Make The Most of Winter Break

So, winter break is finally here and it is time to sit back and relax, right? But it’s not always so easy for teachers. It’s so easy to use that time off to grade assignments, plan lessons, and generally do everything possible except relaxing. Today we want to give you our best tips for making the most of your winter break by relaxing and getting a tiny bit of work done, too.

1.      Prioritize time with your family and friends. It is the holiday season. Take time away from work to simply be with the people you care about. This may mean planning fun trips or it may mean watching movies all day on the couch. Leave your work behind and just enjoy being in the moment.

2.      Try to stick to your regular sleep schedule. Sleeping in once or twice isn’t going to hurt, but if you get used to waking up at nine in the morning every day, you’ll have a difficult time getting up for work when vacation is over. Plus by getting up early you have more daylight to do things!

3.      Read a book. How often do you get to sit down and read just for yourself during the school year? Reading is a great way to relax and a great way to exercise your brain.

4.      Take some time to relax with just you. Teaching is a lot of hard work and you need time to recharge. Relax. Go to a movie by yourself. Get a massage. Do something you enjoy that lets you unwind.

5.      Take some time to reflect on how the school year has been going. What worked in your classroom? What didn’t? What changes can you make to improve the rest of the year? You don’t have to plan out all new lessons, but taking some time to re-assess is a great idea.

6.      Allow yourself to try out a new hobby. Try cooking or baking, something you probably already do because you have to, but that can be an activity you enjoy. Try taking a painting class. Pick up a craft kit or try out knitting, which can easily be put down and picked back up. Winter break is a great time to try doing something you’ve been interested in.

7.      Plan your calendar, both for home and for school. Put everything on one specific calendar so you can easily reference it. What big school deadlines do you have to keep track of? What plans have you made? Get this organized now to reduce stress down the road.

8.      If you do have work that you absolutely must get done, limit it. Give yourself only a set number of hours. Don’t get so distracted by work that you don’t relax…you want to be energized when school starts back up.

Thanksgiving Ideas For The Classroom

Thanksgiving is coming up soon. Are you looking for unique activities to do to celebrate in your classroom? You don’t have to stick to lecturing about the history of the holiday. There’s tons of other things you can do to engage students right before the holiday!

·        Separate Thanksgiving facts from fiction with a visual board in a class-wide activity. There’s plenty of “facts” that are actually fiction, some of them damaging and some of them not. Make a game of having students guess which things are true and which are not.

·        Brainstorm ways to give back to the community. Take ideas from your students, no matter how big or small the idea is. From there have students vote and pick the top three community service projects. Discuss them. What would need to be done to get these goals accomplished? You may even be able to implement these ideas.

·        Have students save a turkey from Thanksgiving dinner! This fun activity really lets students get creative. Print off a free turkey template then have students use craft supplies to make a disguise for the turkey. Maybe have them write a short story to go with it!

·        Hold a Thanksgiving feast in your classroom or the school cafeteria. This one requires more preparation so get started sooner rather than later. Send out a memo to parents, asking students to sign up to bring in different dishes in the class. Maybe this is a proper Thanksgiving feast, or if you want to make it more simple hold a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving party instead!

·        Plan a Thanksgiving scavenger hunt in your classroom or outdoors on school grounds. Hide relevant items such as ears of corn, mini pumpkins, and more. The clues can be based on Thanksgiving history, math challenges, spelling challenges, anything you want!

Should Halloween Be Banned In School

Holidays on school premises have been an issue that has gained attention for years, and it shows no sign of slowing down. While the debate on acknowledging Easter and Christmas makes sense to most, there is a lot of confusion about why Halloween is getting banned more and more often at schools across the country. Today we’re diving into the debate about Halloween in schools.

1.      Religion – One of the big points that comes up during this debate is the issue of religion. No one wants to disrespect people’s religion, and Halloween can incense some parents from different religious backgrounds. Some people believe Halloween is directly related with the devil. Critics argue that Halloween encourages evil. But Halloween is not a religious celebration. It began as a Celtic event, as a day when the living could mingle with the dead. Really, Halloween is a mix of very old religious traditions, folklore, and secular traditions. On the whole, in modern society Halloween is not a holiday that celebrates a particular religion or denounces one. Much like Christmas parties in the classroom, you may want to play it safe by naming Halloween celebrations as fall ones, but this is more an issue of being politically correct versus breaking rules regarding religion in school.

2.      Distraction – Some make the argument that celebrating Halloween is too big of a distraction in the classroom. Class parties take time away from instruction time, and costumes keep students distracted during the day. This argument is that school is for education, not for play. If this is the case, then all holiday events should be banned from school. At the same time, this seems unreasonable. Something else that teachers think about is their students who come from poverty, who may not get a chance to celebrate different occasions throughout the year. Many classrooms choose to dedicate only a small amount of time to holiday celebrations so they do not lose much instruction time.

3.      Inappropriate Costumes – There are many Halloween stores out there, offering a huge variety of costumes. This means that students are showing up in costumes that are too violent, disturbing, and racist. Certain costumes may scare certain students, while costumes covered in fake blood are simply inappropriate for a classroom environment. Teachers and schools can implement costume requirements, such as banning certain costumes, or they may make their classroom themed. With costume policing however, it can just be easier to ban them altogether.

4.      Health – Classroom parties also bring up health concerns. This is not exclusive to Halloween celebrations, but as Halloween is associated with candy and other treats, a Halloween party is more likely to have unhealthy snacks than other. Filling kids with tons of sugary, fattening foods is becoming less and less popular. Luckily there are plenty of fun, healthy treats that can be made, but it takes some extra coordination.

5.      Safety – Amid the growing terrorism and school shooting fears, it is understandable that schools are uneasy about allowing children inside in costumes. Masks can disguise a student’s identity, and props can be used as weapons. So how does one address this particular issue? Again, costume restrictions are very important. Not allowing props or masks is an easy way to deal with this. If you bring in volunteers to help with the festivities, do a thorough background check.

      So, bottom line? Choosing to celebrate or not celebrate Halloween at your school is ultimately up to the individual school or classroom. Personally, we believe that as long as the celebration is handled in an appropriate way that there is no reason why you can’t celebrate Halloween in some capacity in the classroom.

Fall Activity Checklist

Fall is here, and that means it is the time to start enjoying fall activities! We’re going to list some of the best fall activities that you can do with your children or students. Doing seasonally themed activities can make for a great learning experience, even if you don’t specifically create a lesson to go with the activities.

1.      One of the most classic things you can do is take kids to an apple orchard to pick their own apples. But it doesn’t have to end there. Choose an orchard that offers additional activities. Sample some apple cider. Pick an orchard that has a store with locally made treats. Don’t just pick apples to eat, pick enough to take home and make a delicious dessert with them!

2.      Take your kids on a ghost tour. Now you’re not going to want to take them on a tour that is going to terrify them, but there are a lot of ghost tours that will take you through historic parts of town, and give a lot of local history at the same time. This is a great way to help kids learn more about their city, while grabbing their attention with spooky tales.

3.      Head to a farmer’s market. Fall is a big time for harvesting vegetables which means farmer’s markets will be full of tasty, local vegetables. Kids will get a better idea of where their food comes from and can make meals with tasty ingredients.

4.      Take a trip to see the fall colors. If you are going just with your kids, take a road trip somewhere with tons of fall leaves. If you are with a school group, take the kids to a local park. Fall colors are beautiful, so wait until peak season then take kids out to take a look.

5.      Take your kids or students to a fall festival. These festivals have tons of great fall-themed events, such as hay rides, corn mazes, pumpkin painting, and much more. A festival like this allows your kids to experience a lot of fall traditions all in one place.

6.      Make fall crafts, and even better, make them using fall items. Leaves, sticks, candy corn…there’s tons of stuff you can use to make fun crafts with your kids!

7.      Make homemade Halloween costumes! If you are doing this at home, go crazy! Make more complex, family Halloween costumes so you all look great for Halloween. If you are doing this in a classroom you may want to stick to costumes that are simpler, such as hats or masks.

8.      Kids have a lot of energy, and a great way to burn off some of that energy is a fun game of football. Organize it in the neighborhood, with just your family, or with your entire classroom. Make it touch football to reduce the risk of injury.

9.      Go on a nature walk. This is more than just a hike looking at fall colors, this is to see how the world changes when the seasons change. There will be different plants and animals, the air will feel and smell different, and even familiar surroundings will look different.

10.   Use the traditional tastes of fall to create different fall-themed dishes! Apple, cinnamon, pumpkin, caramel; there’s tons of great flavors and treats to make.

Common Foods That Make Kids Sick

A lot has changed in the past 100 years, especially our food and where it comes from. While it may be tempting to give your children hotdogs after a long day at work, you may want to read this list first. Some of the foods we’ll be listing here are simply unhealthy that can contribute to obesity, while others may contribute to the development of cancer. The best thing you can do for your child is to serve fresh food, with as little processed foods as possible. But here are some of the most commonly used foods that can be particularly detrimental to your child’s health.

1.      Fruit juice seems like it would be a healthy choice, when in fact it is usually packed with sugar with almost no actual fruit. Many fruit juices contain more corn syrup than actual juice, but even the 100% juice options are usually crammed full of sugar. Now certainly 100% fruit juice is better than soda, but you’re going to want to limit fruit juice intake. Most Americans get at least double the recommended intake of added sugar a day, and a single cup of juice can fulfill the full sugar limit all on its own.

2.      And speaking of soda, do not give your children diet soda with the assumption it is better for them than regular soda. While it doesn’t have sugar, it has artificial colors and dangerous chemicals. It usually has caramel coloring, which is currently being studied because it has caused cancer in rats.

3.      Deep fried foods. It is an obvious item, but it needs to be mentioned. Fried chicken, chicken tenders, breaded shrimp, onion rings. These items are high in fat, high in calories, and high in sodium. The key with this is moderation. By all means, go out for fried chicken every once in a while, but don’t make it a part of your weekly diet.

4.      Processed meats are extremely unhealthy in a number of ways. This includes sausage, bacon, lunchmeat, and more. They are now accepted as being a carcinogen, which is reason enough to stay far away from them. If you can’t give up bacon, limit it a lot. Make processed meats a very special treat.

5.      Cereal, one of the most popular breakfast items, is extremely unhealthy, even if you go for the “healthy” options. Not only do most cereals contain way too much sugar, but some of them contain ingredients that are banned in other parts of the world because they may cause cancer. Instead serve eggs, toast, oatmeal, or something else more natural than a sugary cereal.

6.      Canned soup is easy, cheap, and healthy. But not quite. Canned soup is packed with sodium, often half or more the sodium you should get in an entire day. It can also be packed with strange chemicals you’ve never heard of. Homemade soup is not hard to make, and it’s a lot better for you.

7.      Boxed Mac & cheese is another cheap, popular meal for kids that is filled with sodium. Depending on the brand, your kids will also be ingesting tons of fake ingredients, including the cheese. Making homemade Mac & cheese with real ingredients isn’t too hard, and there are ways you can make it more healthy, such as using low-fat cheese.

8.      If you think feeding your kid a salad is healthy, think again. Salad dressing can be packed with fat, sugar, and chemicals. By no means should you cut out salad, just choose the dressing you use with it carefully.

9.      Stay away from canned fruit or fruit cups. These are often bathed in oils and sugary syrups. These can contribute to obesity and other health issues so instead, just choose fruit. Simple fruit from your produce aisle.

10.   Frozen foods, whether these are hot pockets, TV dinners, or anything else requiring to just be warmed up are usually bad for you and your kids. They’re very processed, filled with sodium, and can cause a lot of adverse health issues. Before you choose a frozen meal take a good look at the nutritional facts to make sure the one you choose is not too unhealthy.

11.   Pop-tarts and their off brands are fast, sugary, and extremely unhealthy. Not only are they high in fat and sugar, but they contain chemicals that may cause cancer. Best to stay away from these entirely.

12.   Using margarine instead of butter is not a good alternative. It is a huge source of trans fats, which are bad for cholesterol. When cooking with butter use olive oil instead, and when using butter for bread stick with traditional butter, in moderation of course.

13.   Granola bars are often labeled as a healthy food, but they are anything but. Granola bars are actually filled with oils and sugars, making them more of a desert than anything else. Not only that, but they actually usually don’t make you feel full, leading to overeating.

14.   Popping a bag of microwave popcorn in for movie night is extremely bad for your child’s health. It’s filled with sodium, fat, artificial butter, calories, and strange “natural” flavors. There have also been some questions about if the chemicals in microwave popcorn may slightly increase the chances of cancer. Air popping popcorn from home actually makes for a healthy snack.

15.   Stay away from white bread and choose 100% whole wheat bread instead. White bread is made with flour that has no nutrition, often has strange preservatives, and also, surprisingly, has more sugar than you would think.

16.   Bagels have a reputation for being a healthy breakfast item, but between the high carbs and the calories and sugar the bagel has when not plain or covered in cream cheese, it becomes a very unhealthy way to start the day.

17.   An item you may not think about as being unhealthy is ketchup. Not only is one of its main ingredients corn syrup, but it contains a lot of sugar. And when you’re using ketchup with your French fries, you end up consuming a lot of ketchup without even thinking about it.

18.   Pancake mix makes for easy, delicious pancakes, but pancake mix has almost nothing in it except refined flour. Plus you add butter and syrup, then you have a high calorie, high sugar breakfast. Keep these as a special restaurant treat, not a staple in your home.

19.   Don’t indulge in red meat on a regular basis. That means cut back on the burgers and pork chops. Red meat is higher in fat and cholesterol than chicken and fish. You don’t have to cut out all red meat, just eat it in moderation.

20.   Many will claim that yogurt is healthy, and it can be, as long as you watch the yogurt you are giving to your kids. A lot of yogurt has tons of added sugar and artificial sweeteners. In general you want to go for Greek yogurt, and make sure to check the nutrition facts!

Use The Ocean as a Teaching Tool

Many people head to the beach in summer, but you can make it more than a fun outing! Either before your beach trip or during, take some time to teach your kids about the ocean.

·        A great introduction to beaches, and a great way to get kids to respect the beaches, is to teach them about what a healthy beach should look like. While at the beach, ask them questions. How crowded is it? Are there animals around? Is there trash on the ground or in the water? With kids you will likely be heading to a busier beach with a lifeguard, so once you’re home show them photos of unoccupied beaches. Ask them how humans change the beaches, and what they should do to treat the beaches well.

·        Now that your kids have talked about the human impact on beaches, extend that to the ocean. Ask what your kids think first, then give examples. Tell your kids about how sewage gets into the water. Show pictures of sea creatures trapped or injured due to garbage. Explain how boats and nets can hurt animals, even if they aren’t caught. This will encourage your children to take better care of the beach and even their neighborhood.

·        Now you can go more into the marine life in the ocean. Whales are a great place to start. Almost all kids know about them, and they have a complicated history. See what types of whales they know about, and expand that knowledge by telling them about species of whales they don’t know about. Explain whaling, when whales were hunted for not only their meat, but their blubber. The whale hunting caused some whales to go extinct, and most to be endangered. They are now protected. Feel free to discuss other marine life such as sharks, turtles, and jellyfish.

·        Now it’s time to dive deeper…in fact, dive as deep as you can go! The Mariana Trench is the deepest place on Earth, and that’s sure to grab your kid’s attention. Very few descents have been made, so what we know about this place is limited. Almost nothing lives in this deep part of the ocean, as far as we know. Because the water is so deep (almost 7 miles), the trench is dark with temperatures barely above freezing. Live humans have only reached the bottom of this trench one time. The water pressure is so high that almost nothing can survive down there. However, due to lack of exploration, for all we know there are creatures living in the depths that haven’t been discovered yet.

·        Now you can move on to ocean habitats that can hold more life than the deep Mariana’s Trench. Most of the ocean life your kids are familiar with will live in the upper zones of the ocean. There’s plenty of charts online that go into depth about these zones so be sure to use them!

Water Safety For Your Kids

Whether you’re a teacher at a camp or a parent with their kids, water safety is extremely important.

Heading to the beach or the pool in summer is a common activity, but don’t let that make you complacent. Water is always changing, and kids are always changing, so you have to keep your guard up when children are in the water.

The dangers of the water in a pool and the ocean can be similar, but there are some differences. We’ve broken it down into two separate categories so you’re ready no matter where you are.

Pool Safety:

~ Don’t leave children unattended. This is particular true for younger kids. If you need to go to the bathroom, take them with. Make sure you are in the water with them or that you can see them from wherever you are sitting. It can be easy in a small pool to trust the lifeguard, but you need to keep an eye on your own children. You know them, and you’re going to know right away if something is wrong.

~ Make sure children can swim at an appropriate level. In most pools children have to pass a swim test to go into deeper water, but even so, ensure your children’s swimming skills are up to par. If they aren’t strong swimmers enroll them in a class. The better they can swim, the less likely an accident is.

~ Teach your children not to swim around drains. Goggle straps, swimsuits, and hair can all get stuck in drains, which can mean big problems for your kids. It’s not as if your kids have to stay on the other side of the pool, but tell them not to dive and play right by a drain.

~ Ensure children practice safety themselves. While you can do everything you can to keep your children safe, they need to practice safety themselves. They need to understand their swimming skills, pool depths, and general safety practices. Once they know how to be safe, both the child and the adult are keeping safety in mind.

~ Make sure kids keep an eye on the sky. It’s easy for kids to get distracted by their fun time in the pool and forget about the weather. When clouds start to roll in, it’s time to be cautious. If there’s rain, or even thunder in the distance, it’s time to get out. If the clouds look bad enough it is important to get out of the water even with those warning signs, whether the other kids get out of the pool or not.

Ocean Safety:

~ Teach children how to swim in the surf. The surf is very different from a static swimming pool. In fact, taking kids to a wave pool is a good way to start. Children should never turn their back on the ocean, because waves can take them by surprise easily. They should be able to swim over waves without getting caught in the current.

~ Always swim on a beach with a lifeguard. It’s not like a pool, where it is easy to get to your child. In the ocean, the water is much different and can change at any moment. Lifeguards are trained to deal with this type of water, so only swim at beaches that do have lifeguards on duty.

~ Don’t let children swim alone. Whether you are in the water or another child is there with them, no one, especially children, should ever swim alone in the ocean. Always make sure your child has a swim buddy to keep an eye on them.

~ Watch the weather. The weather on beaches can change rapidly, especially in warmer climates where thunderstorms can be very common. Even if the clouds are in the distance, it is time to get out of the water. Lightning isn’t the only problem, but wind can stir up the water and make swimming even more difficult.

~ Teach kids to keep away from marine life. Jellyfish, while they look fun, are dangerous. Other plants and animals can also pose dangers. Tell your kids to stay away from plants and animals in the water for their own safety.

~ Keep away from piers. Not only are the waters more dangerous around here, but sharks are more drawn towards these piers. While shark attacks are rare, it’s better to be safe and keep kids away. Plus piers have more people, often more people fishing, which means fishing lines and fishing nets.

~ Always check the water conditions before swimming. You can find these online, by the flags on the beach, or from the lifeguard. If the water conditions make you wary, trust your instincts and keep yourself and the kids out of the water for the day.

Teach kids about rip currents. Rip currents pull you farther from shore and farther into the ocean. This is responsible for many of the deaths at beaches. Kids need to know how to deal with these.

·        Stay calm and don’t fight against the current.

·        Swim parallel to the shore until you’ve made it out of the rip current.

·        Once free, turn and swim back to shore.

·        If you get too tired, float or tread water.

·        If you can’t make it back to shore, signal for a lifeguard. 

Spring Writing Prompts

School isn’t out yet, and if you find your students are having a hard time focusing, particularly on writing, we have some prompts that will help. Writing prompts are a great way to get those minds working. Here’s some spring themed writing prompts to keep students writing.

1.      The trees, grass, and plants are all waking up from winter. Write about their feelings about this. Are they happy to be awake? Would they rather keep sleeping? What does the new season feel like?

2.      April showers bring May flowers, but what if those showers didn’t stop? Write a story about a world where it never stops raining. What happens? How do people live?

3.      It’s the time for gardens to start being planted. Write about the biggest garden you can imagine.

4.      Spring means warmer temperatures, which means you can finally spend more time outside. What are your favorite things to do outdoors in spring?

5.      Now that winter is over, birds are migrating back. Tell the story of a bird making the journey home, and what awaits them there.

6.      When it rains we can stay warm in our homes, but animals live outside. Tell the story of an animal that tries to stay dry in the rain. How do they do it?

7.      Spring is a time of growth. How have you grown over the past year?

8.      If you could only live in one season year round, which would it be? You would still have school and holidays, but the weather would always be the same as it is in either spring, summer, fall, or winter.

9.      It’s the time for spring cleaning. Does your family participate in spring cleaning? What do you think you could do to help?

10.   Did you know that bees are the reason we have flowers and vegetables? Write about a world with no bees.

Make Your School Go Green

In honor of Earth Day on April 22^nd, we wanted to do a special blog highlighting ways that you can make your school a greener place. Now this doesn’t mean you have to start installing solar panels on your roof! We’re going to list some simple ways you can do your part to protect the environment.

1.      Create a recycling center, whether this is school wide, classroom specific, or both. This should go beyond simply recycling paper. Have a section for cans, plastic, paper, and glass. It makes recycling easy, which means students are more likely to do it!

2.      Have each classroom have a scratch paper bin. For some projects, students do not need a full, nice sheet of paper. This will cut down on the waste of paper, which will do wonders for the environment.

3.      Form a Green student club. This club will give students a chance to brainstorm ideas to make the school greener, find volunteer opportunities, and more. They may hold environmental presentations or lobby the school board. It is a great way to get students involved in protecting the environment.

4.      Stop busses from idling at your school. Many busses will park in front of the school to pick up students with the engines running. This is a huge waste of gas and a huge increase in unnecessary pollution. Have busses park, turn off the engine, and only turn back on once it is time to depart.

5.      Plant a school garden. This is great for so many reasons. Students will get to learn about gardening, students spend more time outdoors, and you are able to grow fresh fruits and vegetables that students can consume!

6.      Use electronics less. Always turn off lights and fans when they aren’t in use. Don’t put computers to sleep, shut them down. These small things can save a ton of energy.

7.      Get your school involved with local environmental groups. Have speakers come in and present students with volunteer opportunities. Service learning isn’t uncommon in the classroom, so why not center it around the environment?

8.      Use the environment in the classroom instead of energy. Open up blinds and let sunlight light the rooms. Open the windows instead of using fans or air conditioning. As the weather warms students love to feel the breeze just like us. If appropriate you can even take classes outside.

9.      Go paperless, or as much as you can. So many forms used in a school can be just as effective if on a computer. You’ll save an amazing amount of paper this way.

10.   Use eco-friendly cleaners in your school. Many chemical cleaners are not only bad for the environment, they are bad for humans. There’s plenty of natural ways to keep a building clean. In fact it may even be cheaper.

      Try out these ten tips to making your school a greener place!

American History: Our History of Teaching it Incorrectly

American history is extremely important. Not only does it show us where we came from, it instills a sense of pride in the country. By studying American history students are able to learn about all we have accomplished as a nation.

Unfortunately, that is often all they learn. Censorship of American history has been a hot topic for a few years. Some believe that students should only be taught American history that fosters pride in the country, instead of also teaching about the poor decisions we have made. Students, however, are not ignorant enough to accept this. There have been protests from the students themselves to stop the censorship of American history.

Censorship involves many things. Some history is blatantly ignored, while some is taught in such a way that it makes America appear in a better light. While there’s certainly nothing wrong with emphasizing the good America has done in the world, it is important to show the bad America has done. It teaches students about learning from mistakes. Censoring American history makes our students more ignorant. Beyond that, we run the risk of them finding a more true history on their own, which will further impact their faith in the school system and even the government. The best way to combat this is to teach the correct balance of material, which highlights the good and the bad of American history.

Here are some common examples where history may be taught differently:

The way schools teach about Abraham Lincoln is a prime example. The Emancipation Proclamation is shown as a huge win for civil rights, which it was. It is also often taught that Abraham Lincoln was extremely opposed to slavery. He was not. His goal was simply to keep the Union together, whether that meant freeing the slaves or not. While this difference may seem small, it has a huge impact on the view of his presidency. Teach instead, about his military prowess. Teach about his dedication to keeping America unified. This is a beautiful message for students to hear. Focus instead on the Civil Rights Movement when discussing proper equality.

Thanksgiving is a great example of history that is taught completely incorrectly. We touched on the topic in a past blog post already. The current lessons surrounding Thanksgiving diminish the sufferings of Native Americans. In fact, teachings about Native Americans, their culture, and what Americans have done to erase them is something that could use further teaching in general. There is no national standard for teaching Native American history. It is important students understand who was here before us, and where they are today.

Japanese Internment Camps are another subject that is often glossed over. While concentration camps receive a lot of attention, many schools only mention America’s own camps in passing. This is not true of every state, but a survey would tell you that many Americans know very little, and sometimes nothing, about these camps. It was determined these internment camps were based on racism and war hysteria, rather than sound military expertise. Going into more history about this topic will show students that hate and fear should not be on the forefront of decision making.   

There are plenty more examples of important parts of American history that are glossed over or not taught in schools. It is important that students have a full understanding of where they have come from, to stop America from making the same mistakes in the future. Your ability to teach more extensively on these topics may be limited depending on your school, however the benefits of students getting a full understanding of the history of their nation is extremely important. If you are able to give them that better understanding, please do.

Valentine’s Day Around The World

Valentine’s Day is coming up quickly, but you can use this day to do more than just make heart-

themed crafts and have students exchange cards. Instead, you can use this opportunity to educate students about cultures from all around the world. Many countries outside of America celebrate some version of Valentine’s Day. We’ve compiled a list for you, so you can use this fun holiday to educate your students.

Japan

In Japan, it is the women who are doting on the men, but it’s not only for romantic purposes. On February 14^th women will give different types of chocolate to different types of men, depending on the relationship. Women give giri-choco, which is chocolate that is given out of obligation, to men they have no romantic interest in such as male friends, colleagues, and bosses. Honmei choco is gifted to men in the woman’s life that are boyfriends or husbands. One month later on March 14^th is White Day. On this day men return the favor. They present chocolate and other gifts to women who gifted them chocolate the month before.

South Korea

South Korea has similar traditions to Japan when it comes to Valentine’s Day. Like in Japan, on February 14^th women gift men they like romantically with chocolate and candy. On March 14^th, men reciprocate with chocolate and gifts. For those people who are single, they have their own holiday on April 14^th. It is known as Black Day, a day where singles mourn their solitary status by eating black bean paste noodles. South Korean’s are, in general, a very romantic bunch. Different months on the 14^th have different romantic themes, so couples can celebrate all year.

Wales

In Wales, the locals celebrate Saint Dwynwen on January 25^th. On this day, men gift women they love with a wooden spoon. These wooden spoons are carved with different patterns to represent different things. Some examples include keys, which represent a man’s heart, and horseshoes, representing good luck. They are also exchanged for events such as weddings and anniversaries.

France

Paris is considered to be one of the most romantic cities in the world and is a popular destination on Valentine’s Day. Romantic partners exchange cards and gifts, much like we do in America. The origin of Valentine’s Day is actually claimed by France. While the traditions in France are similar to American traditions now, some old traditions certainly were not. An old tradition called une loterie d’amour involved single men and women filing into a house. Men and women would take turns calling out to each other and pairing off, but if the men didn’t like their match they could leave for a different woman. Any women who remained unmatched gathered for a bonfire, during which they burned pictures of men who rejected them and screamed insults. This tradition became uncontrollable and the French government eventually banned it.

Denmark

Valentine’s Day in Denmark is a very new tradition, and has only been around since the 1990s. That hasn’t stopped them from coming up with their own fun traditions. In Denmark, romantic partners often exchange white flowers called snowdrops and cards. Men may also give women gaekkebrev, which is a note or poem written anonymously. It is signed with dots, and the woman must guess the sender. If correct she gets an Easter egg later on in the year.

This is only a small sampling of the many Valentine’s Day traditions around the world. Many countries have traditions similar to ours, so today we’ve highlighted some of the traditions that your students are less likely to know about. We hope you take this chance to highlight other cultures. You may even be able to find a way to work some of these traditions into class activities!

Have a great holiday!

Winter Bucket List

Winter is a wonderful time of year. It is easy for the cold, cloudy days to take a toll and make you feel depressed and lethargic. But winter isn’t going away anytime soon, so instead you should take the time to enjoy it, and to enjoy it with your students! The ideas we are going to present you with here work great for field trips or just as ideas to give your students to get them outside appreciating nature, instead of inside playing video games for the next several months.

1.      Go sledding. As long as this activity is done in a safe location, it is a great activity for students. This is the perfect opportunity to explain sledding safety to your students. The most important step they can take is to choose a safe hill. Hills should not be too steep and should have a good, flat surface for the sled to stop on, with no roads or sidewalks in the way. Hills should also be free of trees fences, and other dangers. Additionally, hills should be snow covered, not ice covered. Falling off a sled onto ice can cause serious damage. These tips will help your students have a great time sledding, and stay safe.

2.      Go ice skating. This is another activity that can end in injury, so it is important that you give your students plenty of safety tips so they don’t get hurt. Students should be sure to lace their skates up tightly. A loose skate means a better chance of falling. While many people don’t do this, a helmet is a great way to prevent serious head injury. And something to remember when it comes to ice skating is that you will always fall. The key is to fall correctly, protecting your head, wrists, and hands. This doesn’t stop a fall from hurting, but it does stop it from causing a severe injury. 

3.      Go skiing. While skiing may sound like a dangerous sport, it is actually quite safe when done correctly. I was taken on several skiing field trips in middle school, and I’d never skied before in my life. This is a great field trip opportunity, though a pricey one. Skiing is something you really want to leave to a professional. They can teach kids how to balance, move, fall correctly, and avoid any dangers associated with the sport. When done correctly, skiing is an exhilarating and fun school trip and family activity for the winter months.

4.      Take a winter hike. Winter hikes are a great way to show natural terrain in a whole new way. Hiking in winter does present a series of challenges. Obstacles may be concealed by the snow, so students must take caution while walking. Winter hikes keep students outdoors. They’ll see animal tracks, snow-covered trees, frozen streams, and other wonders that can only be seen during a winter hike.

5.      Create a winter scavenger hunt. You can find plenty of examples online with a simple Google search. It may seem that in winter there’s not much to look for, but that’s not true. This scavenger hunt can be both to collect items, and simply spot items. Animal tracks, pine cones, icicles, berries, and frozen puddles are all great examples of scavenger hunt items.

6.      Organize a classroom-wide snowball fight. You will of course want to establish a few rules to keep the activity fun and safe. The biggest rule by far is that snowballs can only be made with snow. Threaten that any ice, twigs, or other items placed in snowballs will end the game and bring about severe consequences. There should also be boundaries, such as no aiming for the head or direct physical contact. From there pick the teams, let them make a base, and watch the battle!

7.      Go on a horse-drawn sleigh ride. Rides like this are sometimes offered in the city, but the best place to do an activity like this is in the countryside. Students can experience sitting in a sled or wagon and being pulled through the fields and woods by a team of horses. It’s a great opportunity to teach about the past, get students closer to nature, and learn more about animals.

8.      Make ice cream out of snow! This is a fun, cheap activity that your students will love. Do some searching online to find the recipe that is perfect for your classroom. You’ll find there are many different recipes and methods for this tasty concoction.

9.      Attend a winter festival. This is of course an activity you will likely not do with your students, but it’s a great activity to share with them. Many cities have some form of a winter festival. These winter festivals often have activities to offer that students won’t find anywhere else. Examples include snowshoeing, dog sled races, ice sculpture contests, and more. Winter festivals can make the bleakness of winter more exciting with unique activities.

10.   Make snow art! There’s tons of great ways to use snow to create art. And we mean beyond creating snowmen and snow angels. You can do crafting with snow, and even add other materials. A great example is snow painting. Using food coloring with water in spray bottles gives students the tools they need to make art outside. You may also choose to include paintbrushes and bowls of “paint” but this can get complicated and a bit messier. Either way, making art with snow is a great way to nurture creativity.