Celebrate

LESSON 1

Children explore how people from all around the world celebrate winter, and engage in a hands-on activity creating a salt dough spiral.

Ingredients for salt dough spiral:

  •  1 cup of flour

  • ½ cup of salt

  • 1 tablespoon of cream of tartar

  • 1-2 teaspoons of olive or vegetable oil

  • ½ to 1 cup of warm water

Materials

  • Gather materials

Preparations

  • Introduce and highlight various winter celebrations, promoting cultural awareness and inclusivity.

  • Emphasize the commonalities in winter traditions, reinforcing the idea of shared activities and unity among diverse celebrations.

  • Pose thoughtful questions during the discussion to stimulate critical thinking.

  • Provide clear instructions and assistance during the salt dough activity, supporting children's creativity and fine motor skill development.

Objectives for Teachers

  • Children learn about diverse winter celebrations worldwide, enhancing cultural understanding and appreciation.

  • Children recognize commonalities in winter celebrations, emphasizing the importance of shared activities and unity.

  • Children actively participate in the discussion by answering questions about the story.

  • Children engage in a hands-on activity, creating a salt dough spiral to countdown to the winter solstice, fostering creativity and fine motor skills.

Objectives for Children

Collect and Connect

  • Come up with actions to the poem and practice saying it together.

November Comes, and November Goes

November comes,

And November goes.

With the last red berries,

And the first white snows.

With night coming early,

And dawn coming late,

And ice in the bucket,

And frost by the gate.

The fires burn,

And the Kettles sing,

And earth sinks to rest,

Until next spring.

-Elizabeth Coatsworth

Activity Flow

  1. Begin today's activity by settling into a cozy spot to enjoy the story, "Lights of Winter," by Heather Conrad. Share with your child that long ago, as winter approached and days shortened, people thought the sun was angry, causing it to shine less and less during the day. They would pray for its return, and each spring, the sun would warm the earth again. Today, many cultures celebrate with festivals of light around the shortest day of the year as a reminder that the sun will return again.

    This story explores the different winter celebrations people participate in based on their beliefs and culture. Ask your child to share how they like to celebrate winter. Emphasize that although celebrations differ, they often share common activities and, most importantly, bring people together. Then read the story together to explore the various ways people celebrate winter worldwide.

  2. After the story, discuss the many ways people celebrate winter. Here are some questions you might ask:

  • What's a cool thing you found out about how people celebrate winter?

  • Is there something fun from the story that you want to try?

  • What's your most-loved tradition for celebrating this time of year?

3. After the story discussion, transition into the salt dough activity. Tell your child that they will be making a salt dough spiral to countdown to the winter solstice, the shortest day of the year. Create some excitement by telling them you have a few festivities planned for that day. If you prefer, you can also create a spiral leading up to holidays like Christmas, Hanukkah, or Kwanzaa.

4. Mix the ingredients for the salt dough together and shape it into a spiral. Use a marble or something round to create the number of indents needed leading up to your chosen celebration. Once done, you can air dry it (which takes a few days) or speed up the process by putting it in the oven on the lowest setting, checking every 30 minutes until dry. The drying time depends on the dough thickness.

5. After your salt dough spiral is dry, set it aside in a safe place until the next activity.