Martin Luther King, Jr.

Posted on January 17, 2011 by heidi

I’m consolidating posts from years past all here:

(This I wrote while pregnant with Joseph) – I feel really bad that we didn’t do anything to celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day until this evening and we lost this wonderful opportunity to teach the kids more. Next year I’ll prepare ahead of time (and not have morning sickness) and make it a bigger deal. We read to Christopher from “My First Book of Biographies” about MLK and Rosa Parks and then watched two speeches on-line. It was really neat to see his eyes and watch how fascinated he was and then to answer some questions about segregation. He asked if we can bake a cake to celebrate MLK’s birthday. 🙂

So, I’ve not started researching yet for next year but how did you commemorate? Any good websites or books to help kids learn more about the Civil Rights Movement? Christopher asked how people celebrate and I was sad to say I cannot remember ANY celebration growing up! Isn’t that terrible? Like President’s Day or Labor Day or Memorial Day or Veteran’s Day – it’s a day off of school but shouldn’t it be so much more??? Especially these days to remember these heros… I resolve to be better this year about using these opportunities to teach our kids why these days are important and what we are remembering.

From 2009:

The official site from the government and some fun preschool ideas.

We are reading a biography of him from Christopher’s kids’ biography book. We also watched clips from two of his speeches and will be making a handprint wreath in different colored papers and writing on them ideas we can do this next year to serve others. We’ll be doing a diversity dinner (spread out over the whole week – lots of diversity dinners) using some recipes from our kids’ international cookbook.

I think as the kids are older we’ll exploring the diversity in cooking more, we found a great book about it.

I want to find some fun activities for tomorrow to help the kids understand the ceremony and hopefully today will help them appreciate in some small way the significance of tomorrow. 🙂 I’m still looking for some good inauguration sites for the kids, any ideas?

Update: Snagging this from the library. The entire speech with illustrations!

Update for 2011: quotes here to discuss with kids & have older ones practice their cursive writing one out then illustrating/decorating it to hang up on their new magnetic dry erase board.

Start at 10:00 for little clip for kids to watch in co-op.

Update: here’s a photo of the hands wreath we made with their “I have a dream” statement or picture on it.

We’ve met almost weekly with these friends through various forms of co-op for four years next month! We first started meeting in February 2007 when Emy was itty bitty and here we are many children later. 🙂 (And that photo isn’t even all the kids between our two families.)

Free downloads from iTunes of Great African American Oratory.

First Day/Back to School Traditions

Posted on August 2, 2010 by heidi

I’m consolidating all my prior posts and adding some new traditions we just learned about.

– decorate a new t-shirt for the school year (be sure to include year)
– butcher paper banner across the door, decorated with school year on it for kids to run through!
– back to school cake & special dinner.
– kindercones (Schultute) w/treats and new school supplies.
– new composition book/journal and let them decorate it (modpodge it.)
– Kit suggested buying some easy lunch stuff for the first week back into school so Mommy will eat. 🙂
– new school year blessings at FHE.
– breakfast of ABC pancakes.
– let them pick whatever they want for bfast, lunch or dinner.
– go out for a special lunch or pack a picnic lunch.
– go have school pictures taken.
– pick special new outfit for school pictures.
– go shopping for school supplies (best sales are in fall) & let them do a scavenger hunt to find them or pack into backpacks.
– have a “teacher” meeting to go over curriculum, goals
and routines with both parents. August & January.
– plan a special back to school fieldtrip to a location like the park, zoo, or a museum. Most PS don’t have fieldtrips in the first of the year so those places are empty.
– make “All About Me” sheets at the beginning and
end of school year, including self portraits and list of favorites.
– have a family conference and let each child pick the areas of focus they want for the next year. With young kids maybe pick one special topic. With older kids this needs to be a much more in depth special date to go over their areas of concern, what they want to focus on, having them establish their schedule, setting up time to review with them, etc. But for grammar stage, just picking a couple special topics to get library books or coordinate field trips around.
– write a list of books to read aloud as a family
– “NOT back to school” picnic with other homeschool families.

New Ones:
– Russian Day of Knowledge on September 1st, students bring flowers to teacher (that would be me, right? 🙂 ) Make tissue paper flowers or get real ones.
– Japanese nyugakushiki, formal celebration: dress up for a candle lit family dinner the night before school starts.
– Maori haka: show children “primary school haka” on internet and let them create their own new school year dance.
– Indian Praveshanotsavam (admission day) is during monsoon season. Make a fruit smoothie with marshmallow “rain clouds” and paper cocktail parasol.
– Israeli kita aleph (first grade) walk under canopy or arch of older student’s arms, release balloons. Create an arch of balloons or tissue paper, etc at home and take photos under it, write new school year wishes on rainbow arch, get balloons to keep around home and cheer up first new week.

This was fun, from our first back to school picnic with friends in 2007:

Christmas Ideas

Posted on January 10, 2010 by heidi

This list came from our Relief Society celebration last night but it was so good I wanted to share it. I’m not sure how they gathered the ideas, but full credit to them. Though I’m paraphrasing some of them…

– Read scriptures each night by candlelight.
– Wrap holiday books up and put them under the tree (if you don’t have kids like mine who will then promptly open all of them) and each night open a holiday book and read it.
– Fill Christmas stockings with love notes from family members to each other.
– Compile favorite Christmas stories from immediate and extended family and create a book to be shared.
– Place a piece of straw in a manger (make one from shoebox?) for each deed of service done.
– Do a secret santa service exchange within the family.
– Do a mini FHE the twelve nights before (or after) Christmas. In Germany I remember they started the 12 nights with Christmas Eve and then in January is the celebration of the wise men, and I think that’s a neat way to spread out the Christmas joy.
– Find a good Christmas story for children that focuses on the Savior and record yourself reading it then share with extended family.
– Play Christmas music that focuses on the Savior.
– Attend a live nativity.
– Do a family nativity.
– Study the symbolism of the common Christmas decorations (star, bell, bow, etc.)
– Deliver anonymous goodies to neighbors for twelve nights.
– Read talks from the church leaders about the holiday season.
– Provide Christmas dinner for a needy family or serve in a shelter or kitchen.
– Invite someone to attend your family gatherings who may not have family near.
– Visit a rest home or children’s hospital.
– Make something to donate to a charity, work as a family on the project.
– Create a care package for missionaries or military.
– Write thank you notes to those who serve your family throughout the year. (Add goodies. )
– Decorate with nativity sets that are safe for your children to play with – we have two nice sets up high and two play sets.
– Wrap a box with removable lid and have family write their gifts to the Savior and put them into the box. Keep it from year to year.
– Visit the temple grounds and see their lights.
– Make an advent calendar with service each day.

Heidi addition – observe St. Nicholas day and make it a special day of service to remember the Savior. Put out shoes, too, that’s fun.
Advent Ideas

– goodie making: thank you’s, service projects, etc.
– live nativity if they’re doing it? (24th)
– city square lighting if Joseph’s healthy (3rd)
– holiday movies w/treats
– advent wreath w/christmas stories & treats
– wrapping gifts
– making & sending cards
– Friend activities in red binder
– making sibling gifts
– sew Joseph’s stocking
– fireplace (we’ve never lit it)
– lebkuchen
– baptism prep
– RS dinner (1st)
– ward party? (18th)
– first presidency devotional (6th)
– stake musical (13th)
– make and send packages
– St. Nicholas Tag (shoes, service project)

Lesson Plans
– holidays around world chart
– simplified carol on piano
– memorize carol
– make lebkuchen w/minimal help
– read A Christmas Carol and do activities with co-op

I’m flipping through a magazine while nursing Joseph (taking a break from the more intense readings) and it had a holiday section – how to make your holidays less insane and more merry. I liked some of the tips and plan to implement them, along with some of our own:

– List your traditions and have everyone pick their favorite. Don’t keep doing something just because it’s tradition if no one enjoys it! I am insisting we keep our quiet and calming tradition of snacks while we light the advent candle and read stories and sing carols by candlelight. It’s a peaceful weekly tradition during December.

– Simplify: menus, gift giving, sending greetings, baking, traditions, decorating, schedules. Our goal is a peaceful holiday season in which we spend time as a family, remember what we are celebrating, and have enough quiet moments to feel the Spirit and recharge to begin a new year.

Holiday Plans:
– write up menu for major meals, holiday baking, and last minute entertaining/hostess gifts. Purchase all non-perishables and write up list for last minute perishable purchases. Keep this list, it will probably work year to year.
– write up Christmas card list & (different list) therapist and doctor thank you note list. Decide on format of card/letter, shoot photos if including, purchase stamps. We’re alternating an e-card year with a traditional mail out card. (Updated – I just pulled up our card list. There’s no way I’m going to get that many cards mailed out. I’m thinking we’ll be doing e-cards until I figure something out. 🙂 )
– pick service projects (milking the cows) and start planning/budgeting.
– write up list of who gifting to and what, we alternate siblings in my family so we’ve got all year to plan. Sometimes we purchase a gift, sometimes we make one, sometimes we do a service gift. I like having all year to think about the sibling & their family and what we can do for them.
– write up list for the kids, we’ve established a holiday budget and we’re sticking to the three gifts from parents policy (not counting stocking stuffers.) Kit and I don’t usually exchange gifts, we buy couple gifts together or we do service gifts mostly. We only need to mail a couple gifts but I like to have those things ready to go by early December, ditto for my holiday cards. Though that’s NOT happening this year, I’ve not even thought about cards yet.
– holiday outfits: this is mostly the girls, the boys wear their standard Sunday clothes but for the girls I like to get dresses that aren’t exactly the same but complement each other. Usually thrift shop finds and I keep my eyes out all year for something fun and festive. This year they’re both wearing red & black & white with some plaid and those cute new headbands.

I’m adding to this as I remember more…

Advent activity ideas from Cheryl:

Peanuts’ Countdown Calendar
1 make paper snowflakes to hang in windows
2 watch a Christmas video
3 choose one toy to give to charity
4 send a card to a friend
5 make a holiday treat for the birds
6 predict the temperature or amount of snowfall for Christmas
7 decorate your room for Christmas
8 learn a new Christmas song and sing it with someone
9 make a holiday treat to eat
10 learn how Christmas is celebrated in other countries
11 make an elf hat
12 make a phone call to someone you won’t be seeing over the holidays
13 do a favor secretly
14 make a decoration for your Christmas tree
15 read a Christmas story together with your family
16 help wrap packages
17 draw a Christmas picture
18 ask your parents about their favorite Christmas memories
19 make a marshmallow snowman
20 sit in the dark and enjoy the Christmas lights
21 learn the names of all Santa’s reindeer
22 play holiday charades
23 visit someone who can’t go out for the holidays
24 go caroling to your next-door neighbors and wish them a Merry Christmas

ThadenPierce School

Category Archives: Holidays

First Day/Back to School Traditions

Christmas Ideas