Children’s Day

It was a very good activity!

The kids had a lot of fun painting and decorating the letters of their names.

We all enjoyed the great time, sang songs, played games, and read the new and exciting books from Scholastic Book Club.

Happy Children’s Day to you all!!

Em Português.

Foi uma atividade muito boa!

As crianças se divertiram muito pintando e decorando as letras de seus nomes.

Todos nós curtimos esse momento agradável, cantamos músicas, jogamos diferentes jogos e lemos os novos e emocionantes livros da Scholastic Book Club.

Feliz Dia das Crianças a todos !!

Father’s Day

Com argila e sementes nós confeccionamos uma pedra e escrevemos a frase “Dad Rocks”.
Isso significa: Papai é o cara! Mas tbm pode-se entender como a Pedra do Papai!!
Nos sujamos um pouco com a argila e com o processo de montagem, mas valeu, pois ficaram bem bacana. E montar algo especial para o Dad é muito bom!.

St. Patrick´s Day Activities & Pictures

Tivemos muita emoção e aventura com as atividades nesse dia!

Montamos nossos Leprechauns (duendes ou gnomos);

Confecccionamos colares com green noodles (macarrão verde);

Decoramos Shamrocks (trevos) com glitter;

Procuramos pelo Pot of Gold (pote de ouro) que os leprechauns deixaram no jardim depois da chuva e do arco-íris.

Foi uma aventura muito bacana e muitas mais virão!

Valentine´s Day

Diferente do Brasil esse dia não é apenas para namorados, mas também para todas as pessoas que amamos como pais e amigos.

Comemorado 14 de fevereiro e envolve chocolates, flores, cartões, jantares e tudo o mais que quem ama deseja.

So, enjoy and send your love to everyone you care about.

My Perfect Valentine

Observing the stars, You came into mind,

I thought about your love for me, It’s so fine.
Whenever you hug me, Whenever you’re there,

I feel so secure, I know you really care.
At times we’re together, Not knowing what to say,

All we do is hold hands, Then our love lights the way.
There are instances we argue, But time’s granted to ponder,

Then we work things out, It makes our love stronger.
I’ve nothing to worry about, Gone are moments, I thought we’d part,

Thinking of you makes me smile, You’ll forever be in my heart.

Source: My Perfect Valentine, Valentines Day Poem to Boyfriend http://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/my-perfect-valentine#ixzz2sjtEOzXd Family Friend Poems

The Legend of Valentine´s Day

Saint Valentine’s Day, also known as Valentine’s Day or the Feast of Saint Valentine, is observed on February 14th each year. It is celebrated in many countries around the world, although it remains a working day in most of them.

Several stories were invented for the various Valentines that belonged to February 14.

According to the legend he was imprisoned for performing weddings for soldiers who were forbidden to marry and for ministering to Christians, who were persecuted under the Roman Empire. During his imprisonment, he healed the daughter of his jailer, Asterius. Before his execution he wrote her a letter signed “Your Valentine” as a farewell.

In Brazil, the Dia de São Valentim is recognized on June 12.

Ano Novo Chinês – Ano do Cavalo

Dia 31 será o Ano Novo Chinês. Você sabe qual é o seu signo no horóscopo chinês? O que ele representa? Qual sua sorte para 2014?

Origin

The Chinese Zodiac, known as Sheng Xiao, is based on a twelve year cycle, each year in that cycle related to an animal sign. These animal signs are the rat, ox, tiger, rabbit, dragon, snake, horse, sheep, monkey, rooster, dog and pig. It is calculated according to Chinese lunar calendar . Ancient people observe that there are 12 full moons within one year. So, its origin is associated with astronomy. Each animal sign is usually related with an earthly branch, so the animal years were called zi rabbit, chou ox, yin tiger, mao rabbit, chen dragon, si snack, wu horse, wei sheep, shen monkey, you rooster, xu dog and hai pig.

12 Animal Signs

For a long time there has been a special relationship between humans and the 12 zodiacal animals. It is believed that the years represented by the animals affect the characters of people in the same manner as the sign of zodiac adopted by western civilizations. People under different animal signs have distinct characters. Some signs are perfect match while some are less compatible or even born opponents.

Check the link below to discover about you and your perfect match.

Good Luck!

http://www.travelchinaguide.com/intro/social_customs/zodiac/

The Lantern Festival

In China, the New Year is a time of family reunion. Family members gather at each other’s homes for visits and shared meals, most significantly a feast on New Year’s Eve.

The lantern festival is held on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. Some of the lanterns may be works of art, painted with birds, animals, flowers, zodiac signs, and scenes from legend and history. People hang glowing lanterns in temples, and carry lanterns to an evening parade under the light of the full moon.

In many areas the highlight of the lantern festival is the dragon dance. The dragon—which might stretch a hundred feet long—is typically made of silk, paper, and bamboo. Traditionally the dragon is held aloft by young men who dance as they guide the colorful beast through the streets.
Read more: Chinese New Year: 2014 | Infoplease.com http://www.infoplease.com/spot/chinesenewyear1.html#ixzz2rVkHfk3N

Martin Luther King´s Day

January 15th

One holiday we celebrate

Honors a special man,

Who taught us to be fair

To everyone we can.

He said, “Do not fight.”

Solve problems peacefully.

Think about how others feel …

Kindness is the key.

Who is this special man,

Whose name you hear us sing?

Whose holiday we celebrate?

It’s Martin Luther King!

Martin Luther King was the chief spokesman for nonviolent activism in the civil rights movement, which successfully protested racial discrimination in federal and state law.

The campaign for a federal holiday in King’s honor began soon after his assassination in 1968.

President Ronald Reagan signed the holiday into law in 1983, and it was first observed three years later.

At first, some states resisted observing the holiday as such, giving it alternative names or combining it with other holidays.

It was officially observed in all 50 states for the first time in 2000.

Activity Ideas

WHAT ARE YOUR DREAMS?

Ask your children to name something they would wish for our world. Give some examples to get children thinking. Next, let each child draw a picture to show his or her wish. At the bottom of each picture, write a few words to explain the child’s wish. Finally, bind the pictures into a class booklet titled “Our Dreams for Our World.” Review the booklet with children, then leave in your book corner for individuals to share.

COMING TOGETHER

Read to children The Crayon Box That Talked, by Sharon Derolf. Help children understand that people who are different from one another can, with respect and understanding, enjoy great friendships together. Then give children spray bottles filled with different colors of water. Let children spray a bed sheet and watch as the different colors run together to form a beautiful display. Explain that although all the colors are different, they blend together nicely, just as people can.

THE SAME PLANET

Help children make this simple snack to demonstrate that we all share the same Earth. Use a round cookie cutter to cut circles of bread. The circles represent our Earth. Give one circle to each child. Give each child about five chocolate chips, five white chocolate chips, and five butterscotch chips. The chips represent the different people that live in our world together. Help children press their chips into their bread circles and enjoy their “diversity snacks.”

MAKING PEACE

While peaceful conflict resolution should be promoted all year long, this center idea helps drive home the idea of peace when celebrating Martin Luther King, Jr. Set up a table and chairs in a corner of your classroom. Tell children this is the peace table. Talk with children about Dr. King’s belief in solving problems without fighting or name-calling. Reinforce the concept of working out differences by talking and compromising. Invite children to use the peace table when they need to settle a problem. Praise children for their efforts and give each one a precut white dove as a peace certificate. Include each child’s name and a special sticker on his/her certificate.

We Love Holidays

Holidays are coming.

How do we know?

We light special candles,

And watch them as they glow.

Holidays are coming.

How do we know?

We smell cookies baking,

Yum! How fast they go!

Holidays are coming.

How do we know?

We feel it getting colder …

Do you think it will snow?

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ACTIVITY IDEAS

WINTER LIGHTS

Read to children Lights of Winter, by Heather Conrad. This book explains many different winter holidays, describing the respective celebrations and teaching their commonality. Discuss which holidays children honor, allowing individuals to describe how they celebrate. Then on an easel pad, create an acrostic poem. Write the word holiday down the left side of the page. Invite children to think of a word that begins with each letter in holiday and helps describe or refer to it. Example: h = happy. Provide assistance as needed.

DREIDEL, DREIDEL

Cut from paper 20 dreidel shapes. On 10 of the shapes, write a numeral from one to 10. On the remaining 10 shapes, show a coordinating number of dots (from one dot to 10 dots). Children may wish to decorate them with crayons, glitter or sequins. Placer all 20 shapes in a math center and invite children to play a matching game.

FIRST FRUITS

Talk with children about the celebration of Kwanzaa. Explain that it is an African American holiday that celebrates the “first fruits of a harvest.” Explain that corn is a staple of that harvest. Invite children to make these simple corn collages. First, print out this template and copy it (one for each child): http://www.kidsdomain.com/craft/cegif/collage-pat.gif. Cut out each corn/leaf shape and paste it onto a piece of brown construction paper. Invite children to color only the corn leaves green. Next, give each child a handful of unbuttered popcorn and help him/her glue it onto the corn cob portion of the template. Display children’s “first fruits.”

A DIYA FOR DIWALI

Explain that Diwali is a Hindu celebration with symbols of candles and lights. A diya is a clay bowl with a wick dipped in oil that is often burned during Diwali. Invite children to make their own diyas to honor the holiday. Give each child a golf-ball size piece of white air-drying clay. Help children knead the clay until it is pliable. Next, shape the clay into a small bowl that is large enough to hold a tea candle. Let children press sequins, little plastic gems or glitter around the outsides of the bowl, When the bowls are dry, add tea candles and let children take their diyas home to share with their families.

Aulas de intensivo de férias e colônia para seus filhos.

Holidays Season – How to celebrate

How do we celebrate

The winter holidays?

With songs, games, and stories…

There are so many ways.

With candles and bright lights;

With good foods and sweet treats;

With smiles on our faces,

For everyone we meet.

With special gifts to give

To people who are dear;

With love we want to share

Throughout the coming year!

Activity Ideas

KWANZAA BRACELETS

Gather red, green, and yellow straws. Cut the straws into 1-inch pieces. Give each child some pieces of varied colors. Next, give each child a piece of black yarn about 7 inches long. Wrap tape around one end of the yarn. Help children string pieces of straw in alternating colors onto the yarn. When finished, place yarn around children’s wrists and tie a knot in the ends of yarn to fasten.

A HANUKKAH SNACK

Cut bananas in half. Then cut each half lengthwise. Give each child one of the lengthwise pieces of banana. Break pretzel sticks in half and give each child eight sticks. Help children push the half sticks into the banana length to resemble a menorah. Place four half sticks to one side and four to the other. Finally, push a full pretzel stick into the banana length, between the two groups of four half sticks. This resembles the candle that is used to light the others on a menorah. Let students enjoy!

HOLIDAY BINGO

On a large piece of poster board, draw a bingo grid. In each square, show a picture (cut out and laminated) of a symbol for one of the winter holidays (Santa, menorah, Kinara, and so on.) Give each child pieces of blank paper. Divide children into small groups. Start with one group by calling out the name of a picture and letting one of the children cover that picture with a piece of blank paper. Continue and when a row is covered, begin the game again, giving another group of children a turn.

LET’S DECORATE

Help children create sponge-painting decorations for display or for wrapping paper. Cut kitchen sponges into the shapes of holiday symbols. You can use symbols from Hanukkah, Christmas, Diwali, or Kwanzaa. Pour various colors of tempera paint into low trays. Help children place their sponges into the paint and press them onto white paper. Children can create a long decorative classroom mural or several large pieces of paper to be used for wrapping gifts

Father´s Day

This is a poem called IF by Rudyard Kipling. It is a beautiful message from a father to his son.
My grandfather had it framed on his wall, but in Portuguese, and I loved reading it when I was a child.

Listen to it from the Youtube link below and enjoy.

If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream – and not make dreams your master;
If you can think – and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ’em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
‘ Or walk with Kings – nor lose the common touch,
if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And – which is more – you’ll be a Man, my son!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FOy8rneWlrs

For all of you I wish a beautiful father´s day.

Paula Lyra ELT School

Aulas Particulares de Inglês – Bilingual Education

Category Archives: Calendar

Children’s Day

Father’s Day

St. Patrick´s Day Activities & Pictures

Valentine´s Day

My Perfect Valentine

Ano Novo Chinês – Ano do Cavalo

The Lantern Festival

Martin Luther King´s Day

We Love Holidays

Holidays Season – How to celebrate

Father´s Day