home, or orphanage. 2. Read a book. Depending on the age level of your students and your core curriculum, there are a variety of Christmas stories available. Older children can read "A Christmas Carol" and discuss the themes behind the three ghosts. Religious classes can delve into the original Christmas story in the Bible. You can even read "The Night Before Christmas" and discuss the poetry and older vocabulary words during that time. For writing assignments, have students write a modern day version of classic tales. 3. Design a budget. Nearly everyone loves giving and receiving gifts for the holidays, and most children have at least a general concept of money. Use this opportunity to create basic math problems, design budgets for how much they can spend per family member, or come up with computer spreadsheets to track their holiday spending. You can even bring in ads from various stores for children to price compare favorite holiday items. 4. Wrap a gift. If your students are ready to talk about sizes and shapes or surface area, you can use gift wrapping as an illustration. Give students different-sized pieces of wrapping paper and have them measure the item and paper to see if it will fit. 5. Count the days. For students that are just learning their numbers, counting can be an excellent way to reinforce the concept. Create a calendar counting down the days until Christmas, the last day of school before vacation, New Year's, or other important winter events. Have students practice counting by 5s, 10s, or backwards. Older students can take this a step further and figure out how many hours or minutes are left. 6. Bake Christmas cookies. If you have access to an oven, baking can be a great way to talk about measurements and time. Or you can have students bring in a favorite family recipe and talk about how it was passed down through the years. You can even look and see how different flavors came to be used in cookies and where different spices originated from. 7. Deck the halls. With many houses hanging twinkling lights up for Christmas, or lighting candles for Hanukah, this can be a great way to start a look into basic electricity and how it works. It can also be a jumping off point for safety discussions like how to prevent fires or disaster plans. 8. If the weather outside is frightful… Then you have an excellent opportunity to talk about weather and climates. You can teach students how to measure precipitation, discuss factors like how cold it has to be to snow, or compare and contrast the climate in different parts of the country. 9. Feed the birds. If you live in a location that is quite inclement in the winter time, you can use this as an opportunity to discuss wildlife and pet needs. Make bird feeders or treats to hang in the yard. You may also talk about the importance of bringing animals indoors when it gets too cold outside. You can even use this as a discussion how in some areas of the world the farm animals live in the house with their owners. 10. Plan a trip. For some students, the holidays may be the only chance they get each year to see relatives that live out of state. This can be a great way to introduce map reading skills, discuss different climates, or learn to read airline schedules. Older classes can use the internet to plan imaginary trips to far off countries and discuss flight plans and what to pack for the weather. The winter holidays can be a great way to incorporate Christmas into your classroom. Beyond the annual Christmas party, these are just some ideas that you can use to make Christmas last the whole month long. Remember you matter, educators make the world go around! Cynthia Hughes & Carol Bailus (Newsletter Editors) Worksheet Library Newsletter Week of December 15, 201 Just visit: http://www.worksheetlibrary.com/newsletter.html |
| Seven boys and seven girls with good voices and some sprightliness of manner are required. Each carries a wand, to the upper end of which is fastened an evergreen wreath surrounding a large, gilt letter. Ranged in order the letters will spell the word "Merry Christmas." The verse for each is sung to the air, "Buy a Broom." The children enter only one at a time, using a polka step, boys and girls alternately. While singing they take steps and wave wand in time to music. At third line of each stanza the boys bow and the girls make a courtesy, right and left. The chorus at the end of each verse is sung by the entire school. The boy with letter M comes in first, sings, and takes position on platform. He is followed by the girl with E. So continue until the line of children is complete. |
| First boy: M stands for merry—oh' let us be merry; M stands for merry—right merry am I. (Bowing.) With a bow to the right, sir, and a bow to the left, sir, Come, now, and be merry, all sadness defy. Chorus (by school, to the refrain of "Buy a Broom"). Christmas dear now draws near, With song and with evergreen welcome it here. First girl: E stands for evergreen, beautiful evergreen, E stands for evergreen, never to fade. (Courtesying.) With a courtesy to right, sir, and a courtesy to left, sir, Bring evergreen garlands for Christmas time made.—Cho. Second boy: R stands for rollicking—come, then, be rollicking; R stands for rollicking—fun's in the air! With a bow to the right, sir, and a bow to the left, sir, In Christmas-day rollicking take now a share.—Cho. Second girl: R stands for rally, a grand Christmas rally, R stands for rally, where Christmas trees grow! With a courtesy to right, sir, and a courtesy to left, sir, We rally where Santa is likely to go.—Cho. Third boy: Y stands for youthful—rejoice, now, all youthful; Y stands for youthful—quite youthful am I. With a bow to the right, sir, and a bow to the left, sir, The youthful make merry when Christmas is nigh.—Cho. |
| (Leave a space in the line of children between the last letter of "Merry" and the first of "Christmas.") |
| Third girl: C stands for Christmas—bright Christmas, merry Christmas; C stands for Christmas—the best of the year. With a courtesy to right, sir, and a courtesy to left, sir, Make merry at Christmas with good Christmas cheer.—Cho. Fourth boy: H stands for happy—at Christmas be happy! H stands for happy—right happy am I. With a bow to the right sir, and a bow to the left, sir, If you would be happy some Christmas gifts buy—Cho. Fourth girl: R stands for ready—for Christmas be ready; R stands for ready—are you ready yet? With a courtesy to right, sir, and a courtesy to left, sir. To make ready for Christmas, oh! never forget.—Cho. Fifth boy: I stands for icy—for winter so icy; I stands for icy, when Kris drives along. With a bow to the right, sir, and a bow to the left, sir, Though icy the weather we'll give him a song.—Cho. Fifth girl: S stands for Santa—the children's own Santa; S stands for Santa, the jolly old dear. With a courtesy to right, sir, and a courtesy to left, sir, For Santy to fill we hang stockings each year.—Cho. Sixth boy: T stands for thoughtful—of all friends be thoughtful; T stands for thoughtful—your presents prepare. With a bow to the right, sir, and a bow to the left, sir, And be thoughtful those poorer than you have a share.—Cho. Sixth girl: M stands for magic—for Christmas-night magic; M stands for magic filling stockings and tree. With a courtesy to right, sir, and a courtesy to left, sir, Who does this fine magic, can any agree?—Cho. Seventh boy: A stands for all of us, old and young, all of us; A stands for all of us looking for Kris. With a bow to the right, sir, and a bow to the left, sir. And all of us hope that not one will he miss.—Cho. Seventh girl: S stands for smiling—on Christmas morn smiling; S stands for smiling—all smiling I'll be. With a courtesy to right, sir, and a courtesy to left, sir, All smiling, yes, smiling, when presents I see.—Cho. Merry Christmas Recital for Kids |
Winter Games and Activities for Kids