321 Learn! » Holidays

Crayon Hearts for Valentine’s Day

Jennifer Wagaman — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 20:22:15 +0000

Here is a creative way to make several cheap Valentine’s Day gifts, whether you are a parent providing gifts for your child’s friends or a teacher looking for a cheap gift for your students.

Go to the dollar store and purchase several packets of crayons and one heart-shaped muffin tin.

Take all the paper off of the crayons and melt them together over the stove. Pour the melted crayons into the heart-shaped molds and allow to cool.

Once cool, you have created heart-shaped crayons, a cheap and perfect gift for Valentine’s Day!

Bulletin Board Ideas

Jennifer Wagaman — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 14:15:30 +0000

Creating a bulletin board in the classroom is time consuming and yet necessary to complement lesson plans and add to the student learning experience. Here is a great collection of bulletin board ideas:

Seasonal Bulletin Board Ideas:

Holiday Specific Bulletin Board Ideas:

Valentine Bulletin Board Displays
Black History Month
Thanksgiving Bulletin Board Ideas
Christmas Bulletin Board Ideas

Other Bulletin Board Articles:

The Importance of Creative Bulletin Boards

Student of the Week Bulletin Board

Snow Day Activities

Jennifer Wagaman — Sun, 20 Dec 2009 12:30:08 +0000

After a big snow, children are eager to get outside and play. What more perfect time to introduce some fun learning activities and take advantage of their natural excitement! Here are some ideas to get you started:

Make snow men, teaching young children about small, medium and large.
Catch snow flakes and look at them under a microscope or magnifying glass to see the varied designs.
Make snow angels and discuss the property of displacement.
Measure the amount of snow and talk about various forms of measurement.
Make snow ice cream and involve children in the cooking process.

Here is an article with some indoor and more outdoor snow activities.

Christmas Traditions for Parents

Jennifer Wagaman — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 17:55:05 +0000

Parents, Christmas is such a wonderful time of year when we can celebrate the birth of Jesus, our Lord and Savior. Public schools refuse to acknowledge the true meaning behind the season, which means it is that much more important for parents to teach their children at home about this important holiday.

Here are some creative ways to teach your children about Christmas:

Create (or purchase) an advent calendar that teaches the story of Christmas.
Purchase a nativity set and wrap each individual piece and allow the children to open the pieces one day at a time, saving baby Jesus for either Christmas eve or Christmas morning.
Read the Christmas story out of the Bible (or choose a Christmas story book) and discuss it with the children

Christmas Traditions

Jennifer Wagaman — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 12:21:05 +0000

As December is now upon us, the holiday season is officially underway. Shopping is reaching a feverish pitch, Christmas tree sales are raising, and radio stations are all singing holiday songs. Now is the time for teachers and parents to start reminding children about the reason for the season and what better way than with some beloved traditions.

Christmas Traditions for Teachers

Teachers are often restricted in what they can say and do around Christmas time because of the political anti-Christmas sentiment. Holiday greetings and Holiday cheer are choking out the joy and peace that surrounds a baby boy, born in Bethlehem, who was the Son of God. The miracle of his birth is shrouded by visions of Santa Claus and reindeer.

While there is not much that can be done to change this political sentiment, there are still some Christmas traditions that teachers can implement in their classroom.

Decorate a Christmas Tree – Even those families who do not read the Christmas story from the Bible put Christmas trees up in their homes, so decorating a miniature tree or even creating a Christmas Tree bulletin board can bring some Christmas cheer to the classroom.

Discussion topics for Christmas Trees: Why is a star or angel placed on top of the tree? This is a great lead-in to the entire story of Christmas. Provide balance to the discussion by then researching the origin of the Christmas tree itself, as it does not have roots in Christianity.

Singing Christmas Carols – What child does not like singing Christmas carols? With a careful mix, teachers can sing about Rudolph and Baby Jesus and provide opportunities for great discussions. Some great songs that can provide discussion topics for the meaning behind Christmas include Silent Night, Away in a Manger, and The First Noel.

Worried about singing Christian songs at Christmas? Check with the music teacher in the school and find out what Christmas songs are in the approved school curriculum. You may be surprised at what songs the children are allowed to sing. Be sure to have discussions about each song, both the Christian songs and the non-Christian songs, researching their origin.

Homemade Christmas Gifts – Encourage children to make homemade Christmas gifts for each other. Discussions about why we give gifts can provide background to Christmas and start great conversations about why gifts have become the main point of Christmas in today’s society.