A Christmas Story

I gave each of my students a book and a Chapstick for Christmas. I knew they would like the Chapstick, but I wasn't sure about the book. I picked out several copies of 5 titles and tried to give each student the book I thought he or she would most enjoy. One of my students is very smart and could easily do well in first grade. In fact, he's so smart that he is beginning to realize that there is a difference between what some people have and what his family doesn't have. He loves school, though, and often says so with a really big grin as he goes about his work. I couldn't wait for him to open his present because he is the one student that I had in mind specifically when I selected a certain book. He loves trains - draws them into every story, reads books about them, asks questions about them - so one of the books I got was about Thomas the train. When he opened the package, he gave me the biggest hug and it lasted a long time while he recovered his composure. "Thank you, thank you," he said, clutching the book. Waving the wrapping paper he added, "I'll never throw this away, never, never, never!" I know we joke about little ones who would rather play with the wrapping paper, but I have to wonder what this child's Christmas must be like when he is so excited to have a present that he keeps the paper for a souvenir...

Pinata Plans Agley

It turns out that if you are studying Christmas in Mexico and plan to make pinatas from balloons, newspapers, and flour paste, there are a few things you should know. First, although it does wash out, flour paste is one of the messiest substances I've ever used in a classroom, and since students don't like it on their hands, they regularly wipe their hands clean using whatever is available be it furniture or clothing. If you should decide to tackle a project of this magnitude, you should plan ahead and ask students to bring a change of clothing or else you might find yourself writing notes home to explain to parents why you are sending their children home looking like tiny mummies. Also, flour paste is quite drippy and does not vacuum out of the carpet when dry as one might expect. Second, it takes about two to three days for each layer of paper mache to dry, so please do not begin this project on the Wednesday of the last week before winter break. Third, if you plan to paint the pinatas, you must not plan to do so on the morning of the Christmas party when your students are wearing their "fancy clothes" which they gained permission to wear after writing a letter to the principal. This remains true even if the students are wearing smocks. If, however, you should begin this activity unaware of the pitfalls and realize too late that there is no way to finish in time, please note that you can always fall back on the paperbag pinata as a last-minute alternative. It is much less messy to make, although it does not have the satisfying hit-it-with-a-stick hard shell found in the paper mache version. Decorate with markers, stickers, colored paper or tissue paper, stuff and tie the top with yarn. Ta-dah!

Holiday Happenings

This week has been very interesting. I've changed the routine a bit and we are studying holidays around the world in place of our usual literacy & Social Studies. My students seem to be feeling a bit more free to express themselves, and we've had several "bad word" incidents. On the positive side, I've seen students quizzing each other and me about the ABCs, reading out loud to themselves and each other, and writing a lot more. Today we made mkekas, the woven mats used in celebrating Kwanzaa. This is probably the largest, and most individualized, project to date, and many of my more diligent students did not know what to make of it. It took quite a while and a lot of helping and fixing of mistakes, but most of them are finally finished and they are so proud of themselves. The mats look great. Now it's time to plan the holiday party - yea! My students want to write a letter to the principal asking permission to "dress up" for the party instead of wearing their regular school uniforms.