Let the New Year Begin!

This is one year that people are looking forward to, hoping for positive changes. It’s a good time for you to think about your own future – and find out about the past and its traditions. Be happy with these activities for the new year.

 

CONNECT:

• Why do we celebrate New Year’s Day? Watch the answers at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bKHPtGSwPrQ
• See how other countries usher in the new year at https://bestlifeonline.com/global-new-years-eve-traditions/
• Find out the history of the Rose Parade and Rose Bowl at https://kids.kiddle.co/Rose_Bowl_Game

 

CREATE:

• Celebrate New Year’s Eve with kids with these 12 fun ideas: https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/reviewed/2021/12/22/kid-friendly-new-years-eve-ideas/8897889002/
• Count down to the new year with this fun music compilation with your friends from Daniel Tiger's: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nzopp23sTI
• Play some awesome New Year’s Eve games: https://mylifeandkids.com/30-awesome-new-years-eve-games-kids/
• Here are 35 New Year traditions to bring you (Good) luck from around the world: https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/parenting/g25360543/new-year-traditions/

 

CARE:

• Plan a New Year’s Eve party for kids at https://kidsactivitiesblog.com/49138/plan-kids-new-years-eve-party/
• New Year’s Eve often includes fireworks so stay safe with these fireworks safety tips: https://kidshealth.org/en/kids/fireworks.html
• It’s time for New Year’s resolutions; try some of these healthy suggestions: https://www.healthychildren.org/English/family-life/family-dynamics/Pages/Healthy-New-Years-Resolutions-for-Kids.aspx

 

CAREERS:

Start the new year about thinking about your future career with these websites and video.

• https://kids.lovetoknow.com/wiki/Career_Sites_for_Kids
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pVyrW_vwaw
• https://www.thebalancecareers.com/helping-your-children-make-career-choices-525407
• https://hirepaths.com/blog/2021/10/04/career-exploration-how-to-encourage-kids-of-all-ages

 

 

Ho Ho Ho for Christmas

 Christmas is celebrated around the world, both as a religious event and as a cultural or commercial time. The following activities offer lots of ways to celebrate the season in many ways.

 

CONNECT:

• Chris IS the reason for the season, and here is why Christmas is celebrated on December 25: https://www.whychristmas.com/customs/25th.shtml
• Read up on the history of Christmas at https://www.history.com/topics/christmas/history-of-christmas
• See how Christmas is celebrated around the world at https://www.countryliving.com/entertaining/g4933/christmas-traditions-around-the-world/
• Watch about poinsettias (including their history and pronunciation) at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ymgdsWr326A

 

CREATE:

• Follow Santa around the world with NASA at https://www.noradsanta.org/en/ (available in 8 languages)
• Get crafty about Christmas at https://www.thebestideasforkids.com/christmas-crafts-for-kids/
• Get a taste of Australia by making these kid-friendly Christmas treats at https://www.bestrecipes.com.au/entertaining/galleries/christmas-recipes-fun-christmas-recipes-kids-cook/67u8212d
• OR go British with these yummy Christmas baking recipes for kids: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/guide/christmas-projects-kids
• Ready to play Christmas games? There are 35 fun ones for the family to enjoy at https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/holidays/christmas-ideas/g2725/christmas-games/

 

CARE:

• Keep your holiday peaceful with these holiday safety reminders: https://saferide4kids.com/blog/holiday-safety-reminders/
• Candlelight is lovely but candle burns and uncontrolled fires are not, so here are candle safety tips for kids: https://smartkids101.com/blog/candle-safety/
• Cookie dough ice cream is fun to eat, but you shouldn’t eat raw cookie dough: here’s why: https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/communication/no-raw-dough.html

 

CAREERS:

Christmas is just one calendar day, but year-round careers are built around Christmas: not only the Christian religious life, but also tree farming, event planning, costuming and performance, designing and manufacturing Christmas items – and then selling and using them. Some jobs can make Christmas seem like every day. See samples here.

https://theundercoverrecruiter.com/top-christmas-jobs/https://www.careeraddict.com/christmas-jobs

https://www.coburgbanks.co.uk/blog/friday-funnies/10-weird-christmas-jobs/

https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20141222-where-christmas-is-a-way-of-life

 

Aglow with Candles

 

This time of the year features candles in several cultures. Brighten up your day by doing the following activities about candles.

 

CONNECT:

• Find out who first invented candles at https://candles.lovetoknow.com/The_History_of_Candle_Making
• Explore the science of candles at https://candles.org/candle-science/
• Learn about candle traditions around the world: https://tinybeans.com/candle-traditions-from-around-the-world/

 

CREATE:

• Watch this video for details about making homemade candles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eRj61Z88iHo
• Make your own dipped candles as a fun family activity by following the directions at https://kidsactivitiesblog.com/6994/candle-dipping/ 
• Experiment with candles at https://toddlerinaction.com/water-candle-experiment-to-try-out-with-kids/

 

CARE:

• Lit candles are beautiful – until they start bigger fires. Watch this video about candle safety presented by a fireman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqPDZb_Fjxc
• Learn more candle safety tips at https://smartkids101.com/blog/candle-safety/
• Use this handy checklist to guide family candle use: http://fire.co.clark.nv.us/(S(x1gny3u2gcln4u1pngbideth))/Files/pdfs/FPWCandle.pdf

 

CAREERS:

You can make a living making and selling candles, and you can incorporate candles in other jobs: interior decoration, party planning, emergency services, science, historical reenactments, and art.

https://www.betterteam.com/candle-maker-job-description

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1DU8jMqiln8

Here’s a historic video about candle production: https://thekidshouldseethis.com/post/how-are-candles-made-british-pathe

 

Fall for Leaves

 

Leaves are fun to see and collect – AND are necessary for the planet, so explore them with these online activities.

CONNECT:

• Get the facts about leaves at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhpvSGLBEPE
• Find out why leaves change colors in the fall by watching https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xk4-6II8l5Q
• Learn how to identify trees by their leaves at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrqBW1NILuA

CREATE:

• Try some of these fun science activities for kids about leaves at https://igamemom.com/fun-science-activities-for-kids-about-leaves/
• How do leaves breathe? Do this experiment to discover the answer: https://www.kcedventures.com/blog/how-do-leaves-breathe-a-simple-science-experiment-for-kids
• Get crafty with leaves at https://www.diys.com/kids-crafts-made-with-leaves/

 

CARE:

• Leaf play is beneficial; see why at https://www.melissaanddoug.com/blogpost/?postId=sensory-benefits-of-leaf-play
• Learn how to recycle leaves at https://greenliving.lovetoknow.com/Recycle_Leaves_and_Grass
• Compost leaves by following the directions at https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/Kindergarden/kidscompost/CompostingForKids.pdf

 

CAREERS:

Don’t leave a leaf unturned for careers associated with leaves. Explore the possibilities below.

• https://mrplantgeek.com/2021/01/05/20-careers-to-consider-if-you-are-fascinated-by-plants/
• https://www.seedyourfuture.org/careers
• https://www.learnhowtobecome.org/career-resource-center/careers-with-plants/
• https://croplife.org/news/top-10-jobs-in-plant-science/

 

 

 

The Bear Necessities

 

What comes to mind when you think of bears? Stuffed toys? Polar bears? Bear claws? Yogi Bear? Polar bears?  (By the way, the second week in November is Polar Bear Week!) Maybe you have just bear-ly scratched the surface about bears. Dig into these activities – I bet you can bear-ly wait to start!

 

CONNECT:

• They're big, furry, and found many places around the world. Did you know there are only eight species of bears? Watch these international species at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=54CDgurNMSI
• Did you know that teddy bears are named after a US President: Read the story: https://wonderopolis.org/wonder/how-did-the-teddy-bear-get-its-name
• Why do bears hibernate? Watch the answer at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DfV-r3s9meQ. And How do bears get ready to hibernate? EAT! Watch them dine at https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/brown-bear

 

CREATE:

• Get crafty about bears at https://artsycraftsymom.com/bear-crafts-for-kids/
• Here are 10 fun ways to celebrate a teddy bear day: https://theeducatorsspinonit.com/teddy-bear-day-activities/
• What keeps a polar bear warm when their natural habitat is so harsh? Try this fun polar bear blubber experiment to find out the answer: https://littlebinsforlittlehands.com/winter-polar-bear-blubber-science-experiment/

 

CARE:

• What if you meet a bear in the wild? Here’s what to do: https://www.nps.gov/subjects/bears/safety.htm

• Celebrate Polar Bear Week and help them at https://polarbearsinternational.org/act-now/awareness-events/polar-bear-week/

• Relax with a bear hug; see how at https://kidsrelaxation.com/uncategorized/big-bear-hug/

 

CAREERS:

Can you imagine a bear career? Find out about jobs that involve bears at https://work.chron.com/jobs-involve-bears-24643.html

Squash / Pumpkins

 

It’s pumpkin time – as well as time for other winter squashes. But pumpkins are older than Halloween, and they are more international than you might think. Don’t squash your interest in them; instead, dig out interesting facts about pumpkins in these activities.

 

CONNECT:

• Watch your fill of pumpkin videos at https://www.simplykinder.com/pumpkin-videos/
• Get the facts about pumpkins at https://www.sciencekids.co.nz/sciencefacts/food/pumpkins.html and dig deeper at https://kids.kiddle.co/Pumpkin
• Learn about the history of pumpkins and Halloween at https://www.halloweenexpress.com/the-history-behind-pumpkins-and-halloween/

 

 

CREATE:

• You can try more than 40 kid-friendly pumpkin activities at https://handsonaswegrow.com/40-pumpkin-activities-for-kids/
• Sing about pumpkins at https://www.morganmanagesmommyhood.com/9-pumpkin-songs-perfect-for-fall/.  Then make up your own pumpkin song.
• Pumpkins are more than decoration; you can cook them too. Just follow the recipes at https://www.kids-cooking-activities.com/pumpkin-recipes.html

 

CARE:

• Carving pumpkins is good for kids; here are five reasons why: https://sunshinehouse.com/blog/carving-decorating-pumpkins-5-benefits-for-your-child/
• AND you need to carve safely so here are some tips: https://www.thekitchn.com/3-ways-to-make-pumpkin-carving-with-kids-more-fun-261998
• You can grow your own pumpkin too; see the directions at https://www.thompson-morgan.com/growing-pumpkins-with-kids

 

CAREERS:

Pumpkins can be a gateway to several careers: from growing and selling them to decorating with them and cooking with them. See the possibilities at https://www.monster.com/career-advice/article/jobs-if-you-love-halloween-0916

Who came first to America?

 

It’s hard to beat 30,000 years ago; that is the latest calculation as to when humans arrived in the Western Hemisphere. Indigenous People’s Day, celebrated in the United States on October 11, honors the rich heritage and contributions of Native Americans. By doing the following activities, you too can appreciate these varied peoples throughout the year.

 

CONNECT:

• Learn the history of Indigenous People’s Day by watching https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nET5LBB_wLE.
• Discover 10 Native American inventions commonly used today at https://www.history.com/news/native-american-inventions
• Explore Alaska Native history and culture by watching “Grandpa's Drum” from “Molly of Denali”: https://ca.pbslearningmedia.org/resource/mod19-soc-grandpasdrum/grandpas-drum-molly-of-denali/ . “Molly of Denali” was created by Alaska Native writers and advisers. It’s also one of the first children’s television programs to have a Native American lead.
• Watch pow wows at https://youtu.be/jQ-9QCDp9Ho. You can find more details at https://www.powwows.com/what-is-a-pow-wow/

 

CREATE:

• Try some of the ways that kids can observe Indigenous People’s Day: https://www.rebekahgienapp.com/indigenous-peoples-day/
• Sing a Native American lullaby at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pB9W5PntH3s
• Hungry to know about native life and food? Chew on this information: https://www.historyforkids.net/native-american-food.html You may already have tried some of their native food!

 

CARE

• Enjoy with your family the video read aloud We Are Water Protectors read by the author, Carole Lindstrom: https://youtu.be/2YHaRmj9wLU  What are ways that you can help water become clean again?
• A lovely, earth-conscious way to honor indigenous culture and to “give back” is to plant some Native American plants as a family. Some native plants to consider are milkweed plants and pawpaw trees. You can consult the U.S. Forest Service website (https://www.fs.fed.us/wildflowers/) to learn more about native plants and how to plant and care for them.
• How are Black-Indigenous youth working to advance social justice? This Indigenous Peoples’ Day program highlights youth of blended Black and Native heritage who use art, activism, and policy to advance Black and Indigenous solidarity and affect positive change in their communities: https://americanindian.si.edu/nk360/student-programs/distance-learning/#indigenous-peoples-day

 

CAREERS:

Indigenous people often encounter barriers to employment. Understanding these obstacles can lead to thinking about ways that you can become more culturally aware and competent, which can help all people to find meaningful work: https://www.ictinc.ca/blog/8-basic-barriers-to-indigenous-employment