While December is often a quick month with the anticipation of the holidays and winter break approaching, I still find myself holding on to each precious day (just like the leaves of the birch trees!) before the turn of the New Year. Many students come back having grown literally and figuratively. All the work and routines we’ve been practicing since September is more engrained in body and mind as we come back to a classroom that feels like home.

This month, we had fun acknowledging and celebrating different traditions and holidays, experiencing the excitement of snow flurries out the window, drinking hot coco, and counting down the days together until the break.

For Hanukkah, the children enjoyed a menorah and dreidel work in the classroom along with a lighting ceremony on the final day. They also loved these books:

We pin-punched menorahs, snowflakes, Kwanza drums & symbols, and had circle time discussion about what we were looking forward to the most during our time away.

This year, we enjoyed learning about a special tradition in Colombia known as Little Candles Day (Dia de las Velitas) that takes place on December 7th. A visitor came in to read a story and talk about lighting candles to signify a sense of gratitude and hope for the New Year. Each child rolled their own wax candle to take home.

Our school wide door decorating kicked off at the beginning of the month and each floor decided on a theme. Third floor primary rooms took photos of the children to cut out and “swim” in giant mugs of hot chocolate! Finding yourself and your friends at the entrance getting off the elevator made for a new exciting arrival routine. Here are some photos before and after the transformation!

Our Kindergarteners had their first taste of Lunch Around the World this month, a field trip to the PAFA museum, and our monthly library run – many thanks to all the parent volunteers who helped out!

Amidst the excitement and anticipation, a lot of meaningful work was still accomplished with some festive themed materials sprinkled in.

So much is learned culturally from reading, discussing, showing, and trying different celebrations and traditions and then integrating it into the classroom environment. The same way the children return in January refreshed, having had new experiences and opportunities for growth.