The poem that many of us know as “‘Twas the Night Before Christmas” was originally called “A Visit from St. Nicholas.” It was written by Clement C. Moore and first printed in a newspaper in 1823. Hear it read aloud in a video. There are plenty of picture book… Continue reading
As a Google Earth Pangaean, I had the opportunity to try out Google Earth 6 early. Now you can have it too! Go to Google Earth and download the new version. The view is better, the trees are quite realistic, and you can really feel that you are visiting… Continue reading
Who’s That Knocking on Christmas Eve? is a beautiful book by Jan Brett, one of our favorite children’s book authors. In this story, naughty trolls threaten a Norwegian Christmas dinner till a passerby with a pet polar bear scares them off. Resources: Jan Brett’s resource pages tell about the research… Continue reading
Michael Rosen’s Chanukah Lights Everywhere is a sweet book, and very good for the classroom. It follows a young boy through preparations and celebration of Chanukah with his family. The book doesn’t ignore the religious nature of the celebration, but is certainly suitable for public schools. The structure of… Continue reading
Early American children had few store-bought toys. Usually, their toys were made at home from things that would otherwise have been discarded. Two excellent examples of this: apple head dolls and cornhusk dolls. To make an apple head doll, peel an apple. Decide where you will make the face. Having… Continue reading
How the Grinch Stole Christmas was written in 1957 by Dr. Seuss (Theodore Geisel), and the Grinch has joined Ebeneezer Scrooge in the pantheon of seasonal bad guys — transformed, of couse, by the power of Christmas. The Grinch hates Christmas — the noise, the singing, the presents. He finds it… Continue reading
“The Boy Who Cried Wolf” is the story of a young shepherd. Growing bored with his work, he shouts “Wolf!” to make the townspeople come running. He laughs at them and at their anger when they find he has tricked them. He repeats the joke, so at last when a wolf… Continue reading
Table Manners in a PDF file to print out. Continue reading
Native American games include both well-known games like lacrosse and lesser known games that your students will also enjoy. Get some movement and fun into your lessons by including games in your study of Native Americans. Some books including Native American Games: Native American Games and Stories by James… Continue reading
The Osage are a Siouxan group of Native Americans. They migrated from the Ohio Valley down to Missouri, and had their traditional hunting grounds in Northwest Arkansas. In the 19th century, during what was then called “Indian Removal” and is now called “The Trail of Tears,” the Osage moved… Continue reading
