Holiday Traditions in Schools

Over the past 5 years I have worked in a few different schools and gotten to see many different holiday traditions. In one kindergarten classroom, the students work together to mix, cut and prepare a Thanksgiving meal. The food is taken home by the teachers to be cooked, and all the parents are invited in to take part in the feast. Games and small crafts were also a part of the feast and celebration. The students and parents had a wonderful time.

In another fourth grade classroom, students learned about the Native Americans and Pilgrims through various Language Arts and social studies projects. Diaramas were created at home and brought in for grades. On the day before Thanksgiving, the students presented their projects to the class. No fluffy celebrations or feasts took place, however the diaramas were beautifully done!

Currently, I am preparing for our second grade Thanksgiving tradition at my school. Here, the four second grades spend roughly 25 minutes in each classroom, rotating around. In each classroom, the students and their parents learn about different aspects of the Thanksgiving holiday and why we celebrate. When the rotations are finished, they will all gather in my classroom for a feast. This takes about 3 hours total. It sound fun and I'm excited to experience another holiday school tradition.

Here are some links to see how other schools keep holiday traditions alive & some ideas on how to teach/ celebrate the holiday:
Pre-school ideas
Elementary: Cross -Curriculum
Middle School