Classroom subject areas
Who’s That Knocking on Christmas Eve? is a beautiful book by Jan Brett, one of our favorite children’s book authors. In this story, naughty trolls threaten a Norwegian Christmas dinner till a passerby with a pet polar bear scares them off. Resources: Jan Brett’s resource pages tell about the research… Continue reading
Michael Rosen’s Chanukah Lights Everywhere is a sweet book, and very good for the classroom. It follows a young boy through preparations and celebration of Chanukah with his family. The book doesn’t ignore the religious nature of the celebration, but is certainly suitable for public schools. The structure of… Continue reading
What we need at this time of year is a quick lesson that can be presented with little to no preparation — and which the kids haven’t already done too many times before! We have a suggestion: The Peterkins’ Christmas, a fun book which your library will probably have,… Continue reading
Olive, the Other Reindeer, by J. Otto Seibold and Vivian Walsh, is a wonderfully fun Christmas book. Olive, a little dog, hears “All of the other reindeer” on the radio and decides she must be a reindeer. She heads for Santa’s workshop, where her adventures naturally include saving Christmas. The… Continue reading
Early American children had few store-bought toys. Usually, their toys were made at home from things that would otherwise have been discarded. Two excellent examples of this: apple head dolls and cornhusk dolls. To make an apple head doll, peel an apple. Decide where you will make the face. Having… Continue reading
How the Grinch Stole Christmas was written in 1957 by Dr. Seuss (Theodore Geisel), and the Grinch has joined Ebeneezer Scrooge in the pantheon of seasonal bad guys — transformed, of couse, by the power of Christmas. The Grinch hates Christmas — the noise, the singing, the presents. He finds it… Continue reading
“The Boy Who Cried Wolf” is the story of a young shepherd. Growing bored with his work, he shouts “Wolf!” to make the townspeople come running. He laughs at them and at their anger when they find he has tricked them. He repeats the joke, so at last when a wolf… Continue reading
Table Manners in a PDF file to print out. Continue reading
Turkey is so much a part of Thanksgiving that many people call it “Turkey Day.” Why not bring some turkey ideas into your classroom? Read A Turkey for Thanksgiving. This charming story tells how Mr. Moose sets out to get a turkey for Thanksgiving. He is surprised when the turkey runs… Continue reading
Introduce combinatorics with sandwiches. Continue reading
