St. Nicholas Day December 6th!

This Friday, December 6th, marks St. Nicholas day. Even though we don't really celebrate St. Nicholas day in the United States, many countries and children around the world take part in this holiday.

The following excerpts come from St. Nicholas Center which has a lot of great information, and a KIDS CORNER with coloring sheets and activities for kids and families to do together.

"The true story of Santa Claus begins with Nicholas, who was born during the third century in the village of Patara. At the time the area was Greek and is now on the southern coast of Turkey. His wealthy parents, who raised him to be a devout Christian, died in an epidemic while Nicholas was still young. Obeying Jesus' words to "sell what you own and give the money to the poor," Nicholas used his whole inheritance to assist the needy, the sick, and the suffering. He dedicated his life to serving God and was made Bishop of Myra while still a young man. Bishop Nicholas became known throughout the land for his generosity to those in need, his love for children, and his concern for sailors and ships."

HOW IS ST. NICHOLAS CELEBRATED? 

Celebrate At Home

Dutch Postcard St Nicholas Center Collection

A simple St. Nicholas Day celebration adds a bit of welcome festivity in the early days of Advent. It provides an opportunity to tell the story of St. Nicholas, a man of faith whose goodness and generosity grew out of his love for God. It enriches our understanding of Santa Claus by showing the real historical person who inspired the familiar legend and traditions.

So tell a story of St. Nicholas' generous example of giving in secret to those in need. Then encourage children to identify a kindly "Nicholas deed" to do for someone else. Have children fill their shoes with pieces of carrot or bits of hay for his white horse or donkey. Place shoes outside bedroom doors or on the hearth. See that a candy treat (a candy cane represents Bishop Nicholas' crozier) and simple gift appears by morning on December 6th.

Have a party. The Dutch give simple gifts accompanied with elaborate riddles and/or wrapped in fantastically deceiving ways, such as a pen inside a hollowed out carrot or something small nested inside multiple boxes and wrappings.

Click on the following link for a fun coloring activity that you can do at home with your families!

http://www.stnicholascenter.org/media/assets/coloring-belgian.pdf

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

For those of you who look for black Friday deals AND have been wanting to learn a new language, here is your opportunity to take advantage of ROSETTA STONE. I found the following on their facebook page...(PS... the secret code is "BONJOUR")

Rosetta Stone

http://bit.ly/181ecdT Unlock our phenomenal Black Friday sale by taking a whirlwind tour of Paris! To begin, visit our Pinterest Page and click on the image marked “Welcome.” You’ll advance through a series of pins and gain letters along the way. Once you’ve collected all the letters, unscramble them to form a common French word—the secret code! Then enter the code on our website to redeem your Black Friday discount on Rosetta Stone! Start now --> http://bit.ly/181ecdT 

   

Thanksgiving Spanish video

DÍA DE ACCIÓN DE GRACIAS / THANKSGIVING
by: Music With Sara
Artwork by: KC Munda
Animation by: Emmanuel L. Munda
Copyright 2011

Doy gracias por mis amigos por que me gusta jugar.
Doy gracias por la musica por que me gusta cantar
Doy gracias por mi maestra por que me gustar aprender
Doy gracias por la comida por que me encanta comer
Doy gracias por mi familia y también por la amistad
El día de acción de gracias nos trae felizidad!

I'm thankful for all of my friends because you know we love to play 
I'm thankful for the food that I eat each and every day 
I'm thankful for music because you know i love to sing 
I'm thankful for my teachers because they teach so many things
I'm thankful for my family and the love they're always bringing!
And I'm happy I get to see them on this day of thanksgiving
-- 
Sara Quintanar
Music With Sara

Visit http://www.itsmusictime.com andhttp://www.ahappymommy.com

Little Passports

Here is a great Christmas present idea for your whole family to take advantage of.  I came across this website, www.littlepassports.com. You can sign up for a subscription and choose either the World Edition or the USA edition. You then will receive surprises in the mail for each month you enroll! This is a great opportunity to broaden our children's minds and teach them about other countries and cultures.

1. Every month, follow our characters Sam and Sofia as they embark on a new country adventure. Your first month’s Explorer Kit arrives in a suitcase and contains everything your child needs to get started: a letter from Sam and Sofia, a map, a passport, stickers, access to online games and more. Country specific packages filled with fun souvenirs, letters, stickers, photos, activity sheets and more arrive every month thereafter.

   Recommended age 5 to 10 years old.

   Subscription Options

World Edition: Here's what you get!

Recommended age: 5-10 years old

Explorer Kit for Month 1

• A fun travel suitcase with a letter from our globetrotting characters Sam and Sofia
• World wall map
• Travel passport
• Fun stickers, an activity sheet, and access to online games and activities

Country adventure kits for future months

Sam and Sofia visit a new country every month and send your child:

• An adventure letter
• Fun souvenirs
• Stickers for your child's suitcase, passport, and map
• Photos from that country's sites
• Online games and activities in our Boarding Zone

See the countries Sam and Sofia will visit

zoom

zoom

TGIF

Thanksgiving Color by Numbers in French

Posted by: http://mixminder.com/thanksgiving-color-by-numbers-in-french/

Thanksgiving takes place in November in the United States – now is a good time to break out the Thanksgiving-themed worksheets and activities in your classroom for your students or children to complete. If you’re a language teacher, and you’re teaching French to your students, why not have them complete this Color by Numbers activity?

For the attached free downloadable activity, students should color the picture of the Thanksgiving turkey according to the color scheme indicated on the worksheet. If you’re interested, there is also a free Thanksgiving Color by Numbers in Spanish worksheet available for download on this site.

French numbers

The numbers in French from one to ten are:

• One: Un
• Two: Deux
• Three: Trois
• Four: Quatre
• Five: Cinq
• Six: Six
• Seven: Sept
• Eight: Huit
• Nine: Neuf
• Ten: Dix

And the number zero is: Zéro.

French colors

The colors in French used on this worksheet are:

• Red: Rouge
• Black: Noir
• Brown: Marron
• Blue: Bleu
• Grey: Gris
• Orange: Orange
• Green: Vert
• White: Blanc
• Yellow: Jaune

Using the Color by Numbers pages

When using the French color by numbers worksheet, it is good practice to have your children or students repeat the French names of the words they are coloring while they are completing the activity page. This helps to reinforce the translations, and to get the names of the colors “into their heads” while they are looking at the actual colors on the worksheets.

I hope that you and your students have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!

Click to download

- See more at: http://mixminder.com/thanksgiving-color-by-numbers-in-french/#sthash.tdK0uVgl.dpuf

Thanksgiving Color by Numbers in Spanish

The Following blog comes from:

http://mixminder.com/thanksgiving-color-by-numbers-in-spanish/

Thanksgiving Color by Numbers in Spanish

Thanksgiving is coming up this month in the United States! A while back we posted a Thanksgiving Color by Numbers in French; for today’s post, here is a Spanish language version, with numbers and colors in Spanish.

To use this free worksheet, students should look at the picture of the Thanksgiving turkey and take note of the numbers on each piece of the Thanksgiving turkey to be colored in. They should then find the name of the number in Spanish in the color key, and then translate the Spanish color name for the associated number in order to figure out which color that they need to use to color that piece of the picture. By using this activity students can practice both numbers and color names in Spanish.

Spanish numbers

The numbers in Spanish from one to ten are:

• One: Uno
• Two: Dos
• Three: Tres
• Four: Cuatro
• Five: Cinco
• Six: Seis
• Seven: Siete
• Eight: Ocho
• Nine: Neuve
• Ten: Deis

And the number zero is: Cero.

Spanish colors

The colors in Spanish used in this activity are:

• Red: Rojo
• Black: Negro
• Brown: Marrón
• Blue: Azul
• Grey: Gris
• Orange: Anaranjado
• Green: Verde
• White: Blanco
• Yellow: Amarillo

Using the Color by Numbers pages

When using the Spanish color by numbers worksheet, it is good practice to have your children or students repeat the Spanish names of the words they are coloring while they are working on the activity worksheet. This helps to reinforce the translations, and to get the names of the colors “into their heads” while they are looking at the actual colors on the worksheets.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your class!

Click to download

- See more at: http://mixminder.com/thanksgiving-color-by-numbers-in-spanish/#sthash.skkw8D79.dpuf

Spanish Thanksgiving Vocabulary Coloring Pages

http://www.spanishplayground.net/spanish-thanksgiving-vocabulary-coloring-pages/

Do you talk about what you are thankful for at Thanksgiving dinner? It is a tradition at our house to mention things for which we are feeling especially appreciative. It is a big group, but it is also a big meal, so everyone has time to chime it. If you have children learning Spanish, these Spanish Thanksgiving vocabulary coloring sheets will keep them busy before the meal and will help them be ready with an answer.

These pictures are an excellent way to remind children, and the rest of us, of the many things for which we are thankful. Kids can color them just for fun, as decorations, or as place mats. When you ask ¿Por qué estás agradecido? or ¿Por qué estás agradecida? (What are you grateful for?), kids will know how to answer in Spanish. To make them a little bigger to use as place mats, we centered them on construction paper.

Of course, these designs are not just for Thanksgiving. They are a good reminder at any time of the year that we have much to be grateful for and that all of it can be expressed in Spanish.

This is the vocabulary on the coloring sheets. There are no English translation on the printables because the Spanish is supported by the pictures.

General Vocabulary
mi familia – my family
mis amigos – my friends
la comida – food
la música – music
el amor – love
las flores – flowers
los pajaritos – birds
el sol – the sun
los árboles – trees
las montañas – mountains
mi casa – my house
la lluvia – rain
los libros – books
el helado – ice cream
el arco iris – the rainbow
ser quien soy – being who I am

Los colores
rojo – red
verde – green
rosada – pink
naranja – orange
azul – blue
amarillo – yellow
morado – purple

          

El cuerpo
los ojos – eyes
las manos – hands
las orejas – ears
la nariz – nose
la boca – mouth
los brazos – arms
las piernas – legs
los pies – feet

La comida
el queso – cheese
el pavo – turkey
las uvas – grapes
el pan – bread
las manzanas – apples
el pescado – fish
los tomates – tomatos
las calabazas – pumpkin
los plátanos – bananas
la leche – milk
las galletas – cookies
los caramelos – candy
los espaquetis – spaghetti
las papas – potatoes
la sopa – soup

Los animales
los perros – dogs
los gatos – cats
los peces – fish
las tortugas – turtles
las vacas – cows
los sapos – toads
los gallos – roosters
las ovejas – sheep
los pajaritos – birds
los cerdos – pigs
los caballos – horses
las serpientes – snakes

Coloring Pages – Spanish Thanksgiving Vocabulary

General Vocabulary
Los colores
El cuerpo – niña
El cuerpo – niño
La comida
Los animales

Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes

One of the best ways to review body parts is the song, "Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes." Not only are children already familiar with the tune of this song, but it is very repetitive and helps kids learn and RETAIN vocabulary words for the body parts introduced in the song.

Spanish

Cabeza, hombros, rodillas

y dos pies

Cabeza, hombros, rodillas

y dos pies

Ojos, oidos, boca y una nariz

Cabeza, hombros, rodillas

y dos pies

English Translation 

(Not on the download.)

Head, shoulders, knees 

And two feet

Head, shoulders, knees 

And two feet

Eyes, ears, mouth and a nose

Head, shoulders, knees 

And two feet

French 

Tête, épaules, genoux et pieds, genoux et pieds,
Tête, épaules, genoux et pieds, genoux et pieds,
Deux yeux, deux oreilles, une bouche et un nez,
Tête, épaules, genoux et pieds, genoux et pieds.

Day of the Dead

http://www.artistshelpingchildren.org/

DAY OF THE DEAD CRAFTS FOR KIDS : Ideas for Arts & Crafts Activities to Celebrate El Día De Los Artes Muertos Para Niños for Mexican Children, Teens, and Preschoolers 

Day of the Dead, also know as Día de Muertos in Spanish, is a Mexican festival that celebrates and honors dead ancestors on November 1 and 2. in connection with the Catholic holidays of All Saints' Day and All Souls' Day.

Day of the Dead focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. It is particularly celebrated in Mexico, where it is a national holiday, and all banks are closed. Traditions include building private altars honoring the deceased using sugar skulls, marigolds, and and visiting graves with these as gifts. They also leave possessions of the deceased. People celebrate this holiday by making skull themed crafts.

 How to Make Opening and Closing Day of the Dead Skulls - We are about to make an opening and closing Halloween skull. Halloween skulls are scary, but can be a little boring. These clever Halloween skulls are different because they actually move…. and they are easy to make.

 Paper Spiral Ghosts - Learn how to cut and design these paper spiral ghosts as a great Halloween decoration.

 Make Spooky Skeletons with Q-Tips - Learn how to make an awesome skeleton with Q-tips.

 How to Make a Halloween Skull Mummy Figure - This Skull Mummy is super creepy and totally perfect for Halloween. Made with pipe cleaners and bandage tape your child is going to love putting together this creative Halloween Skull Mummy Figure.

 Make Ghosts from Squashes for Halloween - Pumpkins are a Goard type Squash...but they sell other types of goards around Halloween time. Pick up one of these at the store and turn it into a spooky ghost with easy steps.

 How to Make a Skull Trick or Treat Basket - This Halloween basket will be perfect for any child who plans on wearing any scary costume. Imagine all the cool comments your child will get for this very creative and imaginative Halloween Basket. Your child will love telling anyone who asks that they made the basket themselves. How cool is that?!

 Making Skull Flashlight Covers - Learn how to make this very easy skull, flashlight cover with a simple paper bag.

 Creepy Paper Toy Craft - Print out this great paper craft. It includes 6 stand-up Halloween trick-or-treaters, background panorama items such as gravestones, a dead tree, moon, clouds, a flying witch, a pumpkin, and a cat. There are also stand up houses for the paper trick-or-treaters to visit.

 Mummy Bowling Pins - You can play a creepy game of Mummy Bowling for one of your Halloween Party Games.

 How to Make a Mummy Trick or Treat Baskets - Imagine how cute your child will look carrying this Mummy Trick or Treat Basket. And, chances are no one else will have the exact basket. Today I will show you how to make your very own Mummy trick or treat basket.

 Balloon Ghost Craft : Day of the Dead Crafts for Kids - This is a cute Halloween craft for kids to make with a balloon.

 Blushing Pumpkins : Day of the Dead Crafts for Kids - This "Blushing Pumpkins" is a great craft for Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead).

 Boo! Creative Writing Banner : Day of the Dead Crafts for Kids - Find out how you can use characters on a banner to tell a creepy story.

 Clay Sugar Skulls : Day of the Dead Crafts for Kids - Celebrate Day of the Dead with some sugar skulls you can keep.

 Day Of The Dead Altar : Day of the Dead Crafts for Kids - This is a craft idea on making a travel size version of an altar.

 Day of the Dead Mask : Day of the Dead Crafts for Kids - Celebrate the Day of the Dead by making and wearing this special mask.

 Day of the Dead Mask : Day of the Dead Crafts for Kids - Find out how you can make a Day of the Dead mask.

 Day Of The Dead Necklace, Bracelet And Earrings Set - A girly yet ghoulish jewelry set girls can make!

 Day of the Dead Shrine : Day of the Dead Crafts for Kids - Learn how to create your own "Day of the Dead" shrine by following these instructions.

 Day of the Dead Sugar Skulls : Day of the Dead Crafts for Kids - Celebrate Day of the Dead by making these sugar skulls with your kids.

 Día de Muertos Ofrendas : El Día De Los Artes Muertos Para Niños - Find out how you can make these Skeleton Esqueleto Puppets for Mexican Day of the Day.

 Día de los Muertos Pin : El Día De Los Artes Muertos Para Niños - Learn how to make this pin that can be worn to celebrate the Day of the Dead.

 Dia De Los Muertos Shrine : El Día De Los Artes Muertos Para Niños - Make this shrine in honor of the dead to celebrate the festivities.

 Dia de los Muertos Sugar Skulls : El Día De Los Artes Muertos Para Niños - Find out how you can use Crayola chalk, glitter glue, and dark colored paper to create skulls to celebrate Mexican Day of the Dead.

 DIY Playdough : El Día De Los Artes Muertos Para Niños - Celebrate Mexican Day of the Dead by making skulls from play dough.

 Dramatic Day of the Dead Designs : El Día De Los Artes Muertos Para Niños - Use Crayola products to make a Dramatic Day of the Dead Design to hang in your bedroom.

 Easy Paper Flowers : El Día De Los Artes Muertos Para Niños - Find out how you can make flowers out of colorful tissue and crepe papers to celebrate Mexican's Day of the Dead.

 Embellished Day of the Dead Collage : El Día De Los Artes Muertos Para Niños - Celebrate Day of the Dead by making the collage out of glitter, rhinestones etc.

 Funky Scarecrow : El Día De Los Artes Muertos Para Niños - Learn how to make this funky skeleton scarecrow by following these instructions.

 Felt Skull Banner : Day of the Dead Arts and Crafts Projects for Children -Follow these instructions to make a skull banner for Mexican's Day of the Day out of felt.

 Foam Stamps : Day of the Dead Arts and Crafts Projects for Children - Create your own personalized Day of the Day themed foam stamps.

 Gauzy Ghost Halloween Decoration : Day of the Dead Arts and Crafts Projects for Children - This gauzy ghost decoration can be used for a Halloween or Day of the Dead decoration.

 Glue Ghost Necklace or Decoration : Day of the Dead Arts and Crafts Projects for Children - Find out how you can make a glue ghost which can be made as a Day of the Dead necklace or decoration.

 Knitting Needles : Day of the Dead Arts and Crafts Projects for Children - This is the perfect Day of the Dead craft for someone who loves to knit.

 Lights in the Dark - A fun and simple craft kids can do on Mexican's Day of the Dead.

 Mexico’s Day of the Dead - A fun craft kids can make during the Mexico's Day of the Dead celebration.

 Ofrendas - Find out how you can prepare ofrendas for your Day of the Dead celebration.

 Paper Bag Monster Pinata Craft - This is a simple piñata that can be used at your Day of the Dead celebration.

 Paper Flowers for the Day of the Dead - Learn how to make paper flower decorations for your Day of the Dead celebration.

 Paper Marigold - Marigolds are the "flowers of the dead." Marigolds are used along with the magenta mano de leon (cockscomb flowers) to decorate altars. Their scent and bright colors are supposed to help the deceased find their way to the altar or ofrenda prepared for them.

 Paper Rosette - Make this paper rosette for someone as aDay of the Dead gift, a party favor or decoration.

 Papier-Mâché Ghost Craft - This ghost craft is easy to make and would make a great Day of the Dead decoration.

 Pasta Skeleton Craft - Learn how to make a skeleton out of pasta by following these instructions.

 Pasta Skeleton - Make a skeleton art using dried pasta, white paint, black paper, glue and black pen.

 Pipe Cleaner Skeleton - Welcome your guests to your Day of the Dead or Halloween celebration with this cool skeleton.

 Puffy Paint Sugar Skull! - Learn how to make this cool skull decoration from inexpensive supplies.

 Recycled Jug Skeleton - Recycling is the theme of this easy craft project for the Day of the Dead celebration.

 Reverse glass painting - Reverse glass painting makes a great Day of the Day party decoration.

 Scary Scratches - Kids can celebrate Day of the Dead by making this scary scratches scene.

 Skeleton Mobile - Recycle card board boxes and tubes to make a skeleton mobile for your Day of the Dead celebration.

 Skullflower Hairclips - Here is a pretty day of the dead hair clip... sugar skull was sculpted and hand painted with extreme detail.

 String of Ghosts - Learn how to make this ghost garland Day of the Dead decoration by following this tutorial.

 Sugar Skull Beads - Make these sugar skull beads for your Day of the Dead or Halloween jewelry.

 Sugar Skull Candle Holder - This is Mexican Day of the Dead clearance put to good use!

 Sugar Skull Magnet - Follow these instructions to make this cool sugar skull magnet for Day of the Dead.

 Sugar Skulls - Learn how to make sugar skulls for your Day of the Dead celebration.

 Sugar Skulls - Find out how you can make these Day of the Dead sugar cones with your children.

 Sugar Skulls for Dia de los Muertos - Kids can make their own inedible sugar skulls with Crayola supplies.

 Sugar Skull Shirt - Celebrate Dia de los Muertos with a statement shirt.

 The Skeletons - Find out how you can make these skeletons for your Day of the Dead celebrations.

http://www.artistshelpingchildren.org/