When a holiday rolls around, it is the perfect time to combine a bit of history and reading comprehension with the holiday, making the learning not just authentic, but engaging. I created a whole set of The History Behind the Holidays booklets where students get to find out the reasons behind the holiday traditions. They see where the traditions came from and how they got started. This one is perfect if you are teaching on St. Patrick's Day. 

The booklets have 7 different articles, making it versatile and flexible. Teachers could choose to use it throughout the actual day of the holiday, or they could use it one article at a time over the course of 7 days. 

Be sure to snag this resource today and make your holiday prep even easier! You can find it by clicking this link here.

Valentine's Day Party: I Love My Students a Waffle Lot...You Butter Believe It!

I LOVE throwing a great party! It is fun to bring an over-the-top party to my classroom. Over the years, I have thrown different parties. Here's a look at a few of my classroom celebrations for Valentine's Day.

1. Donuts Valentine's Day Class Party

One year, I hosted a donut party. We needed a sweet treat, and donuts were just the thing. We had glazed donuts and I brought some pink frosting and sprinkles to decorate with. We read several Valentine's Day books. Everyone received a donut eraser from me as well as a set of Valentine teeth holding a rose. The teeth could be wound up and walk...so fun. I bought a class set of hashtag blocks and we did a STEM challenge with them. We also build Valentine bridges following the STEM method. 

2. Pizza Valentine's Day Class Party

I Love You to Pizzas was a fun way to celebrate as well. We had an Italian restaurant and students made pizzas from scratch and baked their own heart-shaped pizzas. We used our newly acquired fraction skills to double a recipe and make the dough. It was a tasty math lesson and a truly fun day of LOVE. 

3. Waffle Valentine's Day Class Party

One year, a friend of mine did a waffle party. I had to try it the very next year. I found some clipart, brought my waffle maker and we enjoyed a waffle breakfast. I knew that it would take a while to make fresh waffles, so I set the tables with activities that students could do while waiting. We had a heart-shaped book for drawing or writing, a Valentine word search, a fun new Valentine pencil with a heart topper, and a set of tic-tac-toe games for every two students. The theme was: I love you a waffle lot!

Overall, I enjoyed it a lot. This was several years ago, and it's time to bring it all back with a bit of a twist...stay tuned.

4. Another Waffle Party

I have been preparing for this year's Valentine's Day party. I am bringing back the Waffle breakfast party. I am taking it up a notch with new clipart and activities. Here's what I have so far. 

I am sending a breakfast invitation the night before. Students will be given a card that says, I love you a waffle lot. You butter believe it. I used some Shopkins-style clipart to create everything. This time, we have some of the same activities, only I have recreated them in the waffle theme. We will have a waffle-themed Tic-Tac-Toe game, pencils, special Valentine's that are waffle-themed. We will have a word search and a STEM activity with heart-shaped gummies and toothpicks. 

I am excited to have a fun day. This year, we are celebrating two days before Valentine's Day, because it is over the weekend and we are out of school on Friday. Thursday is also a 1/2 day, so it will be a perfect party day. 

This is the vibe I am going for. I think it is super cute and that my students will love it! Can't wait until our party!

Valentine's Day Resources

Here are some extra fun resources to get your party started. 

Valentine's Day Class Coupons

Give your students the fun gift of classroom privilege coupons in this cute Valentine's Day envelope that opens to reveal eight coupons. Click the link above.

Valentine's Day History Reading Comprehension

If you love to teach your students the history of the holidays, this is just up your alley. Students will learn about Seven traditions around the Valentine Holiday. This resource also includes other extension activities. Click the link above to purchase this resource. 

What are your plans this season? Whatever you do, I hope that you find a way to help your students feel extra loved today. 

STEM Challenges with a Holiday Twist: Make December Magical in Your Classroom

December in the classroom can feel like a bit of a whirlwind - students are buzzing with excitement, schedules are packed, you are juggling lessons and Christmas programs, while trying to insert some holiday fun. So how do you keep learning meaningful without losing the festive spirit? Enter holiday-themed STEM challenges! These hands-on activities are the perfect way to use that energy for creativity, problem solving, and teamwork.

STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) isn't just about equations or experiments. It is also about critical thinking and innovating. What better time to spark curiosity than during the most magical season of the year? 

 Why does Holiday STEM work?

• It Keeps students engaged during a time when attention spans are short.
• It encourages collaboration, creativity, and problem-solving
• It brings joy to learning - because who doesn't love building something festive?

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STEM Challenge Idea: Build a Christmas Tree

This one is a favorite of mine because it combines engineering with holiday cheer. Here’s how easy it is set up:

The Challenge

With your team, build the tallest Christmas tree possible using only the supplies provided. 

Materials

• Large green popsicle sticks
• Clothes pins
• Colorful pom-poms or bells

Steps

1. Ask and Imagine: How will you add height to your tree? How will you make it stand on its        own? How will you make it hold the decorations?

2. Plan: Sketch a quick design. Add details. 

3. Create: Start building your tree! Students should test to make sure it can stand and make        adjustments as they go.

4. Improve:  How can they make it sturdier? Stronger? Add ornaments for fun!

Learning Connections

• Engineering: Balance and structure
• Math: Measuring height
• Science: Stability and gravity

Want to add more challenge? Up the competition - whose tree can hold the most weight (like small bells) without falling?

If you would like a unit, all about Christmas trees, that includes this STEM challenge, you can find it right here or click on the cover page below.

The Week Before Thanksgiving and a Fun Thanksgiving Tradition

Are you looking for a way to celebrate Thanksgiving with your classroom during the week before Thanksgiving? Here's some of my Favorite ways.

The History Behind Thanksgiving

Have your students learn the history behind this special, truly American tradition. I created a small booklet of articles about the traditions we hold dear during this time. Students can read about these traditions, answer comprehension questions, and then there are extension activities for the students to further their learning. 

Click here to find this resource. 

Turkey Pardoning Simulation 

Get your students writing with a courtroom simulation of the famous turkey pardoning ceremony. Students will dress their turkey in a costume to attempt to escape the dinner table, write a persuasive speech about why their turkey should be pardoned, and deliver it to your classroom "courtroom" to await a ruling

You can find this fun activity right here. 

If you, as teacher, can wear a black graduation robe and find a wooden hammer, even better! You are instantly a convincing judge for your classroom courtroom.

Thanksgiving Art Meets Teambuilding Challenge Activity

Why not throw in a teambuilding challenge with an art spin? In one of the challenges, teams of students will create Macy's Day Parade balloons. This one is a lot of fun. Three challenges are included...this is a spin off of the TV show Chopped, but with an art twist.

Be sure to grab this one over here. 

Thanksgiving School Tradition

We started a fun Thanksgiving tradition about three years ago at our school. That tradition is to celebrate the final day before Thanksgiving break with a school-wide celebration in Charlie Brown style. We share a feast, like Charlie Brown and his friends did. We serve toast, popcorn, jelly beans and pretzel sticks. While we enjoy our "feast" we watch the Charlie Brown Thanksgiving movie. It is a fun tradition and a great way to start off the holidays. 

Activities to Use in January

January, the beginning of the second half of the school year, is upon us. Sometimes it can be hard to get back into the swing of things and start again with planning all the things. That's why I wanted to share a few activities that are easy to set up and use during the first part of the new year. 

New Year's Classroom Activities

I know that New Year's Day never happens while we are at school, but I always like finding a way to celebrate it anyway with my students. New Year's is a big deal. It is the perfect time to think about the goals students have had, see how they are going, and set new goals for the rest of the school year. 

Another way I love to get back in the swing of things is by learning about the holiday and the traditions that swirl around it. I enjoy teaching the history behind every holiday with reading passages and extension activities, and this one is no different. 

I created New Year Reading Comprehension Passages and Activities as a way to give my students a knowledge of why we celebrate in the way that we do. It is great to connect reading to social studies too! We read through these passages either as a whole group, or even in small reading groups. Each of the seven passages come with a comprehension worksheet with a few key questions (and there is a teacher's edition included for easy grading). Then, we extend our learning through the use of several activities. One of my favorites are the foldable New Year's ball goal setting craft. It is so cute and would make a great bulletin board display too. There are several other activities too like building a shoebox float. You should definitely check it out here. Of course, I update the dates each year. Although that is not reflected in the picture. (You can click on the picture or caption to be taken to the resource.)

This resource is updated to reflect
the date of each new year. 

Another fun way to start the new year is with a team building art challenge. I LOVE getting my students working creatively in teams. As one of my teachers always says, there's more cabbage in two heads, and that is certainly the case with getting the creative juices flowing. This art challenge is a spin off of the cooking show Chopped. Each group receives a bag of identical supplies. The groups then have a time limit in which to create a masterpiece based on a certain New Year's theme. Projects are then presented to the whole class and points can be awarded (if you want to add to the competition). There are three challenges in this resource. Use one, or use all three and make it like the show. You can use it all on one day, or I like using one challenge a day for three days. It is flexible, so use it however you like.

 Be sure to click the photo to be taken to this fun and engaging resource. 

Black History Month & MLK Jr. Day

Another huge thing to incorporate at this time of year is black history. This is, afterall, black history month, and while it can, and should, be included all year, this is a chance to focus in on the accomplishments and contributions of African Americans. Martin Luther King Jr. Day is also this month, so it is always good to include him in your classroom studies and activities. 

With that in mind, I want my students to learn a little about many different African Americans, both well-known, and lesser-known. I created this resource to celebrate and bring knowledge to students about these important people in our history. Each of the nine people studied in this resource comes with a reading sheet, comprehension activity, and a writing book. Students can read about the individual, test their knowledge by answering some questions, and share their learning by creating a small booklet report to read to others. Each booklet comes with an "all about" section, early life, famous for, fun facts, and timeline. I suggest having different students studying different people and then share with the class. That allows students to learn about more than one student and gives each student the opportunity to become an expert and teach others. 

People included in this resource are:

        Bessie Colman

        Dr. Charles Drew

        Dr. Daniel Hale

        Martin Luther King Jr. 

        Lydia Newman

        Mary Jane Bethune

        Harriett Tubman

        Rosa Parks

        Garrett Morgan

Click either picture to be taken to this resource. 

I hope this helps you plan some exciting learning activities for the new year and month of January.

Be sure to check out these blog posts to find out more ways in incorporate these special holidays into your classroom. 

Black History

Underground Railroad PBL

New Year's Day

Christmas Reading Comprehension Activities

It's the most wonderful time of the year....and also one of the craziest. Can you really get any teaching done between Thanksgiving, Christmas breaks? My answer to you is yes, but you have to be strategic and play to the interests of the students....and what could be better than to using Christmas activities as the basis of your learning? I love to help my students learn about the traditions of the holidays. I find that sprinkling a bit of learning with a Christmas theme provides a bit of excitement and keeps them engaged in the crazy weeks leading into the holidays. 

Let me share with you what I mean. First, I think about different traditions for the holidays. I use those as the basis of learning activities. For example, I created a magazine-style reading booklet that covered different traditions surrounding Christmas trees. Inside I researched and wrote seven articles, enough for seven days of learning! Another booklet I created is all about gingerbread, a favorite around this time of year. With each set of reading articles, I included a set of comprehension worksheets. I also love to extend learning through additional fun activities. For the Christmas tree pack, we do a S.T.E.M. project where students build their own trees. We also do many other activities along the way. In the gingerbread activity pack, students create their own gingerbread houses using a template that looks like a gingerbread house and opens up to reveal a piece of writing about a Christmas memory or tradition. These are super cute for a bulletin board display too!

I love doing these for every holiday I can.  I these reading activity backs for many different holidays, not just Christmas. I have a set for New Year's that is updated with the new year each year. I have one for Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, April Fool's Day, and Thanksgiving. They are so fun, and I love all the learning my students do. By the end of the holiday, they know why we have the traditions we do. 

If you are interested in checking any of theses out, you can find them by clicking on each picture below.