multi cultural activities
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January Celebrations for Preschool
I’m the kind of person who absolutely LOVES to have a holiday or celebration to look forward to. After the highs of the month of December, that can make January feel a little extra bleak. BUT there’s plenty to celebrate in January too, so if you want to keep the parties coming, here are some special days you might consider commemorating in the classroom this month. All of these dates are from my favorite calendar site; National Today. January 8th – National bubble bath day. This sounds like the perfect excuse for some soapy sensory fun! Squeeze some bubble bath on a piece of aluminum foil and let children fingerpaint…
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Preschool Easter Luncheon
One of my favorite classroom memories is the year that the children begged to have a fancy Easter lunch at school. At the time we’d been exploring holidays, and as Easter got nearer we began to talk about the things that came to mind when they thought of the Easter holiday. One of them mentioned wearing fancy outfits and it took off from there. They helped us decide on “the right kind” of decorations for a fancy Easter lunch and we enlisted parents in helping us provide potluck items that were traditional for their families during this particular holiday celebration. Most importantly, the children planned their outfits meticulously. On the…
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Using Martin Luther King Junior’s Words in the Classroom
The “I Have a Dream” speech given by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is iconic, and with great reason – but I can bet that many of us haven’t actually read or listened to the entire speech. There are of course the stand-out quotes, but to be able to hear the passion and heart behind the words adds humanism and connection that can’t be paralleled. The “I Have a Dream” book is a wonderful way to incorporate this speech into the classroom, and to help children identify with the power of the spoken word. I’m linking it here (and this link is an affiliate) because this particular copy actually comes…
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Activities for Martin Luther King Jr. Day
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Activities for Martin Luther King Jr. Day
I’m re-sharing a post today that is full of amazing ideas for exploring diversity in the classroom – hopefully these will fill in your lesson plans for next week! We’re working on social studies standards, and the timing worked out particularly well because today’s standard lends itself to Martin Luther King Day. Remember, the Standards that I use every day, and am most comfortable with are Ohio’s Early Learning Development Standards – you can review them here, however I’ve found that even if your State’s standards differ, many of these activities can still be aligned similarly. I’ve rounded up some great ideas today! Domain: Social StudiesStrand: GeographyTopic: Human Systems Preschool standards are…
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Thanksgiving Pie Experiment
I know that there are very strong opinions about using food for preschool activities, and I understand both sides of the argument. Personally, I believe that food is something that brings us together. It is a powerful way to open children’s minds to new experiences, and to introduce them to cultural experiences. I am especially partial to taste-tests as science and social studies activities because it gives me the opportunity to expose children to something that they may not ever encounter at home. I’ve been known to taste test fruits and vegetables, in order to introduce new foods and encourage children to be open to trying new things. This particular…
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Pie Filling Taste Test
I know that there are very strong opinions about using food for preschool activities, and I understand both sides of the argument. Personally, I believe that food is something that brings us together. It is a powerful way to open children’s minds to new experiences, and to introduce them to cultural experiences. I am especially partial to taste-tests as science and social studies activities because it gives me the opportunity to expose children to something that they may not ever encounter at home. I’ve been known to taste test fruits and vegetables, in order to introduce new foods and encourage children to be open to trying new things. This particular…
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Cultural Sensitivity and Winter Holidays
Some teachers live for the holiday season and cannot wait to introduce holiday themed activities, others are more apprehensive about planning activities that meet the needs and beliefs of all of their students, and still others work in schools where policies prevent them from using any holiday-related materials whatsoever. I’ve met and worked with teachers who fall into all three groups, and I myself tend to end up in that middle category. Whichever of the three groups you find yourself belonging to, here are a couple of my tried and true resources for handling the holidays while still be culturally sensitive. First thing’s first, this little parent letter has saved…
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Friday Freebie – Parent Letter about Holiday Celebrations
It's a little early for this particular freebie, but it fits really well with this week's parent communication theme, so you can download it and file it away for later in the year. This is the letter that I send out every year before winter holidays (usually the beginning of November so I have plenty of time to get it out, get it back, and start planning). It lets parents know why I like to include holiday activities on my lesson plans and gives them the opportunity to share what their preferences are when it comes to discussing holidays in the classroom.This is a great way to make sure that…
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Celebrating Mardi Gras in Preschool
Tomorrow is Fat Tuesday, and every year I celebrate with my students. Exploring Mardi Gras gives my students the opportunity to participate in a holiday that many of them do not celebrate at home, but they can definitely appreciate the basic components of this holiday – sweet treats, parades, masks, and music. I show my students some photos of Mardi Gras celebrations during circle time. You can find a lot of pictures on Google Images, just be sure to preview them first! It helps to search for children’s parades, and my students also love to see pictures from the dog parades, and of the big parade floats. We always start…
