Holidays Around the World!

The children and I are in the midst of a social studies mini-unit in which we are studying the customs of holidays around the world, including: Christmas, Hanukkah, and Kwanzaa. It is so much fun to learn about people who live near and far, and ways that we may be alike and different from them. The children are beginning to realize that many of the customs and traditions we follow actually came from other countries!

As the Hanukkah holiday began last weekend, it was the perfect week to read a few of my favorite Hanukkah stories! We read "Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins" and "The Chanukah Guest" both by Eric Kimmel, as well as "Light the Lights" by Margaret Moorman. These stories highlight the underlying themes of Hanukkah and taught us some of the history as well. The children located the country of Israel on the map and identified the blue and white flag with the star of David in the center. They learned how Hershel lit the menorah each night for 8 nights using the shammesh candle. They read about a hungry bear that was confused by a sweet little old lady (with poor vision) for the rabbi from the synagogue- and he ate all of the latkes! We also discovered that some families celebrate more than one holiday, as the little girl in "Light the Lights" did. Her dad celebrated Hanukkah and taught her about his customs, and then a few weeks later her mom pulled out the Christmas tree and they celebrated her customs as well! The family shared both sets of traditions together! The children in our class made a menorah using their hands- 4 fingers on each side represent the 8 nights of Hanukkah, and they overlapped their thumbs in the middle to represent the shammesh candle.

We went on to also learn about a few Christmas traditions! The children learned about Pere Noel from France (who brought them a small treat on December 6). We located France on the map, learned the term "Joyeux Noel," and colored the French flag, which we also noticed was red, white and blue!

We also learned about the Christmas customs in Mexico. We noted that Mexico is our neighbor to the south, yet speaks the Spanish language! The children made poinsettias after reading "The Legend of the Poinsettia" as a class. We learned that Joel Poinsett, a US embassador to Mexico, first brought the poinsettia to the United States from Mexico. We discovered the tradition of Las Posadas, and we learned the term "Feliz Navidad!"

Finally, the children learned about the holidays in Sweden. They learned about St. Lucia day, the tradition of decorating with wooden ornaments and animals, Jultomten who brings the gifts, and "Dipping Day," that reminds the people of the famine they endured long ago. To help us remember the tradition of St. Lucia, the children made festive red and green wreaths for the classroom!