A guide for using our resources

Children will identify ways to travel over the holidays.

Vocabulary: destination, travel

Social Studies Focus: holidays, transportation

Simple, spectacular ideas to boost your lessons.

• This charming story about holidays and traditions is a wonderful choice to celebrate the season, as well as teach about giving and friendship.

• After completing page 4 of the issue, make your own class graph about holiday travel! Make four columns and head them with simple icons: a car, a train, a plane, and a house.
• If children are traveling over the holidays, have them put a sticky note under the appropriate vehicle. If they plan to stay home, have them put a sticky note under the house. Then work together to interpret the results.

• Sprinkle this issue’s vocabulary words into conversations throughout the day to really make the words stick. For example, you might say, “Line up, it’s time to travel to gym class!” Then, on your way, ask, “What is our destination?”
• Repeated exposure to words helps make them a lasting part of children’s vocabularies.

Skill: art, writing

Materials: construction paper, brown washable paint, photos of students, red pom-poms, glue

• Send home a festive holiday gift that families will love! First, take a photo of each child and print the photos out. Cut out the face and head of each child.
• Next, have each child dip their hands in brown paint and make handprints on plain paper. When dry, cut out the handprints.
• Give each child a sheet of colorful construction paper. Have kids glue their face in the middle of the paper. Then have them glue their handprints on top to make antlers. Finally, have them glue a small red pom-pom to their nose!
• Underneath their picture, kids can write a personal message to their family, from wishing them a happy holiday to just saying I love you!