Holidays Around The World
During our last week before Christmas Break, we learned about holidays around the world. We had the special opportunity to find new countries on the globe, read about how the boys and girls celebrated the holidays in their country, and also play a game or make a craft that was special for that country and holiday.
Below you will find pictures of the first grade friends decorating Delft (a type of pottery made in the Netherlands) plates after they learned that the boys and girls in the Netherlands set wooden shoes outside their door to be filled with surprises from Sinter Klaas, who rides on a white horse!
Below you will find pictures of the first grade friends decorating Delft (a type of pottery made in the Netherlands) plates after they learned that the boys and girls in the Netherlands set wooden shoes outside their door to be filled with surprises from Sinter Klaas, who rides on a white horse!
What other holidays did we learn about from around the world?
*Germany: They call a Christmas tree a tannenbaum, they decorate gingerbread houses, a girl named KristKind brings gifts, and they also hide a pickle in their Christmas tree. Whoever found the pickle on Christmas morning would get an extra gift! We made our own pickle in a tree to take home with us.
*Mexico: Their holiday begins on December 16th, they celebrate on Christmas Eve with a piñata, they decorate their homes with poinsettias, and they put shoes out on January 6th which get filled with 3 gifts from the three wise men. We decorated poinsettias with shaving cream, a little food coloring, and many pieces of glitter to take home!
*Israel: They celebrate a Jewish winter festival called Hanukkah. It lasts eight days and light a candle on the menorah every night. Each night they play games and get a gift. We played the Jewish game "Dreidel" in school and learned a fun song about the game too.
*United States: We learned that the United States has some of the same traditions as other countries, but we have stockings that are filled by Santa Clause. We made a Rudolph craft at our Christmas party!
*Germany: They call a Christmas tree a tannenbaum, they decorate gingerbread houses, a girl named KristKind brings gifts, and they also hide a pickle in their Christmas tree. Whoever found the pickle on Christmas morning would get an extra gift! We made our own pickle in a tree to take home with us.
*Mexico: Their holiday begins on December 16th, they celebrate on Christmas Eve with a piñata, they decorate their homes with poinsettias, and they put shoes out on January 6th which get filled with 3 gifts from the three wise men. We decorated poinsettias with shaving cream, a little food coloring, and many pieces of glitter to take home!
*Israel: They celebrate a Jewish winter festival called Hanukkah. It lasts eight days and light a candle on the menorah every night. Each night they play games and get a gift. We played the Jewish game "Dreidel" in school and learned a fun song about the game too.
*United States: We learned that the United States has some of the same traditions as other countries, but we have stockings that are filled by Santa Clause. We made a Rudolph craft at our Christmas party!
Elf-A-Bet
Our elf, Elf-A-Bet, had been quite mischievous in our classroom. Elf-A-Bet put toilet paper on our Christmas tree, turned our lunch choices into Elf-flavored lunch choices, had a snowball fight with Nancy Noun, and played Candy Land with a class puppet. Elf-A-Bet also surprised us with treats on days when we were making good choices. One day we received a special package to grow our own candy canes:
The directions read-
1. Put Magical Dirt in the bowl
2. Everyone may plant a Candy Cane Seed
3. Sprinkle a light dusting of Candy Cane Fertilizer
4. Be good listeners all day long! Candy canes grow for boys and girls who follow directions and make good choices
5. Wait over night and your Candy Cane Seeds will grow into real candy canes!
Below you will see a few kiddos planting their seeds in the magical dirt. We all had a turn to put one candy cane seed in the dirt. We were so excited to have them grow!
The directions read-
1. Put Magical Dirt in the bowl
2. Everyone may plant a Candy Cane Seed
3. Sprinkle a light dusting of Candy Cane Fertilizer
4. Be good listeners all day long! Candy canes grow for boys and girls who follow directions and make good choices
5. Wait over night and your Candy Cane Seeds will grow into real candy canes!
Below you will see a few kiddos planting their seeds in the magical dirt. We all had a turn to put one candy cane seed in the dirt. We were so excited to have them grow!
The first graders worked really hard to make good choices throughout the day to make sure their candy canes would grow. Sure enough! The first graders earned it and the next day... their candy canes GREW!
Random Acts Of Kindness
During the month of December, our class participated in Random Acts of Kindness. Every morning we would draw a card out of the RAK jar to see what random act of kindness we would do for that day. A few of the acts included smile at others, pick up any winter gear in the hallway, let someone go in front of you in line, give someone a compliment, ask someone to sit by you at lunch, say hello to someone you don't know, use your manners, use only kind words, etc. We also practiced giving to others. The first graders made bookmarks for their 5th grade buddies, wrote a note to a friend, wrote a note to our custodian Mr. Gordillo, and wrote a note to our principal Mrs. Burk.
The first graders loved being kind to others. I was so proud of their kindness and I greatly enjoyed watching how joyful it made them. We learned that being kind to others makes both us and others feel good. Keep up the great kindness my sweet first grade friends!
The first graders loved being kind to others. I was so proud of their kindness and I greatly enjoyed watching how joyful it made them. We learned that being kind to others makes both us and others feel good. Keep up the great kindness my sweet first grade friends!
We are so incredibly grateful for Mr. Gordillo and Mrs. Burk! We are thankful for Mr. Gordillo's hard work in our school and for always being willing to help us when we need it.
We are also very thankful for Mrs. Burk and appreciate her very much! Mrs. Burk works very hard to make Adams Elementary School the best school it can possibly be. We know Mrs. Burk cares a lot about us and shows us that every day. Mrs. Burk, you are very special to each and every one of us. Thank you for all you do!
Please ask your child about our RAKs during the holiday season. It is my hope that we continue to do random acts of kindness throughout our school year and always remember how important it is to be kind to others.
We are also very thankful for Mrs. Burk and appreciate her very much! Mrs. Burk works very hard to make Adams Elementary School the best school it can possibly be. We know Mrs. Burk cares a lot about us and shows us that every day. Mrs. Burk, you are very special to each and every one of us. Thank you for all you do!
Please ask your child about our RAKs during the holiday season. It is my hope that we continue to do random acts of kindness throughout our school year and always remember how important it is to be kind to others.
Have a wonderful holiday season first grade friends and family!