Explain to the class that Labor Day honors the working people of the United States. Have students write or discuss what jobs are needed around the school. Then set up a schedule of chores for students to do around the class and around the school.

First Sunday
after Labor Day

Grandparents Day

Explain that Grandparents Day honors grandmothers and grandfathers. Have students make cards for their grandparents. Invite grandparents to class. Celebrate with treats and a story that describes experiences of children with their grandparents such as Lots of Grandparents by Shelley Rotner and Sheila Kelly or Chicken Sunday and The Keeping Quilt by Patricia Polacco or have grandparents tell stories of what life was like when they were the students' age.

September 16

Mexican Independence Day

On September 16, 1810, Father Miguel Hidalgo called for Mexico's independence from Spain. At that time, Mexico was part of a territory known as New Spain. New Spain included all of present-day Mexico, as well as Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. Have your students locate the areas that made up New Spain on their United States Desk Map.

September 22/23

Autumn Begins

Explain to the class that some trees and plants lose their leaves every fall, while others have leaves all year long. Choose 5–6 different plants or trees around the school. Have students predict which of these will lose their leaves. Make a chart, recording their predictions. Over the next few weeks, have students observe the plants and trees, collect sample leaves, and record whether or not their predictions were correct.

Encourage students to bring in a variety of seeds (including nuts) from plants and trees in their neighborhoods. Have students compare the sizes and shapes of these seeds. Remind the class that new plants and trees grow from seeds. Have students work together to label and display the seed collection in your science center.

Have students make leaf prints, using real leaves. Show them how to paint the underside of the leaf. Then have them press the painted side of the leaf down onto a sheet of paper. Use these prints for booklet covers, invitations to a school open house, or a lesson about the parts of leaves.

Read a book about autumn to your class. (See Literature Links for suggestions.)

September 26

John (Johnny Appleseed) Chapman's Birthday

On Desk Map 1C, 2C, or 3C, have students trace a route that Johnny Appleseed might have taken through New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. 

Conduct an apple taste test. Cut 2-3 different varieties of apples into thin slices. Have students taste each type of apple and choose a favorite. Then chart their preferences on a pictograph or bar graph.

Read a book about Johnny Appleseed to your class. (See Literature Links for suggestions.)

Second Monday
in October

Columbus Day (observed)

In 1492 people knew the earth was round, but they didn't realize that many of the world's continents existed. Have students cover up North America, South America, Australia, and Antarctica on the Activity Globe for Grade 1, 2 or 3, to show the world as Columbus knew it.

Using the Activity Globe for Grade 1, 2, or 3, have students trace the route that Christopher Columbus took from Spain, to the Canary Islands (off the west coast of Africa), and to what are now the Bahamas, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic.

Read a book about Christopher Columbus to your class. (See Literature Links for suggestions.)

October 31

Halloween

Discuss safety rules that your students should follow when they go Trick-or-Treating. Help students write a rule on a paper lunch bag that they also decorate with Halloween pictures. Display these mini Trick-or-Treat bags around the room or in the hallway.

Use a field trip to a pumpkin patch as an opportunity to discuss the differences between rural (farm) communities and your own community.

Show your students photos of Day of the Dead celebrations in Mexico or your own community. Then draw a chart on the board to help students compare the Day of the Dead with Halloween. How are the celebrations alike? How are they different?

Read a book about Halloween to your class. (See Literature Links for suggestions.)

First Tuesday
after November 1

Election Day

Explain to students that Americans vote for a president of the United States every four years on Election Day. Tell students that people vote only once in the election and that their vote is secret. Have students vote for a favorite character from a book. Designate a number for each character and distribute sticky notes. Tell students that the sticky notes are their "secret ballots." Then have students vote by writing the number on the sticky note that represents the character they wish to vote for.

November 11

Veterans Day

Explain that on Veteran's Day we show our respect for and remember all of the soldiers who have fought to protect our country.

Have a remembrance ceremony with the class. Students can make paper flowers or create a flag to display on their desks while you say a short speech thanking and honoring soldiers.

Invite a veteran to talk to the class about what it was like to be a soldier fighting for our country.

Fourth Thursday
in November

Thanksgiving

On a wall map, trace the route that the Pilgrims took. Start in Plymouth, on the southwest end of England. Head west to the United States. Point out that the Pilgrims first landed in Cape Cod in Massachusetts. However, they eventually settled west of Cape Cod and south of Boston and called their settlement Plymouth.

Have students trace the same route on Desk Map 1D, 2D, or 3D. Also have them trace the route on the Activity Globe for Grades 1, 2, or 3. Along the route, have them draw a boat to represent the Mayflower.

Have students make Thanksgiving thank you cards. One student might decide to thank his or her father for his love; another might thank a sister for sharing her toys.

Help students compare a modern-day Thanksgiving dinner with the first Thanksgiving feast. Divide the chalkboard in half and label one side First Thanksgiving and the other side Our Thanksgivings.

Begin filling in the Our Thanksgivings column, using information provided by students about their typical celebrations. Then complete the First Thanksgiving column with information students research or that you provide.

First Thanksgiving
When: October 1621 (it lasted 3 days!)
Guests: about 50 Pilgrims and 90 Native Americans
Menu: deer, turkey, goose, duck, lobster, oysters, eel, cornbread, popcorn, carrots, cucumbers, turnips, onions, radishes, beets, cabbages, wild berries, and fruit.

Read a book about the Pilgrims or about Thanksgiving to your class. (See Literature Links for suggestions.)

December
Holidays  

Help your students count down the days until your school vacation. Display a paper or artificial tree. Place ornaments (one for each day of school left until vacation) in a box next to it. Each day, invite a different child to hang an ornament on the tree. Have students guess how many ornaments are still left in the box, before counting them.

Discuss how your students celebrate the holidays. Focus on the multicultural nature of our society. Here are some ideas to help your students become more aware of holidays and customs other than their own. Note that, because of winter vacations, many of these activities need to be done before the actual holiday.

December 6

St. Nicholas Day

Let students know that, in the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, and some Eastern European countries, children put out a shoe or boot on December 5th. During the night, they believe that St. Nicholas will come and fill their shoes with treats. Good children receive candy; naughty children receive coal, potatoes, or onions!

Have your students compare pictures of St. Nicholas with pictures of Santa Claus. How are they alike? How are they different? Also have students compare the tradition of putting out shoes with the U.S. tradition of hanging stockings by the fireplace. Where do they think some U.S. Christmas traditions came from?

December 12

Hanukkah Begins

Ask students what Hanukkah is. If necessary, explain that Hanukkah is a festival of lights. For eight nights, Jewish families light candles on a menorah. They believe that these candles represent a miracle that happened long ago in Jerusalem, when one days worth of oil burned for eight days.

Help students create their own paper menorahs. Have them trace and cut 6", 5", 4", and 3" semicircles out of construction paper or gold wrapping paper. Now have students glue the 5" semicircle on top of the 6" one. In the same way, have them glue on the 4" and 3" ones. Finally, have them glue a 1"x9" strip of paper in the center. Now have them "light" the candles on their menorahs by gluing on paper flames.

Read a book about Hanukkah to your class. (See Literature Links for suggestions.)

December 13

Saint Lucy's Day

Explain that on this day in Sweden the oldest girl in the house awakens her family and serves them a special breakfast. She wears a long white dress with a red sash around the waist and a wreath with candles on her head. Celebrate St. Lucia day in your classroom by serving lussekatts or some other breakfast roll and singing songs.

December 21

Winter Begins

On a classroom globe or activity globe, mark the area in which you live with a piece of clay. Tilt the globe about 23° on its axis. Ask a volunteer to shine a flashlight on the globe. Help students understand that in winter the sun doesn't shine as directly on a place as it does in the summer. The energy (heat) from the sun spreads out, causing colder weather. Discuss what winter is like where you live.

When it snows, have students catch snowflakes on a sheet of black paper. Then have them use a magnifying glass to examine the shape of individual snowflakes.

Have students use crayons to color a winter scene on a piece of black or dark blue paper.  Dissolve Epsom salt in water.  Have students paint over their winter pictures with this mixture—creating a snowy effect.

Read a book about Winter to your class. (See Literature Links for suggestions.)

December 25

Christmas

Help students see the similarities and differences in their holiday celebrations. Ask those who celebrate Christmas to stand on one side of the room, Hanukkah on another side, and Kwanzaa at the front of the room. Continue to sort students by a variety of different criteria—number of candles they light, whether they exchange presents, etc. Try to help students discover that each family has its own special ways of celebrating the holidays.

Read books about how other cultures celebrate Christmas to your class. (See Literature Links for suggestions.) Help students compare these celebrations.

December 26

Kwanzaa Begins

Survey your class to find out how many students celebrate Kwanzaa. Explain that Kwanzaa is a fairly new celebration based on ancient African festivals and customs. Kwanzaa is celebrated for seven days. Each day families look at a different principle.

Let students know that the sixth day of Kwanzaa focuses on kuumba—creativity. Give students sheets of red, green, and black construction paper. Encourage each of them to use the paper in a very unique, creative way.

Read a book about Kwanzaa to your class. (See Literature Links for suggestions.)

January 1

New Year's Day

Review a few months of the calendar with the class. Mark any holidays, field trips, and other special events with a sticker or some other special symbol.

Read a book about New Year's celebrations to your class. (See Literature Links for suggestions.)

Third Monday
of January

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Read your students all or part of Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech (given August 28, 1963 at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.). Discuss his visions for our country. Then have students complete the following sentence, "I have a dream that ____________." Their sentences should describe their own visions for our country.

Dr. King asked people to love, not hate. He also asked them to work together. Have your students work together to make a mural. Help students reach a consensus on what should be on the mural. Then involve everyone in class in painting or coloring it.

Read a book about Dr. King to your class. (See Literature Links for suggestions.)

Varies

100th Day of School

Have your students find and number 100 countries on a world wall map or desk map.

Take 100 steps with your class and see where you end up. Draw your route on a simple map of the school.

Read a book about the 100th day of school to your class. (See Literature Links for suggestions.)

February 2

Groundhog Day

Have your class predict whether or not a groundhog will see its shadow today. Then let students go outside and look for their own shadows. Explain that some people think that if a groundhog sees its own shadow and runs back in the hole, there will be six more weeks of winter. However, if the groundhog stays out of the hole, spring is on its way.

Read a book about Groundhog Day to your class. (See Literature Links for suggestions.)

February 16

Chinese New Year

Explain to students that people in China celebrate New Years Day eitherin January or February. The date changes each year because it is based on the movement of the sun and the moon. Some people in the United States also celebrate Chinese New Year.

Show students photos of a Chinese New Year parade. Then have them use Desk Map 1B, 2A, or 3A to plan a route for a Chinese New Year parade through the town.

On New Year's Day, Chinese children receive lai see, or red envelopes with lucky money in them.  Give your students envelopes with varying amounts of play money in them.  Have students determine how much money is in their envelope.

Read a book about the Chinese New Year to your class. (See Literature Links for suggestions.)

February 12

Abraham Lincoln's Birthday

Celebrate Abraham Lincoln's birthday by reading a story such as Abe Lincoln's Hat by Martha Brenner or Mr. Lincoln's Whiskers by Karen B. Winnick. (See Literature Links for more suggestions.)

Day before
Ash Wednesday

Mardi Gras

Tell students that Mardi Gras is a celebration that includes parades and carnivals. The most famous Mardi Gras takes place in New Orleans, Louisiana.

Hold your own class Mardi Gras parade. Let students play instruments and carry colorful masks. Have them make their masks out of half a paper plate, decorated with streamers and attached to a sturdy straw or paper tube.

Read a book about Mardi Gras to your class. (See Literature Links for suggestions.)

February 14

Valentine's Day

Hearts are a symbol of Valentine's Day. Have students trace and cut out several hearts and paste them on a construction paper card. Provide them with a variety of materials for their hearts—foil, wrapping paper, wallpaper, paper doilies, felt.

Use this holiday as a time to teach or review how to address an envelope. In Grade 1, you may wants students to practice printing first names and last initials on their Valentines. By Grade 3, students should be able to address and mail one Valentine card to a friend.

Third Monday
in February

Presidents' Day

Read a book about a U.S. President to your class. (See Literature Links for suggestions.)

February 22

George Washington's Birthday

Point out the portraits of the following Presidents on U.S. coins—Abraham Lincoln on a penny, Thomas Jefferson on a nickel, Franklin Roosevelt on a dime, and George Washington on a quarter. Have students make a rubbing of each portrait by placing a piece of paper on top of the coin and rubbing lightly across it with a pencil. Then have students label each rubbing with the President's name. 

On the board, write the names of several important Presidents and the years they first took office. Working individually or as a class, have students place these dates and names on a timeline. 

Ask students to complete the following sentence: If I had lunch with the President, I would ask...

Read a book about George Washington to your class. (See Literature Links for suggestions.)

March 17

St. Patrick's Day

Ask students to find Ireland on a classroom globe or wall map.

Explain that the color green is a symbol for both Ireland and St. Patrick's Day. Have students count and graph the number of students wearing green on St. Patrick's Day.

Read a book about St. Patrick's Day to your class. (See Literature Links for suggestions.)

March 20

Spring Begins

Celebrate the arrival of spring by taking students on a walk around the block. See how many signs of spring they can find. Record their observations on an experience chart.

Brainstorm a list of words about spring. Then have students select five of these words to complete the following poem. 

Read a book about spring to your class. (See Literature Links for suggestions.)

March 31

Passover Begins

Describe Passover to your class. Explain that long ago the Israelites escaped from Egypt. They did not have time to let the dough for their bread rise, so they made a flat bread instead. Each year, during Passover, Jewish families remember this important event in their history by eating a flat bread, matzah. Matzah is similar to a cracker. If your students haven't had matzah, let them sample it.

Read a book about Passover to your class. (See Literature Links for suggestions.)

April 1

Easter

An egg is a symbol of Easter. Have your class brainstorm a list of all the different types of animals that lay eggs.

Read a book about Easter to your class. (See Literature Links for suggestions.)

April 1

April Fools' Day

April Fools' Day has been celebrated for hundreds of years. On April 1st, people in the U.S., France, England, Scotland, and other countries play jokes on their friends. See if you can fool your class. Skip a month on the calendar, write words backwards on the board, or come dressed as an eccentric substitute teacher.

April 22

Earth Day

Give each group of 2-4 students a 1-foot by 1-foot plot of earth on the school grounds to study. Each day for a week, have them observe their plot and how it changes.

Give students garbage bags. Have them work together to pick up trash in the schoolyard, in a vacant lot, or around the neighborhood.

Read a book about Earth Day to your class. (See Literature Links for suggestions.)

Fourth Thursday
in April

Take Our Daughters and Sons to Work Day

If any of your students spend the day with their parents at work, encourage them to share their experiences. Discuss the skills their parents use on the job. Compare them to the skills your students learn and use in the classroom.

May 1

May Day

Teach your students how to dance around a maypole. Emphasize location words, such as over and under, as students weave ribbons around the pole.

Have students make a May Day surprise for the class next door or for their neighbors at home. The surprise could be a simple paper flower or a seedling. Or you might want to decorate a berry basket or paper cone and fill it with flowers or a tasty snack.

Read a book about May Day to your class. (See Literature Links for suggestions.)

May 5

Cinco de Mayo

Tell students that Cinco de Mayo means the fifth of May. This holiday celebrates a victory of the Mexican army over invading French soldiers. Have students locate Mexico and France on their desk maps or in their atlases.

On May 5, 1862, 2000 Mexican soldiers, led by General Zaragoza, defeated 6,000 French soldiers. Line up students to illustrate how outnumbered the Mexican soldiers were. (For example, have 5 students stand on one side of the room, 15 on the other.) Also have students figure out how many years ago the battle happened, or add the event to a timeline.

Children in Mexico often celebrate Cinco de Mayo with a piñata. Have students make their own personal piñatas. Have them put wrapped candies and stickers in a small lunch bag. Show them how to blow air into the bag, close it with a rubber band, tie a long string to it, and paint it in bright colors or decorate it with crepe paper. Let students hold the piñata by the string and try to break it with a pencil eraser.

Read a book about Cinco de Mayo to your class. (See Literature Links for suggestions.)

Second Sunday
in May

Mother's Day

Have your students give their mothers (or grandmothers) a book of gift certificates. The certificates could be redeemable for a hug, putting away toys, playing quietly, letting Mom watch her favorite TV show. Have students brainstorm a list of special gifts like these that their mothers would appreciate.

Read a book about mothers to your class. (See Literature Links for suggestions.)

May 16

Ramadan Begins

  Tell students that the 12-month Muslim calendar is based on the cycle of the moon. During the ninth month, called Ramadan, Muslims observe the Fast of Ramadan, a time of prayer and reflection. All month long, Muslims fast during the day and eat only small meals in the evening while visiting family and friends. The month of Ramadan ends with the celebration of Eid-al-Fitr, the Festival of Fast Breaking. On this day Muslims attend prayer sessions, spend time with family and friends, and exchange gifts. Eid-al-Fitr is on August 8 this year.

Read a book about Ramadan to your class. (See Literature Links for suggestions.)

Last Monday
in May

Memorial Day

Tell your student that Memorial Day honors people who have died fighting for our country.

Teach your students a patriotic song, such as "America" or "This is My Country."

If your community has a Memorial Day parade, talk about it. Map the parade route on a local map. Find out if any of your students will be in the parade. If not, consider having your class make a banner and march in the parade.

Read a book about Memorial Day to your class. (See Literature Links for suggestions.)

June 14

Flag Day

Have students color their own flag. Ask them to color the red and white stripes and white stars with crayons. Then show them how to paint over the crayon with dark blue watercolor paint. (The crayon will show through.)

Discuss the flag as a symbol of our country. Have students brainstorm other national symbols, such as the Statue of Liberty and Uncle Sam. How long a list can you make?

Read a book about the U.S. Flag and our Country to your class. (See Literature Links for suggestions.)

Third Sunday
of June

Father's Day

Ask students to think of a special memory of their father—a fishing trip, a walk around the block, a basketball game. Then have them write the story on paper or record it on an audiotape. Wrap the story for a Father’s Day present.

Read a book about fathers to your class. (See Literature Links for suggestions.)

June 19

Juneteenth

Juneteenth celebrates the end of slavery in this country. Some families mark this special day with a picnic, parade, or baseball game. Your class might enjoy celebrating the day with one of these events too.

Read your class a story about the Civil War or about the accomplishments of African-Americans. (see Literature Links)

June 21

Summer Begins

Have students use an activity globe and flashlight to demonstrate how the sun shines more directly on the Northern Hemisphere when it is summer where they live. Talk about why people in the Southern Hemisphere are starting winter now.

Send your class out on a bug hunt. Have them look for, observe, and draw any bugs they find. Then classify the bugs in many ways—by the number of legs, whether they can fly, by color, etc.

Ask students to help you plan an imaginary camping trip. Have the class locate a campground on a map, determine how long it would take to get there, plan things to do, and plan a lunch.

Read a book about summer to your class. (See Literature Links for suggestions.)

July 4

Independence Day

Have a birthday celebration for our country. Decorate the classroom with symbols of the United States. Serve a cake. Discuss what independence means. Also discuss the events that led to our independence.

Have students mark the route for a Fourth of July parade on Desk Map 1B, 2A, or 3A.

Read a book about Independence Day celebrations to your class. (See Literature Links for suggestions.)

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