With the month of December comes lots of excitement and traditions that students are eager to share. At morning meeting on Monday I kicked off talking about holiday traditions by sharing one from my family in Finland.
Last week our family received a package from our family for Christmas. It was filled with a few little goodies from some of our favorite Finnish shops and an advent calendar for both my sister and I. Right away I knew it would be perfect to share with my students at school to kick off our study of holiday traditions around the world.
After sharing the advent calendar at morning meeting and discussing how it compared to the advent calendars many of my students have, there were several students who wanted to bring in their own advent calendars to share. Advent calendars was just the tip of the holiday tradition iceberg!
We talked about other traditions students have during the holiday season. Many students shared about their elf on the shelf who visits their homes, setting up Christmas trees, stringing lights, decorating homes, listening to holiday music and lighting the candles on a menorah during Chanukah.
The Finnish advent calendar been a great talking point each morning when we open a new box to see the scene inside. It gives student the chance to make predictions, generate questions about the different scenes, and gives me the opportunity to share a little bit of Finnish culture.
I can’t wait for later this month when we “take off” on our big trip around the world to look at countries from different continents and how they celebrate the holidays. Studnets will be so excited to learn more about other countries and their traditions.
Katy
