December

Last Monday we learned about Christmas in China. There are not many Christians in China so Christmas is not a widely spread holiday. It is becoming more popular in some of the bigger cities though. One tradition that is becoming more widespread, is giving apples on Christmas Eve. In Chinese, Christmas Eve is called ‘Ping An Ye’ (silent night). The word for apple is ‘Ping Guo’ which sounds similar. A lot of stores will wrap apples in colored paper and sell them for Christmas Eve. We learned about this tradition and each student received a wrapped apple.

We learned about Christmas in Ireland on Tuesday! On Christmas Eve, some families light a candle and put it in the window to light the way for Mary and Joseph. We put a fake candle in our window after learning about this tradition. The Irish also celebrate Epiphany. Epiphany is in memory of the three kings who brought presents to baby Jesus. Traditionally women get the day off on January 6^th and the men do the work in Ireland.

 

On Wednesday we learned about Christmas in Spain. Most families in Spain go to midnight mass on Christmas Eve. They also eat their Christmas dinner on Christmas Eve. People in Spain celebrate Epiphany (the 12^th day after Christmas, January 6^th) as well. They call it 'Fiesta de Los tres Reyes Mages’ or 'The festival of the three Magic Kings’. Epiphany is in memory of the three kings who brought presents to baby Jesus. Big towns in Spain have parades with the three kings in them. They sometimes throw candy to bystanders. We had our own parade and the students got candy.

On Thursday we learned about Christmas in Mexico. Christmas is celebrated from December 12 – January 6. There are many Christmas traditions from Mexico. One of those traditions is having a piñata. The students also heard a Christmas story about the poinsettia. You can read the story on the craft your student brought home.

On Friday we learned about St. Lucia day. Sweden and Norway are two countries that celebrate this holiday on December 13^th. St. Lucia is said to have brought food to the persecuted Christians in Rome who were hiding in the catacombs. She wore a wreath of candles on her head so she had both hands free for food. The oldest girl in the family dresses in white with a red sash and a wreath of candles on her head. She wakes her family up in the morning with Lussekatts (a sweet bun). Younger girls are 'tärnor' (Lucia but without the candles) and boys can dress up as 'Stjärngossar' (star boys). We had our own St. Lucia day with cinnamon rolls!

Zoo Animals

Today the students had the opportunity to see several kinds of animals from the Ft. Wayne Children's Zoo. They saw an owl, tarantula, armadillo, and a snake.

 

 

 

 

 

Thanksgiving

We spent several weeks learning about the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag tribe. The class was split into two groups, Pilgrims and Native Americans. Each group chose several leaders who were given real people to portray. The rest of the students chose historic names and created their own characters. After studying the history surrounding the first Thanksgiving, I interviewed students as if they were really from 1621.