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Current Events Set to Hip-Hop Videos & Lessons | Flocabulary - Flocabulary

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Follow current events with videos, handouts, and lesson plans. Engage middle and high school students while teaching them about American and world news.

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Take part in the winter holiday with this collection of Christmas-themed crafts, lesson plans, and teaching ideas.

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Scholastic Christmas History and Tradition

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Scholastic Christmas History and Tradition

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Who first put up a Christmas tree? What is Advent? Who was the "real" Santa Claus? Students (grades 2-8) get answers to these questions and more by exploring an interactive Christmas scrapbook, in Christmas History and Traditions, one of several holiday activities covered in Scholastic's Celebrate Winter Holidays.

Through photos, articles, and online activities, students learn the history and traditions of this popular Christian holiday. Plus, they can view postcards to see how kids around the globe celebrate Christmas.

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Christmas History and Traditions: A Celebrate Winter Holidays Activity | Scholastic

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Who first put up a Christmas tree? What is Advent? Who was the "real" Santa Claus? Students (grades 2-8) get answers to these questions and more by exploring an interactive Christmas scrapbook, in Christmas History and Traditions , one of several holiday activities covered in Scholastic's Celebrate Winter Holidays.

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How Did Christmas Start?

The middle of winter has long been a time of celebration around the world. Centuries before the arrival of the man called Jesus, early Europeans celebrated light and birth in the darkest days of winter. Many peoples rejoiced during the winter solstice, when the worst of the winter was behind them and they could look forward to longer days and extended hours of sunlight.

In Scandinavia, the Norse celebrated Yule from December 21, the winter solstice, through January. In recognition of the return of the sun, fathers and sons would bring home large logs, which they would set on fire. The people would feast until the log burned out, which could take as many as 12 days. The Norse believed that each spark from the fire represented a new pig or calf that would be born during the coming year.

The end of December was a perfect time for celebration in most areas of Europe. At that time of year, most cattle were slaughtered so they would not have to be fed during the winter. For many, it was the only time of year when they had a supply of fresh meat. In addition, most wine and beer made during the year was finally fermented and ready for drinking.

In Germany, people honored the pagan god Oden during the mid-winter holiday. Germans were terrified of Oden, as they believed he made nocturnal flights through the sky to observe his people, and then decide who would prosper or perish. Because of his presence, many people chose to stay inside.

Saturnalia and Christmas

In Rome, where winters were not as harsh as those in the far north, Saturnalia-a holiday in honor of Saturn, the god of agriculture-was celebrated. Beginning in the week leading up to the winter solstice and continuing for a full month, Saturnalia was a hedonistic time, when food and drink were plentiful and the normal Roman social order was turned upside down. For a month, enslaved people were given temporary freedom and treated as equals. Business and schools were closed so that everyone could participate in the holiday's festivities.

Also around the time of the winter solstice, Romans observed Juvenalia, a feast honoring the children of Rome. In addition, members of the upper classes often celebrated the birthday of Mithra, the god of the unconquerable sun, on December 25. It was believed that Mithra, an infant god, was born of a rock. For some Romans, Mithra's birthday was the most sacred day of the year.

Is Christmas Really the Day Jesus Was Born?

In the early years of Christianity, Easter was the main holiday; the birth of Jesus was not celebrated. In the fourth century, church officials decided to institute the birth of Jesus as a holiday. Unfortunately, the Bible does not mention date for his birth (a fact Puritans later pointed out in order to deny the legitimacy of the celebration). Although some evidence suggests that his birth may have occurred in the spring (why would shepherds be herding in the middle of winter?), Pope Julius I chose December 25. It is commonly believed that the church chose this date in an effort to adopt and absorb the traditions of the pagan Saturnalia festival. First called the Feast of the Nativity, the custom spread to Egypt by 432 and to England by the end of the sixth century.

By holding Christmas at the same time as traditional winter solstice festivals, church leaders increased the chances that Christmas would be popularly embraced, but gave up the ability to dictate how it was celebrated. By the Middle Ages, Christianity had, for the most part, replaced pagan religion.

On Christmas, believers attended church, then celebrated raucously in a drunken, carnival-like atmosphere similar to today's Mardi Gras. Each year, a beggar or student would be crowned the "lord of misrule" and eager celebrants played the part of his subjects. The poor would go to the houses of the rich and demand their best food and drink. If owners failed to comply, their visitors would most likely terrorize them with mischief. Christmas became the time of year when the upper classes could repay their real or imagined "debt" to society by entertaining less fortunate citizens.

When Christmas Was Cancelled

In the early 17th century, a wave of religious reform changed the way Christmas was celebrated in Europe. When Oliver Cromwell and his Puritan forces took over England in 1645, they vowed to rid England of decadence and, as part of their effort, cancelled Christmas. By popular demand, Charles II was restored to the throne and, with him, came the return of the popular holiday.

The pilgrims, English separatists that came to America in 1620, were even more orthodox in their Puritan beliefs than Cromwell. As a result, Christmas was not a holiday in early America. From 1659 to 1681, the celebration of Christmas was actually outlawed in Boston. Anyone exhibiting the Christmas spirit was fined five shillings. By contrast, in the Jamestown settlement, Captain John Smith reported that Christmas was enjoyed by all and passed without incident.

After the American Revolution, English customs fell out of favor, including Christmas. In fact, Christmas wasn't declared a federal holiday until June 26, 1870.

Washington Irving Reinvents Christmas in America

It wasn't until the 19th century that Americans began to embrace Christmas. Americans re-invented Christmas, and changed it from a raucous carnival holiday into a family-centered day of peace and nostalgia. But what about the 1800s piqued American interest in the holiday?

The early 19th century was a period of class conflict and turmoil. During this time, unemployment was high and gang rioting by the disenchanted classes often occurred during the Christmas season. In 1828, the New York city council instituted the city's first police force in response to a Christmas riot. This catalyzed certain members of the upper classes to begin to change the way Christmas was celebrated in America.

In 1819, best-selling author Washington Irving wrote The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon, gent., a series of stories about the celebration of Christmas in an English manor house. The sketches feature a squire who invited the peasants into his home for the holiday. In contrast to the problems faced in American society, the two groups mingled effortlessly. In Irving's mind, Christmas should be a peaceful, warm-hearted holiday bringing groups together across lines of wealth or social status. Irving's fictitious celebrants enjoyed "ancient customs," including the crowning of a Lord of Misrule. Irving's book, however, was not based on any holiday celebration he had attended-in fact, many historians say that Irving's account actually "invented" tradition by implying that it described the true customs of the season.

'A Christmas Carol'

Also around this time, English author Charles Dickens created the classic holiday tale, A Christmas Carol. The story's message-the importance of charity and good will towards all humankind-struck a powerful chord in the United States and England and showed members of Victorian society the benefits of celebrating the holiday.

The family was also becoming less disciplined and more sensitive to the emotional needs of children during the early 1800s. Christmas provided families with a day when they could lavish attention-and gifts-on their children without appearing to "spoil" them.

As Americans began to embrace Christmas as a perfect family holiday, old customs were unearthed. People looked toward recent immigrants and Catholic and Episcopalian churches to see how the day should be celebrated. In the next 100 years, Americans built a Christmas tradition all their own that included pieces of many other customs, including decorating trees, sending holiday cards and gift-giving.

Although most families quickly bought into the idea that they were celebrating Christmas how it had been done for centuries, Americans had really re-invented a holiday to fill the cultural needs of a growing nation.

Who Invented Santa Claus?

The legend of Santa Claus can be traced back to a monk named St. Nicholas who was born in Turkey around A. D. 280. St. Nicholas gave away all of his inherited wealth and traveled the countryside helping the poor and sick, becoming known as the protector of children and sailors.

St. Nicholas first entered American popular culture in the late 18th century in New York, when Dutch families gathered to honor the anniversary of the death of "Sint Nikolaas" (Dutch for Saint Nicholas), or "Sinter Klaas" for short. "Santa Claus" draws his name from this abbreviation.

In 1822, Episcopal minister Clement Clarke Moore wrote a Christmas poem called "An Account of a Visit from St. Nicholas," more popularly known today by it's first line: "'Twas The Night Before Christmas." The poem depicted Santa Claus as a jolly man who flies from home to home on a sled driven by reindeer to deliver toys.

The iconic version of Santa Claus as a jolly man in red with a white beard and a sack of toys was immortalized in 1881, when political cartoonist Thomas Nast drew on Moore's poem to create the image of Old Saint Nick we know today.

Christmas Facts

Each year, 25-30 million real Christmas trees are sold in the United States alone. There are about 15,000 Christmas tree farms in the United States, and trees usually grow for between four and 15 years before they are sold.

In the Middle Ages, Christmas celebrations were rowdy and raucous-a lot like today's Mardi Gras parties.

When Christmas was cancelled: From 1659 to 1681, the celebration of Christmas was outlawed in Boston, and law-breakers were fined five shillings.

Christmas was declared a federal holiday in the United States on June 26, 1870.

The first eggnog made in the United States was consumed in Captain John Smith's 1607 Jamestown settlement.

Poinsettia plants are named after Joel R. Poinsett, an American minister to Mexico, who brought the red-and-green plant from Mexico to America in 1828.

The Salvation Army has been sending Santa Claus-clad donation collectors into the streets since the 1890s.

Rudolph, "the most famous reindeer of all," was the product of Robert L. May's imagination in 1939. The copywriter wrote a poem about the reindeer to help lure customers into the Montgomery Ward department store.

Construction workers started the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree tradition in 1931.

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History of Christmas - Origins, Traditions & Facts

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Christmas is celebrated on December 25 and is both a sacred religious holiday and a worldwide cultural and commercial phenomenon. For two millennia, people around the world have been observing it with traditions and practices that are both religious and secular in nature.

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244 Classroom Activities matching "christmas" - Seesaw Activity Library

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Welcome to Highlights Kids! This channel is made especially for kids ages 6-12 to help them pursue what they love (Fun)! The Highlights Kids channel brings stories, puzzles, fun and learning that kids love from Highlights Magazine to life in video form. On this channel, kids will enjoy…
-Hidden…

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Winter Snowman Graphing - Seesaw Activity by Susan Stewart

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Count the parts of the snowman. Use the :drawing: tool to fill in the graph. Use the :mic: to tell about your graph.

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snow flake maker . online snowflake game for free
snowflake creator online , fun snowflake generator
make snowflakes online from paper
just cut the paper in the online game and make beautiful snowflake

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Snowflake maker online . Paper snowflake maker game

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snow flake maker . online snowflake game for free snowflake creator online , fun snowflake generator make snowflakes online from paper just cut the paper in the online game and make beautiful snowflake

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Magnetic poetry kits have been around since the early 90's, providing children and adults with inspiration to create poems on refrigerators everywhere.

As fun as those magnetic kits are, they have some limitations. By using a technology option, such as Google Drawings, you get many benefits:

No limit on the quantity of words provided. Just copy and paste more of them as needed.

Ability to edit the words provided if needed.

Ability to add your own words.

Easy collaboration with others.

Easy to share or download your final creation.

No pieces to get lost.

It's free!

As an example of this, I have create a Google Drawings template for wintertime poetry. This includes words related to Christmas, Hanukkah, snow, sledding, and much more. See below to get your free copy of the template to use with your students (or yourself) however you want, as well as directions on how to use it.

Copy the Wintertime Magnetic Poetry Template

This template was created with Google Drawings. To get your copy, simply click the link below.

Template Layout

Here is the basic layout of the template:

In the middle of the template is the wintertime background where the students will add the words for their poem, story, or creative writing piece. At the bottom of the work area is a text box where the student can type in their name.

On the left side of the template are 100 standard (non-themed) words in alphabetical order. These include the typical words needed to create sentences and phrases. I pulled these words primarily from the Dolch Word List, based on the words I felt would be the most familiar, needed, useful, and versatile. In addition to words, this list also includes some word fragments, such as "ed", "ing", and such, that can be added to other words to modify them.

On the right side of the template are the 86 wintertime themed words in alphabetical order. I tried to include a variety of words related to different winter holidays, activities, weather, and traditions. At the bottom of the list there are also some blank tiles of various sizes that can be used to type in your own words as needed.

By laying out the template this way, students are able to see all of the words at once, and quickly find the words they want to use.
Using the Template

Once you have your own copy of the template, you and your students can create your poem or other writing as follows:

Drag and drop words from the left and right sides onto the middle work area. Drag around the words as needed to place them where you want.

If you need more than one copy of a word, simply copy and paste it. You can select the text box for the word, then choose "Edit" and "Copy" and "Paste", or right click and "Copy" and "Paste", or press Ctrl-C and Ctrl-V.

If you need to edit an existing word, just double-click inside the text box and make the changes you want, such as capitalizing the word, changing the tense, making it plural, or such.

Note: If you change an existing word so that the new word is longer, you will likely need to click and drag the edge of the text box to make it bigger to contain the new word.

If you want to add your own words, double-click inside of any of the blank text boxes and type in the word you want.

Keep in mind, you can also edit the template before you share it with your students if you wish to add some words or remove some words to better fit the needs of your class.
Sharing your creation
When you are all done (or at any point in the process) you can share your Google Drawing using the blue " Share " button just like any Google file.

However, another option when done is to download your creation as an image. This will allow you to take that image and use it in many ways:

1. Print it out.

2. Insert it into a Google Doc or a Google Slideshow.

3. Post it on your blog or class website.

4. Share it on social media such as Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.

5. Make a greeting card out of it by putting into a desktop publishing program or even a Google Drawings greeting card template.

To download an image version of your Google Drawing, do the following:

Click "File"

Choose "Download as"

Select "PNG image (.png)"

Google Drawings will only download the work area of the Drawing, not the word banks on the left and right sides of the main canvas.

Your image will now be downloaded and ready to use.

As educators we are always looking for new and creative ways to inspire our students to write. Hopefully this Google Drawings wintertime poetry template will provide you with one more trick in your bag to use with your students, especially during the crazy days leading up to the holiday break.

If your students create poems with this template, I would love to see what they make. Please feel free to share your creations, ideas, suggestions, and questions in the comments area below.

Bonus - If you are looking for other options for digital magnetic poetry, be sure to check out the Google Slides versions created by Kasey Bell and Jamie Forshey.

Post by Eric Curts. Connect with Eric on Twitter at twitter.com/ericcurts and on Google+ at plus.google.com/+EricCurts1

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Wintertime Magnetic Poetry with Google Drawings

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Magnetic poetry kits have been around since the early 90's, providing children and adults with inspiration to create poems on refrigerators everywhere. As fun as those magnetic kits are, they have some limitations. By using a technology option, such as Google Drawings, you get many benefits: No limit on the quantity of words provided.

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Accessible Chef is a collection of resources to teach basic cooking skills to individuals with disabilities. Please contact me with questions, comments, or suggestions for how to make Accessible Chef better!

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Through a grant from DoSomething.Org, Accessible Chef was able to test out adaptive cooking tools. Many tools available from national chain, department, or specialty kitchen stores can be adapted for use by those with disabilities. Resources are divided into tools that make the physical aspects of cooking easier, tools that are safer for those with disabilities to operate, and tools that assist with the cognitive skills necessary for cooking.

Easier-to-Use Utensils

There are a variety of tools that make the physical movements necessary for cooking easier and more accessible, but we'll start with implements that can be operated with one hand.

Tongs: These spring-loaded gadgets can assist those who struggle with bilateral coordination. They come in a myriad of shapes, sizes, and materials, and can be used to strengthen fine motor skills or to help flip pancakes over a hot griddle.

Some favorites were Turning Tongs by Copco, Silicone Locking Tongs, and Melamine chopsticks available at kitchen stores. Grading pressure can also be improved using these tools, because to pick up a soft object involves assessing how much strength is needed to hold the object without breaking it. Experimenting with different objects can yield exciting results- we used exploding cheerios and juicy tomatoes.

Non-Slip: Many cooking supplies are available with non-slip surfaces, which prevent them from sliding around while you're cooking. We found a Be Cool Silicone Pot Holder/Trivet by Casabella that came in handy when used as a grip surface for a bowl. There are mixing bowls available with non-slip bottoms (ours is by Oggi) as well as a Cutting Board with a non-slip bottom to keep it from sliding.

Functional Tools: These tools serve a specific purpose in the kitchen and can make common tasks easier. Jar openers are helpful for those with limited hand strength or coordination. We found a Can Drainer that is convenient for easily draining canned products. Utensils are available with silicone handles and at different angles to promote ease of use. Another handy gadget we found was a scoop with a flexible silicone back that enables you to portion sticky foods like cookie dough easily.

These specialized tools can be used hand-over-hand until the individual is comfortable with using the device independently.

New Tech: Smart devices like the Liftware Level can help individuals with limited arm mobility eat more easily. If you think that a Liftware product may be helpful, you can try out the utensils at a local clinic.

Safer-to-Use Tools

These implements allow individuals with disabilities to complete aspects of cooking that may be dangerous with a greater degree of freedom. However, many still contain sharp blades or edges and must be used with caution and discretion.

Cutting: We found that plastic lettuce knives work great for most recipes involving cutting. They have no sharp blade, cut most fruits and veggies, and are available in many styles. We used one to make fruit salad, dill carrots, and a baked potato. Be aware that cutting hard vegetables, such as carrots, can be difficult, but is possible with practice.

Another plastic-bladed cutter is this Pizza Wheel by Copco. Don't be fooled by its name and appearance, though, because this pizza cutter can be used to cut a variety of foods, such as sandwiches and quesadillas. We used it to slice our stromboli into individual portions.

Opening: Opening packages and cans can be a major hindrance in teaching those with disabilities to cook. Aside from offering easier to open jars and cans, there are some tools available to assist in the process. To open cans without leaving a sharp edge, we used this Smooth Edge Opener by OXO. It did leave a nice smooth edge, but was a bit difficult to use simply because of the strength required to open a can.

Another tool we found was this Bag Opener by Copco. The device's blade is only exposed when it is fully closed over a bag, so there is no chance of cutting yourself. It does require bilateral coordination and can be tricky to squeeze the button with one hand and hold the bag with the other.

If particular types of packaging offer specific challenges, you can transfer these foods into containers that are easier to open. For example, shredded cheese could be transferred from a resealable storage bag to an airtight food storage (Tupperware) container.

Specialized Tools: There are a few other tools that make our list for safety. This PalmPeeler by Chef'n is a safer alternative to using a traditional vegetable peeler.

We had fun testing out a food chopper on onions. This set is a great solution for slicing and chopping fruits, vegetables, nuts, cheese, and herbs. The blades spin with each push, and we successfully chopped onions very finely.

Easier-to-Understand Tools

These tools assist with the cognitive aspects involved in cooking. Mathematical tasks like measuring can be difficult, but are made easier by big labels or color-coded measuring cups.

Nesting prep bowls have cup measures in the bottom, can be differentiated by color, and are useful in sorting out materials in preparation for beginning a recipe. We filled the bowls with different colored rice, and instructed our tester to spoon one tablespoon brown rice into the pink bowl or three teaspoons of white rice into the yellow bowl. He enjoyed mixing the rice together while learning to distinguish between the measuring spoons.

This liquid measure by OXO is angled and has measurements that can be viewed from above, making it relatively easy to read. It has a sturdy handle with a grip and can be used to practice measuring specific amounts. The labels are not particularly large and could be marked with tape for measuring practice.

If a recipe requires multitasking, consider setting a kitchen timer for each task. This multi-event timer has four alarms and a whiteboard to keep track of which alarm is associated with each task.

Adaptive Cooking Tools
Most any cooking challenge can be made more accessible to those with disabilities with some creativity and research. Remember to practice safe cooking techniques and to have fun!

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Through a grant from DoSomething.Org, Accessible Chef was able to test out adaptive cooking tools. Many tools available from national chain, department, or specialty kitchen stores can be adapted for use by those with disabilities.

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Accessible Chef Recipe Creator Tutorial UPDATE

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21 Fun And Delicious Recipes You Can Make With Your Kids

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Creating Christmas Card on Storyboard That

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Creating Christmas Card on Storyboard That

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﻿Merry Christmas!﻿ Hope you have a great Christmas. Sincerely Abbi Darrah ﻿Merry Christmas

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Decorate and write about your Gingerbread House

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Decorate and write about your Gingerbread House

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As we get closer to the holiday break, it is expected and understandable that our students start getting a little distracted. They are looking forward to lots of days off, holiday celebrations, gifts, and more. Let's be honest ... we may be a little distracted as well.

This is a time of year when we look for some fun activities to keep our students focused and active. But we don't just want busy work. If possible it is great to find projects that are fun, tie into wintertime themes, and still provide our students with a chance to be creative, write, or improve some content area skills.

To help out with that, I have put together seven sample wintertime-themed activities that use free Google tools, including Docs, Slides, Sheets, and Drawings. Some of these are projects I have shared in the past, while others are new twists on previous posts, and others are brand new. Hopefully some of these will be a good match for your students to keep them busy AND learning as we head into the holidays.

Activity #1 - Build a Snowman with Google Slides

This is a popular activity I have shared in the past that let's students be creative, improve their tech skills, and do some creative writing. In this activity students build a snowman in Google Slides, then write about them. Here's how students do this project:

Make a copy of the Google Slides "Build a Snowman" template - Google Slides template

The template has a blank snowman and several slides full of items to add to your snowman including eyes, mouths, hats, arms, feet, hair, and more.

Copy and paste the items to build your snowman.

If you need different pictures, you can search for and insert more.

When done building, write about your snowman or snowwoman in the textbox. You can describe them, tell a story about them, or explain who they are.

When all done you can download a picture of your snowman and writing to share with others.

For more details, directions, and a short tutorial video, see my original post about this project, which can be found here:

Activity #2 - Decorate a Christmas Tree with Google Slides

New for this year, I created a new twist on the "Build a Snowman" activity with an activity to "Decorate a Christmas Tree". Similar to the snowman activity, with this template your students can trim a tree by copying and pasting bulbs, garland, stars, bows, and more., or by creating their own. Here's how:

Make a copy of the Google Slides "Decorate a Christmas Tree" template - Google Slides link

The template has a blank tree and slides full of items to add to your tree including bulbs, lights, bells, stars, and more.

Copy and paste the items to decorate your tree.

If you need different pictures, you can search for more.

You can even add or draw your own shapes as needed.

When done decorating your tree, write about your holiday traditions, a favorite memory, your best present, what you want this year, what you are thankful for, or such.

When all done you can download a picture of your tree and writing to share with others.

For more details and directions, see my original post about this project, which can be found here:

Activity #3 - Wintertime Magnetic Poetry with Google Drawings

This is another fun activity I have shared in the past. In this one, students create a winter-themed poem by dragging and dropping words onto a canvas, much like the magnetic poetry kits you can use. Here's how student do this project:

Make a copy of the Google Drawings "Wintertime Magnetic Poetry" template - Google Drawing template

In the middle of the template is the wintertime background where the students will add the words for their poem, story, or creative writing piece.

On the left side of the template are 100 standard (non-themed) words in alphabetical order.

On the right side of the template are the 86 wintertime themed words in alphabetical order.

Drag and drop words from the left and right sides onto the middle work area. Drag around the words as needed to place them where you want.

If you need more than one copy of a word, simply copy and paste it.

If you need to edit an existing word, just double-click inside the text box and make the changes you want.

If you want to add your own words, double-click inside of any of the blank text boxes and type in the word you want.

For more details and directions, see my original post about this project, which can be found here:

Activity #4 - Holiday Greeting Cards with Google Drawings

Although G Suite does not provide a traditional desktop publishing tool, Google Drawings can actually be a great option for some basic projects such as posters, brochures, and even greeting cards. With the holidays close at hand, students could make greeting cards for their parents, friends, teachers, or other folks in their lives. Here's how:

Make a copy of one of the Google Drawing "Greeting Card" templates

There is a "Portrait Orientation" version - Google Drawings template

And there is a "Horizontal Orientation" version - Google Drawings template

The templates have been designed with four sections: the outside front, the outside back, the inside left, and the inside right (or inside top and bottom for the landscape version)

Edit the text by double-clicking inside the text boxes (be sure to also pick fun fonts and colors)

Insert images into any of the four sections of the greeting card template.

Finally print and fold your completed greeting card.

For more details, directions, and a short tutorial video, see my original post about this project, which can be found here:

Activity #5 - Pixel Art Ornaments with Google Sheets

This activity is a winter twist on a previous project I have shared. Using a special Google Sheets template I have made, your students can create pixel art. For this activity your students can make a pixel art ornament, and then work on their math skills at the same time as they calculate the fraction for each color used. Here's how:

Make a copy of the Google Sheets "20-Color Pixel Art" template - Google Sheets template

Read the instructions on the "Directions" tab if needed.

Type in the letters from "a" through "s" to create a pixel art ornament.

When done, count up how many squares use each color and type in the totals in the spots provided.

Then simplify the fractions for each color.

Finally you can print out your ornaments to decorate your class.

You will want to remove the gridlines first by clicking "View" and unchecking "Gridlines".

For more details and directions, see my original post about this project, which can be found here:

Activity #6 - Wintertime Emoji Rebus Stories

Another fun writing activity for students is to use emojis in Google Docs to write a winter-themed rebus. Anyone who grew up reading Highlights magazine in the dentist waiting room will quickly recognize a rebus. Basically it is a story where some of the words are replaced by images. This can be a fun activity for students, both to create and to read. It may even help with younger students who are not proficient at spelling but can choose the image for the word they want. Here's how:

Make a copy of the Google Docs "Wintertime Rebus Story" template - Google Docs template

Write a story that uses text, but also with images in place of key words.

For the images, use the emojis that are included with Google Docs.

You can copy and paste emojis from the sample emoji bank provided at the top of the document.

For more details and directions about using emojis in Docs, see my original post about this project, which can be found here:

Note: Emojis appear differently on different operating systems. Because of this, the images may not look the same on every device. If you are using any modern computer or device (Chromebook, Android, iOS, Mac OS, Windows), the emojis should display well. However if you are using an older version of Windows earlier than Windows 8.1, the emojis do not appear in color and many may be missing.

Activity #7 - Holiday Lights Writing

The final activity is another writing project with a fun twist. For this activity students will write a winter-themed story, poem, essay, or such. Then they will use a special Google Docs add-on called "Fun Text" to randomly change the colors of each letter of their writing to make them look like Holiday lights. Here's how:

Make a copy of the Google Docs "Holiday Lights Writing" template - Google Docs template

The template is set up with a black background to make the "holiday lights" colors stand out.

Use the space in the document to do your winter-themed writing.

If not already installed, you will want to install the "Fun Text" add-on for Google Docs.

Alternately you can go directly to the add-on here: Fun Text add-on link

Once you find the Fun Text add-on, click the "Install" button, then choose your account, and then finally accept any permission requests.

The Fun Text add-on will now be installed and ready to use.

Next, you can use Fun Text to make your text look like holiday light as follows:

Select the text you want to color.

From the menu you can choose "Rainbow" to make each letter a different color from the rainbow.

Or you can choose "Randomly colored" from the menu if you want each letter to be a totally random color.

BONUS: For students who want to go a little further with this activity, a fun extension is to turn their story into an animated slideshow with changing holiday lights colors. Here's how:

Make copy of the Google Slides "Holiday Lights Writing" template - Google Slides template

Copy and paste your colored text into the first slide. Make adjustments to the font size as needed.

Now re-run the "Fun Text" add-on in your Google Doc to re-color the text.

Copy and paste the new re-colored text into the second slide (and adjust font size as needed).

Keep repeating this as many times as you want to get a variety of colors. At least three slides should be good for the effect.

To make the text appear animated, you now need to publish the slideshow with certain settings.

Click "File" then "Publish to the web".

Click the "Publish" button and then click "OK"

For "Auto-advance slides" choose "every second".

Check the box for "Start slideshow as soon as the player loads"

Check the box for "Restart the slideshow after the last slide"

Copy the published link and share it with others so they can view your animated holiday lights story!

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7 Googley Wintertime Activities for Kids

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As we get closer to the holiday break, it is expected and understandable that our students start getting a little distracted. They are looking forward to lots of days off, holiday celebrations, gifts, and more. Let's be honest ... we may be a little distracted as well.

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1. Solve the puzzles by determining the values for each holiday picture. 2. Use the :label: or :drawing: tools to fill in the table and answer the last math problem. 3. Use the :mic: to record your voice telling how you solved the math problems. 4.

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Count the ornaments on the tree. Use the :drawing: tool to fill in the graph. Use the :label: tool to type the total for each color.

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Ho Ho Ho and Merry Christmas. These wordles celebrate the fun and joy of Christmas! Guess The Wordle is not intended to be a "time filler" but has been created to assist teachers in jump-starting...

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ABCya! * Christmas Lights - A Holiday & Math Computer Activity for Kids

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ABCya! Christmas Lights Holiday Game: Math Facts! Correctly answer as many addition, subtraction, multiplication or division problems in one minute and get Christmas lights to decorate a house!

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'Tis the season for spending quality time with loved ones, and in this first post in our #bunceeyourholidays series, we're sharing five fun family activities to do with your little ones on Buncee! Buncee is a creation tool you and your kiddos can you explore together, and as you do, your kids will be working their creating, designing, and digital storytelling skills. Not only will you have fun selecting stickers, recording audio and writing, you'll be learning together too. Explore the five activities below!
Want to make beautiful Buncees to share this holiday season? Sign up for the Buncee Your Holiday Creations webinar!
1. Reach Out To Loved Ones:
Create greeting cards to share with your friends & family. Use the audio & video recording tools on your creation canvas to truly personalize the card with your children. Sing holiday songs into stickers and send it to your loved ones! Open the Buncee below and select the play buttons on each sticker an adorable example.
2. Gratitude Activities:
or print the Buncee below and write what you and your family are thankful for . Feel free to make your own Buncee, or customize this template anyway you want. Once you're done, share it with your friends & family. Be sure to xplore more gratitude activities here .

3. Mess-Free Cookie Decorating:
the Buncee below, and decorate digital gingerbread cookie stickers with your kiddos. the slide if you'd like to design more! You can also create your own Buncee together and search "gingerbread" in the stickers category.

4. Holiday Storytelling:
With our stickers & background, you and your little ones can imagine and create together! Write a winter wonderland tale, create a holiday scene, or even make a of a story you're reading together!
5. Document Memories:
Buncee's creation tools & ease-of-use make it possible for all ages to create scrapbooks documenting holiday memories. Capture the memories with photos, and collect them all in a Buncee you design together. Share with loved ones! Building a snowman? Copy the Buncee below, and add your photos into the frames!
Happy Holidays to you and your loved ones, from the Buncee team!

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Five Family Holiday Activities On Buncee

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'Tis the season for spending quality time with loved ones, and in this first post in our #bunceeyourholidays series, we're sharing five fun family activities to do with your little ones on Buncee! Buncee is a creation tool you and your kiddos can you explore together, and as you do, your kids will be working their creating, designing, and digital storytelling skills.

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Cookies to decorate, Christmas dinner ideas, and holiday party traditions like pudding and cake. See top recipes, videos and get tips from home cooks like you for making this Christmas special.

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Free Resources

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Free Christmas Reading Worksheets & Teaching Resources | TpT

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Browse free christmas reading resources on Teachers Pay Teachers, a marketplace trusted by millions of teachers for original educational resources.

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The holiday season is a great time to initiate and continue traditions. Since we try to NOT create more work for ourselves if possible, most of our traditions have evolved from activities that helped us at some point. We like holiday traditions because they tend to ease the chaos by building in predictable routines. Each year we talk about traditions (for awhile this was a new vocabulary word), we sometimes write them down, illustrate them, and look at the list at the beginning of the next holiday season.

Your family probably has many traditions that might just need to be named and organized. But if you are looking to add some new traditions, here are some of our favorites. If you have any, please share.

Photography & Stories- Pictures are a great way to tell a story or talk about past or future events. If you have access to an iPad or other tablet, story photo apps (i.e., Pictello, Tapikeo, etc) provide a great format for organizing and putting text and speech with photos. All the activities we photograph and write about are ones we would take pictures of anyway and as our children grew, they took more and more responsibility for taking the pictures and documenting. We take pictures of 'cool' christmas lights and then rate them from awesome to out of this world awesome. We take pictures of decorating the tree or lighting of the 12 menorahs, we make stories about funny incidents. These 'stories' have been told again and again.

Cooking Favorite Recipes- We cook together. Lots of cooking and baking. We use visual recipes, take pictures, cut recipes out of magazines or most recently print them from Pinterest. The children have done everything from turning on the button on a blender or mixer to fully preparing a dish. In between, they have lured, measured, handed, sifted, mashed, peeled, zested, smashed, covered, stuck, melted, and eaten the food. We have involved friends and other family into our cooking/baking traditions. Over the years, their kitchen help has really made life easier.

Nature Walks/Snow Walks with Checklists- Sometimes we just need a moment to enjoy and relax. Going outside for a little while usually rejuvenates everyone. To make this a language rich activity we have created nature walk checklists and have the children check off what they see. They often work together to get as many items 'found' as possible. The walks have become such a tradition in our house that the children learned how to create their own checklists of things to find. Part of the tradition is to always put one humorous item on the list (a yellow tailed dog was once on it- maybe the year we were learning colors).

Donations- A dessert night is fun and meaningful for everyone. On this night, we go through materials and decide where the holiday family donation be given. This is decided by reviewing materials that have been collected throughout the year. When the children were very young, they didn't really understand 'donations' (so this part was only meaningful later to them, but they had dessert and the 'shoebox). The 'shoebox' is a decorated box (think glitter, glue, stickers, etc) that all of the donations will go in. Then at the big family holiday party, everyone brings a monetary donation (can be from $1.00 and up based on everyone's own personal finances) and it is dropped anonymously into the box. The donations are then given to one or more of the chosen charities. This has really become one of the favorite traditions and we only wish we had saved the decorated boxes.

Even Cleaning Up...- This tradition began when we really needed help quickly before guests arrived (we both have our own version). This became the 'Christmas Clean-Up Race'. There are winners (who got to do an extra room- until they learned that was not really a prize), there is throwing of items into 'clean up' buckets, there are best hiding spots, there are 'clean up' straw drawings, there is labeling and other organization aspects to this tradition. The idea here is to get help in a fun engaging way.

This post was written by Robin Parker

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Merry Christmas PrAACtical AAC Style- Creating Language Rich Traditions

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The holiday season is a great time to initiate and continue traditions. Since we try to NOT create more work for ourselves if possible, most of our traditions have evolved from activities that helped us at some point. We like holiday traditions because they tend to ease the chaos by building in predictable routines.

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Getting ready for the holidays? Karen Natoci has some ideas and downloadable materials to help you plan your therapy and instruction. In today's post, she shares some PowerPoint books (with audio) that you can download and use, as well as activity suggestions. Karen has supported AAC learners in different capacities throughout her career and is currently an AAC Supervisor with The Speech Pathology Group in Walnut Creek, California. Enjoy!
PrAACtically Reading: Hello, Holidays! Books: Holiday Themed Powerpoint stories (downloadable)
This month I want to share a wonderful way to integrate reading through the use of seasonal materials that are meaningful and emotional. This activity works well in preschool and elementary classrooms through the continued sharing of life from home to school. What could be more fun than sharing holiday traditions through the creation of a power point book! Please download and use the power point stories. Include family input so that you can create a personalized book containing interactive, sensory-rich experiences. The plan is to use these materials to communicate (through reading, writing, and multi-modal conversation) in the classroom environment. This is easily adapted to the classroom with older students as well. These suggestions are meant for those who are at emergent levels of communicating, who benefit from shared context with their communication partner and who are moving across all levels of The Communication Matrix. This activity allows practice using a variety of reasons for communicating: refuse/reject, like, obtain, socialize/share, exchange information. This activity is wonderful across all preschool and kindergarten classrooms. If you have access to upper-class/older students in a service learning class, they may want to help enrich the experiences below by using battery interrupters so that some of the holiday toys shared by the students can be accessed via an access switch (with family permission, of course.)
Competency Areas: Linguistic:

Core Vocabulary Focus: I, you, do, me, my, put, it, on, like, big, small, same, different, more, what, see, look, wow, uh-oh, where, pretty, ugly, that, not turn, on, not, not-like, love, oops;

Fringe Vocabulary Focus: family, lights, red, yellow, gold, (other color names), hook, hang, tree, needles, plug, other nouns;

Actions: put, put on, off, turn on/off, twinkle, new, old, touch, smell, see, hear, listen, shake, put in,

Syntax: Provide co-construction support, model back using one more word;

Strategic/Social: Students will express a variety of communicative modalities to:

Share meaningful, familiar holiday ornaments and objects from home;

Use modalities that help the listener

Know that they have something to say (initiate interactions)

Contribute new information (share) by using their AAC systems,

Support others.

Last month we talked about reaching out to those at home to prom to bring the most familiar topic (our families) to the classroom during the shared reading of The Family Book (Todd Parr). The holidays are a wonderful way to continue sharing our home traditions with each other in the classroom. This includes sharing tangible objects that are personal, emotional, and meaningful and through this, let the language and literacy flow!

FIRST:

Right after Thanksgiving, send a letter home (or use the communication method that works best) to learn of the following:

1. Family traditions - try to use each of the senses:

1. Auditory: Holiday songs?

2. Smell/Taste: Any baking, favorite meals?

3. Visual/Listening: Movies watched?

4. Social/Emotional: Visitors?

5. All senses: Top 5 ornaments and decorations?

2. Ask the families to either send in the objects (or samples) or a photo for you to print, embed in a personal story (via powerpoint, printed).

SECOND: SHARE THE OBJECTS DURING SHARED WRITING (and to prep for the power point story): (The content for Whole Class Power Point might be planned by completing a form like this J

During the sharing activity, write it down to model writing each sentence (see the yellow part of the chart.) Each of these sentences now, becomes a page in the story!

PREP for Shared Reading through the creation of a power point: Each page from the Shared Writing activity can be a page in the power point book. Create one for the whole class or for each student using the personal information that you receive. I am including two power point stories here that are a little different: one is an ABC Holiday book and the other is an example of a personal holiday book that accommodates students who are either low vision or functioning at Phase I-II on the CVI Range.
ABC Holiday Book See, Touch, Taste, and Smell Christmas
Create a Laboratory (hands-on) Activity by setting up all of the holiday objects into groups (based on senses):

If you'd like to have a sharing day- the items can be placed on tables in the classroom grouped by senses. You might join another classroom or two to spread it out! This can work well with all types of classrooms!

Auditory Table: bells, holiday music,

Visual Table: lights, ornaments,

Tasting Table: Latkes, holiday cookies, candy canes, other,

Tactile/Touch Table: Stockings, ribbons, ornaments, wrapping paper,

Smelling Table: Pine Cones, Cinnamon, Cranberry, Peppermint

You can ask students how they would like to interact with the various items shared: taste, smell, listen/hear, look at, touch and send students to the corresponding table.

Lab Worksheet: Students can be instructed to explore a minimum of 5 items and rank their favorites, describe or orally share their opinions about them.

Social Media: Consider building a private Pinterest page for each student with a special category called holidays where they can search for their favorite items and read pin them to their pages!

This post was written by Carole Zangari

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PrAACtically Reading with Karen Natoci: Hello, Holidays!

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Getting ready for the holidays? Karen Natoci has some ideas and downloadable materials to help you plan your therapy and instruction. In today's post, she shares some PowerPoint books (with audio) that you can download and use, as well as activity suggestions.

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Games! Games! Games! by Carol Goossens'

This guest post is by Dr. Carol Goossens', SLP, artist, author, and developer of hundreds of Animated Step by Steps sold through Teachers Pay Teachers.

During these difficult times, families are grappling with how to use their time together productively ... and enjoyably. Some of my fondest childhood memories were playing board games in the evening with my siblings and Dad. In addition to being fun, games like Connect 4, Dominoes, Checkers, Rock Paper Scissors, Go Fish, Beat the Clock, War, I Spy With My Little Eye, Tic Tac Toe and even Pig Latin, provide a wonderful forum for teaching a variety of skills (numbers, colors, matching, foresight, letters, memory and spelling to list a few).

Animated Step-by-Steps® are animated PowerPoints designed to address literacy, language, AAC and a host of academic goals. Each page includes a series of animations. Read the text up to the star ... click ... and see an animation of what you just read. If you purchase a symbol-supported version, the symbols will appear AFTER all the slide animations have been triggered. This strategy is designed to promote a 'literacy first' agenda. Once the symbols appear they can be used to conduct Aided Language Stimulation.

Over the past few years, I have gradually added How to Play Animated Step-by-Steps® to the vast library of animated resources. This 'How To' Series is designed to teach the rules of various 'family-orientated games'. In addition to outlining the rules, they also provide practice trials to ensure that children understand the rules.

In the home, these resources can be displayed on the 'big screen' (large screen TV using Apple TV) or the'small screen'(computer monitor, iPad/Android tablet or iPhone using the free Microsoft PowerPoint app specific to each).

In the hands of a creative parent, specific adaptations can be implemented to allow children to participate more fully in these games using an eye-gaze frame, a communication device or even a switch to trigger the sequential animations that make up each resource.

These teaching resources are available through TpT

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Games! Games! Games! by Carol Goossens' This guest post is by Dr. Carol Goossens', SLP, artist, author, and developer of hundreds of Animated Step by Steps sold through Teachers Pay Teachers. During these difficult times, families are grappling with how to use their time together productively ... and enjoyably.

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Winter Crafts for Kids to Make - Fun Art and Craft Ideas for All Ages

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It sure is fun to play in the snow, but there are days when you are stuck inside and what better way to entertain yourself than with a crafty session. We have a whole lot of