1 january idea book

a creative idea bookfor the

elementary teacher

written and illustratedby

Karen Sevaly

Teacher's Friend, a Scholastic Company January Monthly Idea Book

Reproduction of these materials for commercial resale ordistribution to an entire school or school district is strictlyprohibited. Pages may be duplicated for one individualclassroom set only. Material may not be reproduced forother purposes without the prior written permission of thepublisher.

Copyright Teachers Friend,a Scholastic Company

All rights reserved.Printed in China.

ISBN-13 978-0-439-50370-9ISBN-10 0-439-50370-1


This book is dedicatedto teachers and children

everywhere.


Table of Contents

MAKING THE MOST OF IT! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

What Is in This Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8How to Use This Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .8Adding the Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9Lamination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .9Photocopies and Ditto Masters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10Monthly Organizers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11Bulletin Board Ideas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11Lettering and Headings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

CALENDAR - JANUARY! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13

January Calendar and Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14January Calendar Header . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17January Calendar Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18January - Blank Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

WINTER ACTIVITIES! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21

Winter Activities! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .22Winter Word Find! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25Snowman Pattern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26Snowman Wheel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28Winter Bookmarks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30Pencil Toppers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31Winter Awards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32Student of the Week . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33Award Certificate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .34Girl Skater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .35My Winter Book . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .36Matching Mittens . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .37Snowflake Pattern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .38

AROUND THE YEAR! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .39

Calendar Activities! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40Months of the Year Word Find . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41Desktop Calendar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42My Book of Months . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45Monthly Symbols . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58Dress Me! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .61Months of the Year . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62

Teachers Friend, a Scholastic Company 4 January Monthly Idea Book

Teachers Friend, a Scholastic Company 5

NEW YEAR'S DAY! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63

New Year's Day - January 1st! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .64New Year's Day Word Find! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .65My New Year's Resolution! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .66My New Year Book! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67Happy New Year Visor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .68Wishful Thinking! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .69

CHINESE NEW YEAR! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .71

China New Year! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72New Year's Dragon! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73Chinese Zodiac . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .74Fish Kite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .78Chinese Food! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .79Dragon Game . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .80Happy New Year Envelope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .82New Year Banner and Lantern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .83International Children - China . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .84Tanagram . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .86Chinese Dragon Activities! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .87Dragon Display . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .88Creative Writing Page! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90

DR. MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .91

Martin Luther King Day - January 15th! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .92I Have a Dream... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .94Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Portrait . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .95I Have a Dream Pledge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .96Martin Luther King Day Activities! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .98"Dream" Mobile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .99My Report on the Life of Dr. King . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .102

ESKIMOS! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103

The Eskimo People! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104Eskimo Word Find! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105Eskimo Crafts! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .106My Eskimo Report . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .107Eskimo Story Characters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .108International Children - Inuit, Eskimo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .110Totem Pole . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112

January Monthly Idea Book


ARCTIC AND ANTARCTIC ANIMALS! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .113

Arctic and Antarctic Animals! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .114Walrus Puppet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .117Stand-Up Penguin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118Polar Bear Page Topper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .120Penguin Booklet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .121Map of Antarctica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122Map of the Arctic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .123Walrus Writing Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .124

BULLETIN BOARDS AND MORE! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .125

Bulletin Boards and More! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .126Snowman Mobile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .129Bear Paw Prints . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .130Bear Pattern . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .131Dog Sled Team Patterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .132Sleepy Time! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .134Snowman Paper Topper . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .135Winter Patterns . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .136Chinese Lettering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .137

ANSWER KEY! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .143



MMMMaaaakkkkiiiinnnnggggtttthhhheeee mmmmoooossss

ttttooooffff iiiitttt!!!!



WHAT IS INTHIS BOOK:

You will find the following in each monthly idea book fromTeachers Friend Publications:

1. A calendar listing every day of the month with a classroom idea and mention of special holidays and events.

2. At least four student awards to be sent home to parents.

3. Three or more bookmarks that can be used in your school library or given to students by you as Super Student Awards.

4. Numerous bulletin board ideas and patterns pertaining to the particular month and seasonal activity.

5. Easy-to-make craft ideas related to the monthly holidays and special days.

6. Dozens of activities emphasizing not only the obvious holidays, but also the often forgotten celebrations such as Chinese NewYear and Martin Luther King Day.

7. Creative writing pages, crossword puzzles, word finds, booklet covers, games, paper bag puppets, literature lists and much more!

8. Scores of classroom management techniques and methods proven to motivate your students to improve behavior and classroom work.

HOW TO USE THIS BOOK:

Every page of this book may be duplicated for individual class-room use.

Some pages are meant to be copied or used as duplicatingmasters. Other pages may be transferred onto constructionpaper or used as they are.

If you have access to a print shop, you will find that manypages work well when printed on index paper. This type ofpaper takes crayons and felt markers well and is sturdy enoughto last. (Bookmarks work particularly well on index paper.)

Lastly, some pages are meant to be enlarged with an overheador opaque projector. When we say enlarge, we mean it! ThinkBIG! Three, four or even five feet is great! Try using coloredbutcher paper or poster board so you dont spend all your timecoloring.



ADDING THE COLOR:

Putting the color to finished items can be a real bother to teachersin a rush. Try these ideas:

1. On small areas, watercolor markers work great. If your area is rather large, switch to crayons or even colored chalk or pastels.

(Dont worry, lamination or a spray fixative will keep color on the work and off of you. No laminator or fixative? Thats okay, a little hair spray will do the trick.)

2. The quickest method of coloring large items is to start withcolored paper. (Poster board, butcher paper or large construction paper work well.) Add a few dashes of a con-trasting colored marker or crayon and you will have it made.

3. Try cutting character eyes, teeth, etc. from white typing paper and gluing them in place. These features will really stand out and make your bulletin boards come alive.

For special effects, add real buttons or lace. Metallic paper looks great on stars and belt buckles, too.

LAMINATION: If you have access to a roll laminator, then you already know how fortunate you are. They are priceless when it comes to savingtime and money. Try these ideas:

1. You can laminate more than just classroom posters and construction paper. Try various kinds of fabric, wallpaper andgift wrapping. Youll be surprised at the great combinations you come up with.

Laminated classified ads can be used to cut headings for current events bulletin boards. Colorful gingham fabric makesterrific cut letters or bulletin board trim. You might even tryburlap! Bright foil gift wrapping paper will add a festive feeling to any bulletin board.

(You can even make professional looking bookmarks with laminated fabric or burlap. They are great holiday gift ideas for Mom or Dad!)

2. Felt markers and laminated paper or fabric can work as a team. Just make sure the markers you use are permanent and not water-based. Oops, make a mistake! Thats okay. Put a little ditto fluid on a tissue, rub across the mark and presto, its gone! Also, dry transfer markers work great on lamination and can easily be wiped off.



LAMINATION:(continued)

3. Laminating cut-out characters can be tricky. If you have enlarged an illustration onto poster board, simply laminate firstand then cut it out with scissors or an art knife. (Just make sure the laminator is hot enough to create a good seal.)

One problem may arise when you paste an illustration onto poster board and laminate the finished product. If your paste-up is not 100% complete, your illustration and posterboard may separate after laminating. To avoid this problem, paste your illustration onto poster board that measures slightly larger than the illustration. This way, the lamination will help hold down your paste-up.

4. When pasting up your illustration, always try to use either rubber cement, artists spray adhesive or a glue stick. White glue, tape or paste does not laminate well because it can often be seen under your artwork.

5. Have you ever laminated student-made place mats, crayon shavings, tissue paper collages, or dried flowers? Youll be amazed at the variety of creative things that can be laminated and used in the classroom or as take-home gifts.

PHOTOCOPIES ANDDITTO MASTERS:

Many of the pages in this book can be copied for use in theclassroom. Try some of these ideas for best results:

1. If the print from the back side of your original comes throughthe front when making a photocopy or ditto master, slip a sheet of black construction paper behind the sheet. This will mask the unwanted shadows and create a much better copy.

2. Several potential masters in this book contain instructions for the teacher. Simply cover the type with correction fluid or a small slip of paper before duplicating.

3. When using a new ditto master, turn down the pressure on the duplicating machine. As the copies become light, increase the pressure. This will get longer wear out of both the master and the machine.

4. Trying to squeeze one more run out of that worn ditto mastercan be frustrating. Try lightly spraying the inked side of the master with hair spray. For some reason, this helps the master put out those few extra copies.



Staying organized month after month, year after year can be areal challenge. Try this simple idea:

After using the loose pages from this book, file them in theirown file folder labeled with the month's name. This will alsoprovide a place to save pages from other reproducible booksalong with craft ideas, recipes and articles you find in maga-zines and periodicals. (Essential Pocket Folders by Teacher'sFriend provide a perfect way to store your monthly ideas andreproducibles. Each Monthly Essential Pocket Folder comeswith a sixteen-page booklet of essential patterns and organiza-tional ideas. There are even special folders for Back toSchool, The Substitute Teacher and Parent-TeacherConferences.)

You might also like to dedicate a file box for every month ofthe school year. A covered box will provide room to storelarge patterns, sample art projects, certificates and awards,monthly stickers, monthly idea books and much more.

MONTHLYORGANIZERS:

BULLETIN BOARDIDEAS:

Creating clever bulletin boards for your classroom need not takefantastic amounts of time and money. With a little preparationand know-how, you can have different boards each month withvery little effort. Try some of these ideas:

1. Background paper should be put up only once a year. Choosecolors that can go with many themes and holidays. The blackbutcher paper background you used as a spooky display in October will have a special dramatic effect in April with student-made, paper-cut butterflies.

2. Butcher paper is not the only thing that can be used to cover the back of your board. You might also try fabric from a colorful bed sheet or gingham material. Just fold it up at the end of the year to reuse again. Wallpaper is another great background cover. Discontinued rolls can be purchased for a small amount at discount hardware stores. Most can be wipedclean and will not fade like construction paper. (Do not glue wallpaper directly to the board; just staple or pin in place.)

3. Store your bulletin board pieces in large, flat envelopes made from two large sheets of tagboard or cardboard. Simply staple three sides together and slip the pieces inside. (Small pieces can be stored in zip-lock, plastic bags.) Label your large envelopes with the name of the bulletin board and the month and year you displayed it. Take a picture of each bul-letin board display. Staple the picture to your storage enve-lope. Next year when you want to create the same display, you will know right where everything goes. Kids can even fol-low your directions when you give them a picture to look at.



Not every school has a letter machine that produces perfect 4letters. The rest of us will just have to use the old stencil-and-scissor method. But wait, there is an easier way!

1. Dont cut individual letters as they are difficult to pin up straight, anyway. Instead, hand print bulletin board titles and headings onto strips of colored paper. When it is time for theboard to come down, simply roll it up to use again next year.If you buy your own pre-cut lettering, save yourself some time and hassle by pasting the desired statements onto long strips of colored paper. Laminate if possible. These can be rolled up and stored the same way!

Use your imagination! Try cloud shapes and cartoon bubbles.They will all look great.

2. Hand lettering is not that difficult, even if your printing is not up to penmanship standards. Print block letters with a felt marker. Draw big dots at the end of each letter. This will hide any mistakes and add a charming touch to the overall effect.

If you are still afraid to freehand it, try this nifty idea: Cut a strip of poster board about 28 X 6. Down the center of the strip, cut a window with an art knife measuring 20 X 2. There you have it: a perfect stencil for any lettering job. All you need to do is write capital letters with a felt marker withinthe window slot. Dont worry about uniformity. Just fill up the entire window height with your letters. Move your poster-board strip along as you go. The letters will always remain straight and even because the poster board window is straight.

3. If you must cut individual letters, use construction paper squares measuring 4 1/2 X 6. (Laminate first if you can.) Cut the capital letters as shown. No need to measure; irregular letters will look creative and not messy.

LETTERING ANDHEADINGS:



CCCCaaaalllleeeennnnddddaaaarrrr

JJJJaaaannnnuuuuaaaarrrryyyy!!!!


1ST

2ND

3RD

4TH

5TH

6TH

7TH

8TH

9TH

10TH

11TH

Today is NEW YEAR'S DAY! (Celebrate by asking your students to write their own New Year's resolutions!

BETSY ROSS, designer of the first American flag, was born on this day in 1752. (Ask students to find pictures of the various flags that have flown over our country.)

ALASKA became the United States 49th state on this day in 1959. (Have your stu-dents find ten interesting facts about Alaska and then locate the state on the class-room map.)

LOUIS BRAILLE, inventor of the alphabet for the blind, was born on this day in 1809. (Locate the Braille alphabet in an encyclopedia and have each child write his or her name in Braille.)

Today is GEORGE WASHINGTON CARVER DAY! This multi-talented man invented more than 300 different products. (Ask students to list some of his accomplishments.)

JOAN OF ARC was born on this day in 1412. She was burned at the stake for her religious beliefs. (Ask students to find out more about this courageous woman and report their findings to the class.)

Today marks the birthdate of MIGUEL HIDALGO, father of Mexican independence. (Ask students to find out how this man helped his countrymen defeat the Spaniards.)

ELVIS PRESLEY was born on this day in 1935. (Just for fun, play a couple of his songs during class exercise time.)

The first school of SEEING EYE DOGS was founded on this day in 1929. (Ask students to list the many reasons a blind person might appreciate having a seeing eye dog.)

OIL was discovered in Texas on this day in 1901. (Ask students why this valuable resource is called "Black Gold.")

CIGARETTES were declared hazardous to our health on this day in 1964. (Havestudents list the various reasons people should not smoke.)


JJJJAAAANNNNUUUUAAAARRRRYYYY



12TH

13TH

14TH

15TH

16TH

17TH

18TH

19TH

20TH

21ST

22ND

23RD

CHARLES PERRAULT, French writer and poet, was born on this day in 1628. Perrault wrote the famous tales of "Cinderella," "Puss and Boots" and "Little Red Riding Hood." (Read a version of one of these stories to your class, in his honor.)

STEPHEN FOSTER, composer of more than 175 songs, died on this day in 1826. (Join your class in a round of "Oh! Susanna" in commemoration.)

Missionary and humanitarian ALBERT SCHWEITZER was born on this day in 1875.(Ask students to find out what great things this man did and what prize he was awarded.)

MARTIN LUTHER KING, American civil rights leader, was born on this day in 1929. (Read Dr. King's "I have a dream" speech to your class. Ask them to write about their "dream for America.)

Today is NATIONAL NOTHING DAY! (Ask children to invent their own holiday for this day. Have them choose colors, symbols and reasons for their holiday and present their ideas to the class.)

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, American statesman and inventor, was born on this day in 1706. (Fly a kite with your class in celebration of Franklin's discovery of electricity.)

American heavyweight boxing champion MUHAMMAD ALI was born on this day in 1942. (Ali often recited short rhymes about himself such as "I float like a butterfly and sting like a bee!" Ask students to make up their own rhymes about themselves.)

ROBERT E. LEE, American Civil War general, was born on this day in 1807. (Ask students to list the states that fought on the side of the South during the Civil War.)

Today is PRESIDENTIAL INAUGURATION DAY in the United States. This event happens every four years when a new president takes the oath of office. (Watch thishistorical event on television with your class.)

MARY BRENT, the first woman in America to ask for the right to vote, was born on this day in 1648. (Ask your students to find out how many years it took for her request to be granted.)

Today is "ELSTEDENTOCHT" or the "Eleven Cities Race" in the Netherlands. Ice skaters race the 124 miles across the frozen canals of Holland. (Read Hans Brinker, by Mary Mapes Dodge, to your class in commemoration.)

JOHN HANCOCK, American patriot, was born on this day in 1737. (Ask students to locate a copy of the Declaration of Independence and then tell you why this man is sofamous.)



GOLD was discovered in SUTTER'S MILL, California, in 1848. (Can your students find Sutter's Mill, (Sacramento) on the classroom map?)

The first WINTER OLYMPICS took place on this day in 1924 in Chamonix, France. (Ask students to list the various Winter Olympic events and write about the event in which they would like to compete.)

DOUGLAS MACARTHUR, American WWII general, was born on this day in 1880. (Ask students to find out about his contribution and where he had promised to "return.")

Austrian composer, WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART was born on this day in 1756. (Find a Mozart symphony and play it to your class during silent reading.)

The United States COAST GUARD was established on this day in 1915. (Ask students why we need this branch of the armed services to protect our coast.)

THOMAS PAINE, American political philosopher and writer, was born on this day in 1737. (Have students find the name of Paine's pamphlet that encouraged Americanindependence.)

The LIBRARY OF CONGRESS began operating on this day in 1815. Today, it houses more than 80 million books! (Ask your student to find out which president's collection of 6,000 books began it all.)

HAM, a male chimpanzee, was rocketed into space during Project Mercury, in 1961. (Ask students how Ham helped the United States space program.

DON'T FORGET THESE OTHER IMPORTANT HOLIDAYS:

CHINESE NEW YEAR (Between the middle of January and early March, the firstday of the new moon using the Chinese calendar.)

24TH

25TH

26TH

27TH

28TH

29TH

30TH

31ST



JJJJ aaaannnnuuuu

aaaa rrrryyyy

CCCCaaaa llll

eeee nnnndddd

aaaa rrrr HHHH

eeee aaaadddd

eeee rrrr

JJJJ aaaannnn uuuu

aaaa rrrryyyy


JJJJaaaannnnuuuuaaaarrrryyyy CCCCaaaalllleeeennnnddddaaaarrrr SSSSyyyymmmmbbbboooollllssss



Sun

day

Mon

day

Tues

day

Wed

nesd

ayT

hurs

day

Sat

urda

y

JJJJ aaaannnn uuuu

aaaa rrrryyyy

Frid

ay



WWWWiiiinnnntttteeeerrrrAAAAccccttttiiiivvvviiiittttiiiiee

eessss!!!!


PAINTING SNOW SCENES After reading one of the wintry bookslisted in the literature recommendations,ask your students to illustrate their version of the story. But, instead of whitetempera paint for snow, try this mixture:

Combine in a large bowl 1 cup of IvoryFlakes, 1/3 cup liquid starch and 1/4cup water. Beat with a wire whisk untilthe mixture thickens.

Use this "snow-like" paint on dark-coloredpaper to make truly "snowy" pictures.

ICY SPORTSChildren who live in warm climates maynever give much thought to the manycold weather sports and activities thatpeople living in cold climates regularlyenjoy.

Divide the class into several groups andassign each group an icy or cold weather sport. Some ideas include icehockey, figure skating, speed skating,downhill skiing, cross-country skiing, and

bobsledding.

Each member of the group canresearch a different facet of thesport such as the rules, of the

game, official organizations,teams, locations, individual participants or as an Olympic

event.

The groups' reports can thenbe displayed on the classboard under the name of theappropriate sport!

EXAMINING SNOWFLAKES If you live in an area that receives snoweach winter your students can studysnowflakes. Even if you don't, studentscan still observe the icy patterns of winter frost or even the frost that accu-mulates inside a freezer.

Use a magnifying glass or a microscopeto compare the patterns formed by thefrost found in the freezer with frost foundoutdoors. Have students freeze tinydrops of water and observe them underthe microscope. Do they resemblesnowflakes?

It is often difficult of observe realsnowflakes because they melt so fast.Here is one way to preserve them:

Lightly coat several glass microscopeslides with a clear plastic spray found inart stores. Place the slides in a refriger-ator or freezer. When the next snowfalls, have students catch two or threesnowflakes on a slide. Quickly spray theslide again with the clear plastic spray,being careful so as not todisturb the flakes. Asthe plastic dries, theshape of each flakewill be preserved. Studentscan now examine them totheir heart's con-tent. You caneven use an over-head projector toproject thesnowflakes' images tothe entire class.

WWWWiiiinnnntttteeeerrrr AAAAcccctttt iiiivvvviiii tttt iiiieeeessss!!!!


Warm up your students this winter with these inspiring activities. Even if youdon't live in an area that has cold winters, you can still teach them aboutsnowflakes, snow and icicles.


MITTEN MATH Provide your students with a pair of mit-tens and an indoor/outdoor ther-mometer for this center activity. Askyour students to complete these tasks:

1. Record the temperature indicated onthe thermometer.

2. Place the bulb end of the thermo-meter in the palm of your hand. Afterthree minutes, record the temperature.

3. Next, slip the mitten on and slide thebulb of the thermometer inside themitten, resting it on the palm of yourhand. After three minutes, record thetemperature.

Now, answer these questions:

What was the original temperature? What was the temperature after three

minutes on the palm? How much did the temperature

increase? What was the temperature after you

wore the mitten? How much did the temperature

increase? Why do you think wearing the mitten

made the temperature warmer?

COLORFUL SNOWFLAKESBrighten up your winter classroom witha colorful snowflake display!

Cut assorted colored tissue paper intosix inch squares. Ask each student toselect two or three colors and cut snow-flakes shapes from each one. Have themarrange the snowflakes between twolarger sheets of wax paper. Using an oldsheet to protect the iron and the tabletop, press with a warm iron. Trim awaythe excess wax paper and tape thewsnowflakes to the classroom windows.These colorful snow-flakes will looksuper from both indoors and out!

STORY STARTER SNOWFLAKESWith the help of your students, create asnowy mural on the class board.(Students may want to use some "snowy"paint in parts of the scene.)

Cut two or three dozen 8-inch snowflakepatterns from white paper. Leave most ofthe center of each snowflake's holeintact. In the center of each flake writean icy story starter or three snowywords. Pin the snowflakes to the mural.

Students can choose a snowflake andwrite a creative winter tale using thestory starter idea or the descriptivewords. Here are some suggestions:

avalanche blizzardfreeze frostbitehibernate iciclesshiver snowdriftsnowmobile wilderness

"The skaters were skating too close to the thin ice!"

"It's been snowing for ten days straight!""We built the biggest snowman anyone

had ever seen!""It snowed on the Fourth of July!""The champion iceskater was about to perform a jumpnever beforeattempted! "Oh, no! Ilost my mittensagain!""Thewinnerof the racereceives apair ofmagicskates!"



ICE POWERTry some of these "icy" experiments!

ICE EXPANDS Place a plastic con-tainer in the freezer and fill it to the brimwith water. Lay the lid loosely on top.After the water has frozen hard, checkthe container and you will find the lidpushed up. Explain the properties offrozen water expansion with your stu-dents.

SALT OR SAND Which causes moretraction, salt of sand? Ask children if theyhave ever noticed salt or sand being usedfor traction in icy conditions. What arethe hazards of using either one?

Divide the class into groups and giveeach group two ice cubes and somepaper towels. Ask them to sprinkle oneice cube with salt and the other withsand. Have them observe which melts thefastest. Which one creates more traction?

SALT WATER Does salt water freeze?Of course it does! It just requires a lowertemperature to do so. Explain to yourstudents how salt water in the far northor south freezes to form glaciers and ice-bergs. (About 10% of the world is cov-ered with glaciers so thick they nevermelt.)

Prepare two glasses of salt water (onestronger than the other) and one glass offresh water. Sit all three in the freezerand see which takes the longest tofreeze.

ICICLES Show students how icicles formby using a plastic container. (A margarinetub will do.) Punch a small hole in thebottom of the container. Connect wire orheavy string so you can hang it in a tree.Fill with water on a freezing day andwatch as an icicle forms.

WARM UP WITH SOUP!Have each student contribute to a hearty,class-made soup for a fun, nutritiousactivity. (Start the soup early in the dayso it will be ready by lunch time.)

Ask each child to bring in a peeled veg-etable. (Parents can do the peeling.)Provide a large pot of water, a hot plate,pot holders, salt, a ladle, a knife andbouillon cubes. Disposable bowls andspoons will also be needed. Under super-vision, have the students cut their veg-etable in small pieces and place thepieces in the pot of water.

Have the children measure the water andvegetables as a math exercise. They canalso note the temperature of the water asit begins to boil.

(Note: The day before making the soup,review with your students the type ofvegetables that taste good in soup.Assign groups of students to bring inspecific vegetables. The soup won't bevery tasty if, for example, the only veg-etables were potatoes.)



MAKING SNOWMake real snow in your classroom with these materials.

1 - 3 pound empty coffee can1 - 1 pound empty coffee can1 - bag of crushed ice1 - small terrycloth towel

rock salt1/2 pound dry icesharp knifemasking tape

Wrap the towel around the bottom portion of the larger can and secure in place with masking tape. Put a small amount of crushed ice in the bottom of the large can and sprinklegenerously with salt. (Use a ratio of about 1/3 salt to 2/3 ice.) Place the smaller can insidethe larger can and continue packing the ice and salt in the space between the two cans. Fillthe ice to the top of the outside of the small can.

By breathing into the small can, you can now illustrate how your breath will condense andform a cloud. This cloud is just like the clouds on a cold winter day.

Next comes the dry ice. The dry ice must be handled carefully to prevent burns. Pick the dryice up with a cloth and scrape a few grains of ice into the cloud with a sharp knife. Ice crystals will soon start to form. Point out to the students that these crystals are just like theones that start snowstorms in the winter. Breathe again into the small can, continuing toform the cloud. The new moisture you add with your breath will continue to freeze aroundthe crystals, making them larger each time. Before long, your students will realize that thecrystals have become real snowflakes!


WWWWiiiinnnntttteeeerrrr WWWWoooorrrrdddd FFFFiiiinnnndddd!!!!


ACTIVITY 1FIND THESE WINTERWORDS IN THE PUZZLE:SNOW, ICE, MITTENS, WINTER, FROST, COLD,JACKET, SLED, ICICLE,SNOWFLAKE, SKI, SNOWMAN

C M D F G S N O W M A N D R T F G TM D E F R G T S K I B H Y N F D R VI G H J D F G H J G T H Y J R D T G

T D C V W I N T E R D C X Z O F T HT D F G H J T H Y G H J K U S L E DE M N B V C F T F C D R F C T S D AN S D D F C G B H O J M K H V F T RS N O W F L A K E L V C S W E S A XZ X C V B Y T G H D S V B N H Y U JA S X C J A C K E T S D F V B H Y TA S D F F G T R E C N K L M N S I CA X D R T A C V S N O W B H Y T G F

Y H J UB N M FH J K LJ K L OD S A EW E I KD R C VC Z E VK L T SG F E SI C L E

D E W S


Snowman PatternAward one pattern piece to each child as assignments are completed.


Start withthe largerbottom sec-tion, next themiddle sectionwith arms andthen the scarf.Next, add thehead, mittens,broom, hat andfinally the car-rot nose.Children canglue their snow-man pieces to alarge sheet ofdark blue con-struction paper.

When all the piecesare in place, the stu-dents can add theirown jolly faces withcrayons or markers. Display thesnowmen on the class bulletin board.



Name

Name


Snowman Wheel


Cut Out Cut Out


Copy the "SnowmanWheel" onto heavyindex paper. Cut outand assemble withbrass fasteners. Cutout the two boxes, as shown.


Make one for eachchild in class.

Add your own mathproblems or wordcontractions to thewheel. Move thebroom to reveal the

correct answer.



Vis

it t

he

Libr

ary!WWWW aaaa rrrr mmmm

uuuu ppppwwww iiii tttt hhhh aaaa

gggg oooo oooo ddddbbbb oooo oooo kkkk !!!!

At the Library...

Don

'tSl

eep

All

Win

ter.

..

discover the wonder of

winter!January Monthly Idea Book

Pencil Toppers

Reproduce these"Pencil Toppers" onto

construction or indexpaper. Color and cut out.

Use an art knife to cut throughthe Xs.

Slide a pencil throughboth Xs, as shown.


Give them as classroomawards or birthday treats.



Date

Teacher

was a BIG

help today!

Name Name

Teacher

Date

Teacher

Date

is havinga greatyear!

Name Name

Really TriedHardToday!

was areal joyin classtoday!

Date

Teacher



SSSSTTTT

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EEEENNNN

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IIII CCCCAAAA

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pre

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Girl Skater

Cut this skater pattern from construction or index paper andassemble with brass fasteners.

Children can decorate the costume.


MMMMyyyyWWWWiiiinnnntttteeeerrrrBBBBooooooookkkk


Name

FOLD


Matching MittensMake several copies of these mittens fromcolored construction paper. Use them in avariety of matching activities such as letterrecognition, math facts, opposites, wordsand definitions and so on.


Children can match the pairs and pinthem to a clothesline in the classroom.

Creative writing ideas can also bewritten on the mittens.


Snowflake PatternThey say that no two snowflakes are alike. See how many dif-ferent snowflakes your class can make using this simple pattern.

Cut the circle from white typing paper and fold in half. Fold again in thirds, as shown.


Cut designson both sides of the pie-shapedpiece. Unfold thepaper to see your beau-tiful new snowflake.

FOLD

FOLD

FOLD



AAAArrrroooouuuunnnnddddtttthhhheeee YYYYeeeeaaaarr

rr!!!!


MONTH BY MONTHCreate a variety of matching and organiza-tional activities using the cards provided inthis unit.

Reproduce the cards for all students ontoheavy paper and ask them to color andcut them out. Have students completesome of the following:

The game of "Concentration" can alsobe played with the cards. With a

partner, students turn two decks of cardsupside down. Turn over two cards. Ifthe seasons match, keep the cards. Ifthey don't match, turn them back overand lose a turn. Continue the game to

see who wins the most cards. Now, playthe game with days of the week ormonth.

YEARLY FAVORITESAsk children to think about their favoritetime of year or month and write about it inthe form of a poem or short story.

Ask them also to tell if they have a favoriteday of the week. Instruct them to list all oftheir reasons for choosing this particularday.

GREGORIAN CALENDARThe calendar that most of the world usestoday is called the Gregorian Calendar,named after Pope Gregory XIII, whodeclared its use in 1582.

The Gregorian calendar is based upon thetime it takes for the earth to make onecomplete revolution around thesun,which is 365 days, 5 hours and48 minutes. The extra minutes even-tually add up to an extra day. So,every four years we add it to the endof the month of February (LeapYear).

Let children make their own monthlyor yearly calendars. Instruct themto write in the name of the monthand the numbers on the appropriatedays. Tell them to also label holidaysand family birthdays. These calendarsmake excellent gifts for Christmas orthe New Year.

(There is a blank calendar pageappropriate for each month in everyTeacher's Friend Monthly Idea Book.)

MINUTES, HOURS, DAYS...Ask your students to complete the fol-lowing statements on the class board:

There are seconds in anhour. There are hours in an day. There are days in a week. There are weeks in a month. There are months in a year. There are years in a century.

Now, ask them to compute how many sec-onds in a week, how many days in a year,etc.

Try one of these calendar activities when teaching the concepts of time and theseasons.

CCCCaaaalllleeeennnnddddaaaarrrr AAAAcccctttt iiiivvvviiii tttt iiiieeeessss!!!!


Place the seasons in order. Place the names of the days in

order. Place the months in order. Group all the seasonal symbols

together. Put the monthly names in alphabet-

ical order. Put the days of the week in alpha-

betical order. Group together all the months with

30 days and those with 31 days.Which month has fewer than 30days?


WORD FIND - ACTIVITY 2FIND THE MONTHS OF THE YEAR IN THE PUZZLE BELOW: JANUARY, FEBRUARY,MARCH, APRIL, MAY, JUNE, JULY, AUGUST, SEPTEMBER, OCTOBER, NOVEMBER,DECEMBER.

ACTIVITY 3

BDREECEMTUUSGACMRAHTEROOCBRYUABRFENEUJRLPAIVMEONREBAMYUYNJAARPMEESRBETLJYU

MMMMoooonnnntttthhhhssss ooooffff tttthhhheeee YYYYeeeeaaaarrrr!!!!


A M S D F R E T G D C Q A S E D F R G

A X C M A R C H A C F V B G H N J U N

A S S D E F R T G J S D E R T G B N H

P S D S E P T E M B E R F G H Y J U K

R D F G T H Y J U D F R T G H Y N J U

I S W E D C V G T D E C E M B E R D R

L S X C V B G F D S A W E R T G Y A D

X S A F R E T Y H G T R E D C F G T R

G J U L Y A X M Z S E R C V G Y H Y A

X Z C V B G T A A N O V E M B E R K L

A W S D F R C Y A S D C V F G D C V F

A S X F E B R U A R Y C V B H J K L O

B N M C D S J

E O U K I G A

J U K I L I N

I O L G T D U

G C H Y U G A

F T S W A W R

E O F R S E Y

A B R G H J S

R E F G V B N

E R A S E D F

G A U G U S T

P M N G F D S

Now,

unscra

mble

the mo

nths!



Desktop CalendarHave each of your students make his or her own desktop calendar with these patterns.

Color and cut out each pattern piece. Cut out the three indicated windows. Fold alongthe dotted line and attach the wheels inside the calendar using brass fasteners.

Each morning, students turn the wheels to the appropriate month and day. As the sea-sons change have them move the season wheel.

This desktop calendar makes a greatparent gift, as well!



DA

Y

Stud

ent's

Nam

e

Year

Cut

out

Cut

Out

Cut

Out



You may want toenlarge each of theDesktop CalendarPatterns and use themon a bulletin board as aclassroom calendar.Assign students tochange the wheels daily.


MMMMyyyyBBBBooooooookkkk ooooffffMMMMoooonnnntttthhhhssss


Name



January is the month.

January has days.

These people have birthdays in January:

Here are four words that describe January:

1. 3.

2. 4.

I like January because:

My favorite holiday in January is:

(On another piece of paper write a poem about the weather in January.)

JJJJaaaannnnuuuuaaaarrrryyyy



February is the month.

February has days.

These people have birthdays in February:

Here are four words that describe February:

1. 3.

2. 4.

I like February because:

My favorite holiday in February is:

(On another piece of paper write a story about a groundhog who forgot to look for his shadow.)

FFFFeeeebbbbrrrruuuuaaaarrrryyyy



March is the month.

March has days.

These people have birthdays in March:

Here are four words that describe March:

1. 3.

2. 4.

I like March because:

My favorite holiday in March is:

(On another piece of paper write a riddle about a leprechaun and

share it with a friend.)

MMMMaaaarrrrcccchhhh



April is the month.

April has days.

These people have birthdays in April:

Here are four words that describe April:

1. 3.

2. 4.

I like April because:

My favorite holiday in April is:

(On another piece of paper write a poem about April showers.)

AAAApppprrrriiii llll



May is the month.

May has days.

These people have birthdays in May:

Here are four words that describe May:

1. 3.

2. 4.

I like May because:

My favorite holiday in May is:

(On another piece of paper write a loving note to your mom and give

it to her on Mother's Day.)

MMMMaaaayyyy



June is the month.

June has days.

These people have birthdays in June:

Here are four words that describe June:

1. 3.

2. 4.

I like June because:

My favorite holiday in June is:

(On another piece of paper make a list of the reasons you love

and appreciate your dad and give it to him on Father's Day.)

JJJJuuuunnnneeee



July is the month.

July has days.

These people have birthdays in July:

Here are four words that describe July:

1. 3.

2. 4.

I like July because:

My favorite holiday in July is:

(On another piece of paper write a list of the many things you'd like to eat at a Fourth of July picnic.)

JJJJuuuullllyyyy



August is the month.

August has days.

These people have birthdays in August:

Here are four words that describe August:

1. 3.

2. 4.

I like August because:

My favorite holiday in August is:

(Take a few minutes to look at the night sky and write a story about your thoughts on another piece of paper write.)

AAAAuuuugggguuuusssstttt



September is the month.

September has days.

These people have birthdays in September:

Here are four words that describe September:

1. 3.

2. 4.

I like September because:

My favorite holiday in September is:

(On another piece of paper write about the things you would most wish to learn during the coming school year.)

SSSSeeeepppptttteeeemmmmbbbbeeeerrrr



October is the month.

October has days.

These people have birthdays in October:

Here are four words that describe October:

1. 3.

2. 4.

I like October because:

My favorite holiday in October is:

(On another piece of paper write a spooky poem about the Halloween holiday.)

OOOOccccttttoooobbbbeeeerrrr



November is the month.

November has days.

These people have birthdays in November:

Here are four words that describe November:

1. 3.

2. 4.

I like November because:

My favorite holiday in November is:

(On another piece of paper write a recipe for roastinga turkey including the stuffing.)

NNNNoooovvvveeeemmmmbbbbeeeerrrr



December is the month.

December has days.

These people have birthdays in December:

Here are four words that describe December:

1. 3.

2. 4.

I like December because:

My favorite holiday in December is:

(On another piece of paper write make a list of gifts you can give during

the holiday season that cost no money.)

DDDDeeeecccceeeemmmmbbbbeeeerrrr


Monthly Symbols


Dress Me!

Use this "Dress Me"pattern to illustratethe various seasonsand encourage stu-dents to wear clothingappropriate for thechanging weather.


Give each child a copyof this pattern. Dividethe class into the fourseasonal groups and askthe members of eachgroup to design theclothing appropriate forthe season. Display thecharacters on the classbulletin board.



January is...

February is...

March is...

April is...

May is...

June is...

July is...

August is...

September is...

October is...

November is...

December is...

Write a sentence or a simile describing each month.

MMMMoooonnnntttthhhhssss ooooffff tttthhhheeee YYYYeeeeaaaarrrr.... .... ....



NNNNeeeewwwwYYYYeeeeaaaarrrr''''ssssDDDDaaaayyyy!!!!


The custom of celebrating the New Year on January 1stbegan over 2,000 years ago in Rome, Italy. TheRomans had previously celebrated March 25th, thevernal equinox, as the beginning of the New Year.Government officials were elected in Decemberand assumed their new positions on the daybefore January 1st. Gradually, citizens began cele-brating this first day as the beginning of the NewYear. This change, however, created confusion inthe Roman calendar. The months of September, October,November and December, (which refer to the seventh, eighth, ninth and tenth monthsof the year) were now the ninth, tenth, eleventh and twelfth month. By changing theNew Year to January, these month's names had little meaning.

In 45 B.C., Roman emperor Julius Caesar selected the name "January" for the firstmonth of the year. This name was chosen to honor the Roman god Janus. It wasbelieved that this god had two faces each looking in opposite directions. In his righthand he held a key to unlock the door to the future and guard the door to the past. Inhis left hand he held a scepter as a symbol of authority. The Senate of Rome awardedJulius Caesar a month of his own for his successful transfer of the New Year and hisimprovement on the Roman Calendar. We now call this month "July."

Today, people of diffferent countries celebrate New Years Day in a variety of ways.

GERMANY - The people of Germany enjoy a custom called "lead pouring." On NewYear's Day, youngsters drop hot drops of melted lead into containers of cold water. Asthe lead cools and hardens, unusual shapes appear. The children have fun telling theirfortunes by the shapes of the lead. According to custom, if the lead shape resembles acoin, they might look forward to obtaining money.

ROSH HASHANA - The Jewish New Year provides a quiet time for meditation andprayer. This is a holy date to the Jewish people, considered the birthday of the world.Each person asks forgiveness from God and vows to live a better life. Rosh Hashanais celebrated on the first day of the Jewish calendar, in September or October.

SWEDEN - The Swedish people celebrate the New Year with parties and family gath-erings on the last night of the year. There is much food and merrymaking and friend-ship and good wishes are expressed to one and all.

AUSTRIA - Ever since 1936, the Austrian government has commemorated the NewYear with the minting of good luck tokens called "Gluecksmenze." New Year wishesare engraved on one side of the coin and good luck symbols on the other. Austriansalso enjoy eating New Year's candies in the shape of good-luck pigs.

NIGERIA - The people of northern Nigeria celebrate the New Year at the beginning offishing season, usually the first part of February. Thousands of people gather alongthe banks of the Sokoto River with fish nets in hand. At a given signal, everyonejumps in the water, startling the fish into the nets. The fisherman with the largest fishwins a prize.

NNNNeeeewwww YYYYeeeeaaaarrrr ''''ssss DDDDaaaayyyy ---- JJJJaaaannnnuuuuaaaarrrryyyy 1111sssstttt!!!!


SOUTHERN UNITED STATES - It is a Southern tradition to serve black-eyed peas onNew Year's Day for good luck! Prepare the peas the night before by soaking them in apot of water. In the morning, rinse the peas and place them in a Crock-Pot coveredwith water. Add a chopped onion, salt pork and some salt and pepper. Set the pot tocook on high all day in the classroom. When the peas are tender, serve a portion toeach student.

SEMINOLE NEW YEAR - For four days during the month of July, the SeminoleIndians of Florida celebrate the harvest of new corn as the beginning of the New Year.On the first day, they play games, feast and dance. On the second day, the men of thetribe begin a fast. Everyone dances the Green Corn Dance on the third evening andgives prayers of thanks for the good harvest. Finally, on the last day, the men breaktheir fast and eat the new corn of the New Year.

UNITED STATES - In our country, the old year is symbolized by an old man, FatherTime, and the New Year is represented by a baby in diapers. In the southern states, itis customary to eat certain foods on New Year's Day in hopes of bringing prosperitythrough the coming year. Black-eyed peas symbolize pennies and greens representdollar bills. Making New Year's resolutions is a relatively new custom based on theidea of improving the New Year in the hope that it will be better than the last.

NNNNeeeewwww YYYYeeeeaaaarrrr ''''ssss DDDDaaaayyyy ---- JJJJaaaannnnuuuuaaaarrrryyyy 1111sssstttt!!!!

NNNNeeeewwww YYYYeeeeaaaarrrr ''''ssss DDDDaaaayyyy WWWWoooorrrrdddd FFFFiiiinnnndddd!!!!


ACTIVITY 4FIND THESE NEW YEAR WORDS IN THE PUZZLE BELOW: JANUARY, NEW YEAR,BELLS, CELEBRATE, MIDNIGHT, FATHER TIME, RESOLUTION, CONFETTI, BALLOONS,CUSTOM, FRIENDS.

G N M K L O P L K M J N H G A S W EA S W D V F R T F V G E S E D F T GF R I E N D S X D R T W U I C F T GQ E S D F R G T G H N Y F R C U S TA S E R C V B N H Y T E W S C V F RA O C V B C O N D V F A F R B D E RX L C O N F E T T I D R S E E C V BQ U X C V B G F D E B A E F L A S DA T D F G H X E R T Y H C E L E B RZ I X C V G T F R E D F G T S D V BA O F B N M J K F A T H E R T I M EW N S D B A L L O O N S C D R E T GM I D N I G H T V D E R T F G R D SA S D E W Q X C V J A N U A R Y N H

R T XH Y UB N BO M NG D JT Y YN M IE R UA T EN M UX C TH Y NW E RJ K L



List your resolution for becoming a better...

Student

Son or Daughter

Sister of Brother

Friend

If you could make one New Year's resolution for our countryor the world, what would it be?

During New Year's celebrations, we oftenpledge to make the coming year better thanthe last. Many people make New Year's reso-lutions. Think of some resolutions you wantto make and write them in the spaces below.

MMMMyyyy NNNNeeeewwww YYYYeeeeaaaarrrr ''''ssss RRRReeeessssoooolllluuuutttt iiiioooonnnnssss!!!!

Name


MMMMyyyyNNNNeeeewwww YYYYeeeeaaaarrrrBBBBooooooookkkk!!!!

Write your own resolutionsin your New Year Book.


Name

FOLD


HappyNew Year

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isor

ont

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n ca

n do

the

colo

ring.

Punc

h ho

les

at b

oth

ends

and

atta

ch s

trin

g el

astic

or m

ailin

g st

ring.

(With

ela

stic

, the

stu

dent

s ca

nea

sily

rem

ove

the

viso

rs w

ithou

t ret

ying

.)


WISHES CAN COME TRUE!Discuss with your class how wishes cancome true. Ask them to brainstorm the ideaand list the suggestions on the class board.

Begin by explaining that with effort andhard work, many wishes can come true. Forexample, if someone wishes for good

grades the wish can come true byhaving good study habits.Another example might be aperson wishing for a good friendcan begin by being friendly andkind to others.

MAGIC WANDSChildren will love making their

own personal magic wand!

Cut stars from gold or silvermetallic paper, two for each stu-

dent. Give each student an 18"dowel and ask them to cover itwith strips of colored tissue paper.(Real ribbon, lace, sequins, etc.can be added.) Streamers of tissuepaper can be added to the top ofthe dowel. When the tissuepaper is dry, glue the stars, backto back, to the top of the dowel.

The magic wands can now be usedin role playing. Select groups of twostudents to act out various scenarios

related to granting wishes. If the wishis unselfish, it may be granted. If it isselfish, it will be denied.

You might like to use a magic wand in theclassroom to excuse quiet or obedient stu-dents to recess.

SECRET WISHESAdd an element of mystery to your next cre-ative writing assignment with this simpleidea.

Ask students to write a sentence describinga secret wish on white paper using a whitecrayon. (The wish will appear to be invis-ible.) Collect all the papers and thenredistribute them, making sure noone receives their own paper back.

The students then paint over themessages with watercolors toreveal their secret wishes. Instructthe children to write short storiesincluding the secret wishes.

CREATIVE WISHESWrite a variety of special wisheson numerous clouds cut fromwhite construction paper. Placethe clouds in a "magic" box some-place in the classroom. (Cover the"magic" box with metallic paper anddecorate with lightning bolts, stars andmoons.)

When a child has finished his orher work, he ir she may pull outa cloud and write a story usingthe "wishful" suggestions. Hereare some ideas:

"I wish I could ride a magiccarpet!"

"I wish money grew on trees!""I wish every day was Saturday!""I wish candy bars were good for you!""I wish there was really a pot of gold

at the end of every rainbow!"

Most students have wishes and goals for the new year. Encourage their creative thinking bysuggesting some of these activities.

WWWWiiiisssshhhhffffuuuullll TTTThhhhiiiinnnnkkkkiiiinnnngggg!!!!


WREATH OF WORLD WISHESInspire children to think of ways to helpthe world and its inhabitants can be helped,with this crafty idea.

Cut a large ring from poster board. Askeach child to trace and cut out his or herright hand on colored construction paper.(Use a variety of different colors.) Instructthe children to write their "Wishes for theWorld" on the hands. Glue the handsslightly overlapping around the ring. Paste alarge paper bow to the top of the wreathand ask each child to sign it with his or hername. Display the wreath in the classroomduring the holidays, or anytime during year!

WHEN YOU WISH UPON A STAR!Give students large paper stars on which towrite their wishes for the year ahead. Pinthe stars to the class board that has beencovered with dark blue or black butcherpaper. Entitle the board "When You WishUpon a Star!"

Save the stars until the end of the schoolyear and distribute them to the students atthat time. Let each child tell the rest of theclass whether his or her wish came true.

MAKE-A-WISHAt the beginning of the school year, enlistthe help of your students in saving penniesfor a worthy charity. This activity will pro-vide endless opportunities for math compu-tations as well as a valuable way to teachthe joys of sharing.

Instruct students to bring pennies fromhome or pick them up when found on theground. The pennies can then be countedand rolled by the students when work iscompleted.

You may want to notify parents of theactivity before you start. You will also needto provide a safe place for the rolled penniesin the classroom.

An excellent charity to select might be:Make-a-Wish Foundation100 W. Clarendon, Suite 2200Phoenix, AZ 85013Phone: (800) 722-9474

This charity literally makes wishes come truefor terminally ill children.

WWWWiiiisssshhhhffffuuuullll TTTThhhhiiiinnnnkkkkiiiinnnngggg!!!!



CCCChhhhiiiinnnneeeesssseeee

NNNNeeeewwww YYYYeeeeaaaarrrr!!!!


For the Chinese, the Chinese New Year is perhapsthe most colorful and joyous event of the year. Itmarks the beginning of a new cycle of life and sym-bolizes both the end of winter and the coming ofspring. This holiday is celebrated for about threeweeks, beginning with the new moon of the lunarcalendar. The New Year may fall anywherebetween the middle of January and early March.

The last days of the old year are very busy for Chinese families. All of the foodfor the festive celebrations must be prepared in advance. It is considered badluck to use a knife or sharp tool during the first few days of the New Year, forfear of "cutting" the New Year's luck. All debts must be paid and accountingbooks brought up to date before the end of the year.

Cleaning the house is especially important during this time. Evil spirits must bedusted and swept out of the house. After all of the evil spirits are chased away,it is time to say goodbye to the Kitchen God, Tsao Chuen, whose spirit has beenresiding in the home during the past year. He takes notes on the family andreports his finding to the Jade Emperor. On the twenty-third day of the twelfthmonth, the family honors the Kitchen God with a farewell dinner. The meal usu-ally consists of sweet foods in hopes of encouraging him to report only kindthings to the Emperor. After the ceremonial feast, children light firecrackers tokeep evil spirits away until Tsao Chuen's return on New Year's Eve.

On the eve of the New Year after all preparations are ready, the outer door tothe house is sealed with red paper to prevent good luck from leaving the house.

New Year's Day is a time for the entire family to gather for a feast of rice pud-ding, vegetarian dishes and pastries. The New Year marks the birthday of everyfamily member. Before midnight, children receive good luck money in even-numbered amounts, wrapped in small red envelopes. Everyone wears theirnewest clothes. Only kind words must be thought or spoken.

The Feast of the Lanterns is celebrated on the third day of the New Year.Lanterns of all shapes, sizes and colors decorate the streets and homes. Manycities hold fantastic parades led by a huge dragon, the symbol of good luck.The dragon is made of bamboo and covered with silk and paper. More than fiftypeople have been known to support dragon as it weaves up and down thestreets. Musicians, dancers and acrobats accompany the dragon in the parade.The festive celebration ends with a great fireworks display.

CCCChhhhiiiinnnneeeesssseeee NNNNeeeewwww YYYYeeeeaaaarrrr!!!!


On the third day of the New Year, the Feast of Lanterns is held throughout China. Lanterns of all shapes, colors and sizes are hung along the streets and inthe homes of families. The New Years Dragon leads a wonderful parade downthe citys busiest street.

According to Chinese legend, the Dragon is not a horrible monster but rather aprotector against evil spirits. He is the symbol of goodness and strength. Thisgreat New Year's Dragon is made of silk and paper and is brightly painted. Thehead is a large mask, made of papier-mache and bamboo. The men of the townput on the Dragon costume and weave up and down the street, puffing smokeas spectators light firecrackers.

Your students can make their own New Year's Dragon with immagination and afew simple materials.

Cover a large cardboard box with brightly colored paper. Cut another box ortwo box halves in half and cover them with paper as well. Insert the two halvesinto an open end of the first box and glue in place, as shown in the illustration.Decorate with colored paper, glitter, tempera paint, etc.

Long sections of colored butcher paper can be used for the Dragon's tail. Staplethe top edge of two sections of butcher paper and add a spiny paper ridge orfringe. Glue the tail to the back of the Dragon's head. (The Dragon's tail can bemade as long as you like, depending on how many children will be inside thecostume.) Decorate the tail in the same way as the head.

Children ringing bells and tapping tambourines can provide the music for yourparade. Other children can hold class-made paper lanterns during the proces-sion. No doubt about it, your Chinese New Year parade will be the hit of theschool.

NNNNeeeewwww YYYYeeeeaaaarrrr ''''ssss DDDDrrrraaaaggggoooonnnn!!!!


Chinese Zodiac

Not everyone in the world uses thesame calendar. The Chinese calendaris based on the phases of the moonand is made up of 12 yearly cycles.Each year in the cycle is named afteran animal.

Have your students make their ownChinese Calendar by using the pat-terns on the next pages. Instructsudents to cut out the zodiac patternsand color as they choose. Tell them toarrange the sections as shown andpaste them to a larger sheet of paper.

Ask students to find their birth yearand see if the characteristics reflecttheir own personality. They may also like to research their parent's and sibling's birth years.


MO

NKEY

Mon

key

peop

le a

re g

ood

deci

sion

mak

ers

and

have

grea

t com

mon

sen

se.

They

are

qui

te s

ucce

ssfu

l

and

keep

them

selv

es

wel

l-inf

orm

ed.

1956

, 196

8,19

80, 1

992,

200

4

HO

RSE

Thos

e bo

rn u

nder

the

sign

of

the

Hor

se a

re v

ery

chee

rful

and

popu

lar with

oth

ers.

They

are

goo

d with

thei

r

hand

s an

d qu

ite

tale

nted

.

1954

, 196

6,

1978

, 199

0,

200

2

RA

M

Peo

ple

bor

n un

der

this

sig

nar

e ve

ry a

rtis

tic

and

enjo

y be

autifu

l thi

ngs.

The

y ar

em

ost

happy

whe

n do

ing

crea

tive

tas

ks.

1955,

1967,

1979,

1991,

2003

ROOS

TER

Peop

le bo

rn un

der th

is sign

are ou

tspok

en an

d deep

think

ers. T

hey a

re

devo

ted to

their

work

and a

ttract

loyal

friend

s.

1957

, 196

9,

1981

, 199

3,

2005

TIG

ER

Tiger people are considered

very good friends. They are

careful planners and are

respected by others.1962, 1974,

1986, 1998, 2010

HARE

Persons born under the sign

of the hare are blessed with

good fortune and seldom

lose their tempers. They

always keep their

promises.

1963, 1975,

1987, 1999,

2011

DRAGON

People born under the sign

of the Dragon have been

given the gifts of courage,

health and gentleness.

They are good rulers

and sensitive to others.

1952, 1964,

1976, 1988,

2012

SNAKE

People

born u

nder th

is sign

posses

s grea

t wisdo

m. The

y

are for

tunate

in mo

ney

matter

s and

are ve

ry

handso

me or

beautif

ul. 1953,

1965,

1977, 1

989,

2001

DOG

Those born under the Dog

signare extremely loyal and

honest. They have a deep

sense of justice and duty

and can always keep asecret.

1958, 1970,1982, 1994,

2006

BOAR

People born under this sign

have a strong inner

strength and are very

brave. They are shy,

courteous and make

friends for life.1959, 1971,

1983, 1995, 2007

RAT


of the Rat have great

charm.They are know

n

for their ambition,

integrity and drive.

1960, 1972,

1984, 1996,

2008

OX

Ox p

eople are very p

atient

and are good listerners.T

hey inspire others w

iththeir calm

assuredness.

1961, 1

973,

1985, 1

997,

2009

CHINESEZODIAC

CHINESEZODIAC



DO

G

Those born under the D

og

sign are extremely loyal and

honest. They have a deep

sense of justice and dutyand can alw

ays keep asecret.

1958, 1

970,

1982, 1

994,

2006

BO

AR

Peo

ple

born

und

er t

his

sign

have

a s

tron

g in

ner

stre

ngth

and

are

ver

ybr

ave.

The

y ar

e sh

y,co

urte

ous

and

mak

efr

iend

s fo

r lif

e.1959, 1971,

1983, 1995,

2007

RAT

People born under the signof the R

at have greatcharm

.They are know

nfor their am

bition,integrity and drive.

1960, 1

972,

1984, 1

996,

2008

OX

Ox

peop

le a

re v

ery

patie

nt

and

are

good

list

erne

rs.

The

y in

spir

e ot

hers

with

thei

r ca

lm a

ssur

edne

ss.

1961, 1973,

1985, 1997,

2009


TIG

ER

Tiger people are considered

very good friends. They are

careful planners and arerespected by others.

1962, 1

974,

1986, 1

998,

2010

HAR

E

Per

sons

bor

n un

der

the

sign

of t

he h

are

are

bles

sed

with

good

for

tune

and

sel

dom

lose

the

ir t

empe

rs. T

hey

alw

ays

keep

the

irpr

omis

es.

1963, 1975,

1987, 1999,

2011

DR

AG

ON


of the Dragon have been

given the gifts of courage,health and gentleness.T

hey are good rulersand sensitive to others.1952, 1

964,

1976, 1

988,

2012

SN

AK

E

Peo

ple

born

und

er t

his

sign

poss

ess

grea

t w

isdo

m. T

hey

are

fort

unat

e in

mon

eym

atte

rs a

nd a

re v

ery

hand

som

e or

bea

utifu

l.

1953, 1965,

1977, 1989,

2001


MO

NK

EY

Monkey people are good

decision makers and have

great comm

on sense.T

hey are quite successfuland keep them

selvesw

ell-informed.

1956, 1

968,

1980, 1

992,

2004

HO

RSE

Those born under the sign of

the Horse are very cheerful

and popular with others.

They are good w

ith theirhands and quite

talented.

1954, 1

966,

1978, 1

990,

2002

RAM

Peo

ple

born

und

er t

his

sign

are

very

art

istic

and

enj

oy

beau

tiful

thi

ngs.

The

y ar

e

mos

t ha

ppy

whe

n do

ing

crea

tive

task

s.

1955, 1967,

1979, 1991,

2003

RO

OSTER

Peo

ple

born

und

er t

his

sign

are

outs

poke

n an

d de

epth

inke

rs. T

hey

are

devo

ted

to t

heir

wor

kan

d at

trac

t lo

yal

frie

nds.

1957, 1969,

1981, 1993,

2005


FishKite

These gorgeous Fish Kites arefun to run with in the wind andmake a beautiful bulletin board

display.

Copy the fish patternonto colored typing

paper and have eachstudent cut two

patterns. (Youmay want to en-

large the pat-tern for largerfish kites.)

Students canstaple or gluethe edges oftheir two fishshapestogether,leaving the tailand mouthopen. Children

will love deco-rating their kites

with crayons, paints,glitter and markers.

Crepe paper streamerscan also be added.

Fold the mouth of the kiteinward a few of times and shape

it into a round opening. Attachkite string or yarn to the

opening, as shown.


CHOPSTICKSPlace one chopstick firmly between the forefinger and thumb. Move the top stick up and down against the lower stick to grasp food.

SCRAMBLED CHINESE EGGSHeat 2 tablespoons of oil and saute 1/2 minced onion in a frying pan or wok. Beat six oreight eggs with 2 teaspoons of soy sauce and add to the onions. Stir over medium heat untilthe eggs are cooked. Serve with stir-fried snowpeas, bean sprouts and bamboo shoots.

The main food in the Chinese diet is rice. Prepare enough rice for everyone in class andserve it in paper cups with chopsticks. (Many grocery stores carry disposable chopsticks ineconomical packages.)

STIR FRY VEGETABLESBring an electric skillet or a Chinese wok and portable hot plate to the classroom. Let thestudents cut a variety of vegetables such as celery, bok choy, onions, bean sprouts and waterchesnuts. Heat a small amount of vegetable oil in the skillet and saute the vegetables. (Donot overcook.) Serve this healthy food to your students with soy sauce.

You may also like to prepare white rice in a rice cooker. Serve the vegetables over the rice. Ayummy treat even non-vegetable eaters will enjoy!

FORTUNE COOKIESChinese Fortune Cookies are easy to make and especially fun during Chinese New Year cele-brations.

Begin by asking each student to write a fortune or saying on a small strip of typing paper and fold in half.

Assign two or three students to measure the following ingredients:8 egg whites 2 cups sugar1 cup melted butter 1 cup flour1 teaspoon vanilla 1/2 teaspoon salt4 tablespoons water

Separate the egg whites and beat them until they form stiff peaks. Blend in the sugar andbutter. Discard the yolks. Add the flour, vanilla, salt and water to the mixture and mix until itis smooth. Grease a cookie sheet and spoon the batter into 3 inch circles. Bake at 375 forabout 3 minutes.

When the cookies are done, remove them with a pancake turner onto waxed paper. Place afortune in the center of each circle and fold the cookie in half. Bend the cookies gently in thecenter, as shown. (If the cookies become difficult to bend, put them back in the oven for aminute or so.)

Children will be delighted to select a cookie and read their special fortune written by a fellowclassmate.

Note: The recipe does not work well with microwave ovens.

CCCChhhhiiiinnnneeeesssseeee FFFFoooooooodddd!!!!


Find Your Way toThe Dragon's Head!


Assemble both pages on poster board tomake a fun Chinese New Year gameboard.

TEACHERS: Two, three or four children canplay this game. Make your own task cards orwrite math problems that must be solved oneach dragon section.


Happy New Year EnvelopeCut this envelope pattern from bright red paper. Ask stu-dents to write messages of good luck for the New Yearinside. Have them fold the envelope as shown and attach asticker to hold in place. Encourage students to exchangeenvelopes and wish one another "Gung Hey Fat Choy!"


FAT

"NEW

""H

APPY

"GUNG

HEY

"YEAR"

CHOY


Make dozens of Chinese lanterns simply by having each studentfold a 12" x 18" sheet of colored construction paper in half and cutas shown. Ask them to unfold the paper and staple the outsideedges to form a cylinder. Students can add paper handles and cut-paper decorations if they wish. Hang them throughout your class-room for a truly festive atmosphere.


Children will lovespeaking and writingChinese duringChinese New Yearcelebrations. Askstudents to pro-nounce the words"Kung Shi" (GungShe) which means"Happy New Year."Traditionally, thisgreeting is said tofriendswhile bowed atthe waist with hands folded. After the children have perfected theirgreeting, have them try their hand at writing the characters "GungHay Fat Choy" on New Year banners.

Cut long rectangles, about 12" x 30", of red butcher paper and askstudents to write the characters "Gung Hay Fat Choy" down thecenter of the banners with black tempera paint.

After the banners have dried, cut 12" strips of black constructionpaper. Fold the strips over long pieces of yarn and staple to the topof the banners.

Hang these lovely Chinese greetings in your classroom throughoutyour New Year celebrations.

Lantern

CUTSFOLD

Happy New Year BannerGUNG

"HAPPY"

HAY

"NEW"

FAT

CHOY

"YEAR"


InternationalChildren


China


Tangram

A Tangram is an ancient Chinese puzzle cut from a square piece ofpaper. It consists of five triangles, a parallelogram and a smallsquare. These seven shapes can be combined to form many dif-ferent shapes and designs.

Give each of your students a copy of the Tangram. Have them cutout the pieces and arrange them on a contrasting colored sheet ofpaper. Glue the shapes in place and display the best Tangrams onthe class board.


DRAGON TALESThere are few better ways to tap into thecreativity of a youngster's imagination thanwith the theme of "dragons!" Here are a fewsuggestions for "dragon" story starters!

List 10 ways to catch a dragon. Tell about the day a dragon went

shopping. Write an advertisement for a babysitter

for your pet dragon. Write directions for giving a dragon a

bath. Tell about the dragon who tried to stop

smoking.

DESCRIPTIVE DRAGONSAsk your students to describe what adragon would be like, if there were such athing! You may want to write the descriptivestatements on the class board. Some ideasmight include:

Bigger than a house.Has horns and wings.Breathes fire and smoke.Is purple with spots.Can fly away.Lives in a cave.Can disappear.Has a long, pointed tail.

When the class has discussed every possibledescription of a dragon, ask students todraw a picture of the dragon using all of thedescriptions. Instruct the students to eachwrite a story about their imaginary dragon.

CATCH THE DRAGON'S TAILThis energetic, outside game will give yourkids a vigorous workout and a lot of laughs,too!

Ask your students to form one long line.Have them each put his or her hands on theshoulders of the child in front. The first stu-dent in line is called the "Dragon's Head,"and the last student is called the "Dragon'sTail."

Tell the "Dragon's Head" that he or she mustcatch the "Dragon's Tail." This isn't as easyas you might think, because the line musttwist and turn to follow the "Head," but atthe same time each student must not losehold of the student before him or her. Whenthe "Head" catches the "Tail," the two stu-dents switch positions. Let the children haveturns being the "Dragon's Head."

In Chinese mythology, dragons play a very important role. Dragon themes are especially usedduring the Chinese New Year celebrations. It is said that Shen Lung, the "Good LuckDragon", is the mightiest of all dragons. He controls the sea, sky, moon, sun and soil. ButShen Lung is also very lazy. Legend says that he avoids work by shrinking himself to the sizeof a small mouse. As a mouse, he hides in people's houses for most of the year.

Try one of these "Dragon" activities with your students.

CCCChhhhiiiinnnneeeesssseeee DDDDrrrraaaaggggoooonnnn AAAAcccctttt iiiivvvviiii tttt iiiieeeessss!!!!


Dragon DisplayFor a fantastic bulletin board dis-play, enlarge these dragon head andclaws patterns using heavy paper.Color with brightly colored markersor crayons. (Make several copies ofthe feet.)


Form the dragon's body by pin-ning together several sheets of 9" x 12" construction paper.Arrange the paper to form a long, win

1 january idea book

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