Chinese New Year of the Snake printables: activities for Lunar New Year

 Hello my friends of the Omschool! Today begins Chinese New Year of the Snake, also called Lunar New Year,  Lantern Festival and Spring Festival. I've always loved this celebration and all things China, Asia and surrounding countries. Before I knew there was such a thing as Chinese New Year even. Beginning at age 5ish, I recall reading with relish, in my Omi's Childcraft books,  about countries referred to then as the Orient. I've always loved learning about how children in other lands live, eat, worship, celebrate, dress and live their daily life. If you want to explore Lunar New Year of the Snake, here are free printables, activities and crafts to do so.  

First, play the Year of the Snake Google Doodle game. Help a cute animated snake find lychees ( I think they are) to eat as she swims among the lotus blossoms. And speaking of snakes, why not being by coloring these beautiful free printable snake coloring pages from Coloring.ws (part of DLTK). Shoutout to my grandson Moses, lover of snakes and serpents! There are some free printable connect the dot games too (one of my favorite puzzles in childhood). 

Next, slither on over to Activity Village for free printable Chinese New Year activities. The Lunar New Year celebrates a rotating zodiac of animals and this year is the snake. So people born this year and every 12 years previous are born under the sign of the snake (2025, 2013, 2001, 1989, 1977, 1965, 1953, etc). You can find which animal you are at Enchanted Learning. You'll find free printable Chinese Zodiac and Lunar New Year and Lantern Festival crafts, games, coloring pages and lesson plans. Click each link on the page for more on all animals in the Chinese Zodiac. 

Click my link here for kids books and children's literature to read for Chinese New Year plus lesson plans and text to life activities. 

Here are other posts from different Chinese Zodiac year animals. 

Free printable CNY year of the monkey crafts

Free printable Lantern Festival activities

Activities for Lunar New Year

Year of the Dragon activities and printables (that's me! I'm a wood dragon!) 

And may I wish you Gong Xi Fa Cai (said like Kung Hei Fat Choy) and happy Lunar New Year! 

Learning from mistakes even when lesson plans fail

 Hello my dear friends! Teacher Omi here with some thoughts on what to do when lesson plans fail. When you forgot an essential material, when the instructions of the package didn't work out, or when someone or something derails it. Here are ways to learn from mistakes when lessons go awry. 

I got the idea to write about this from (this will sound odd) my CPTSD dreams. I struggle with very realistic trauma dreams in which I'm expected to be caring for or teaching kids who are out of control in a very chaotic environment in which I have no experience with. It's funny because even in nightmares, my teacher brain takes over and I try to make lesson plans with straw as it were. What I mean is that improvising has become second and even sleep nature. So what can we learn from that? 

First, one thing to know about kids is that they are always learning. What they learn may be positive, or it may be less so. So if you panic when things don't work, they will learn that mistakes are fails, fails are catastrophes and so it's unforgivable to "fail"  Now, why do we panic as teachers and homeschoolers? (raising my hand to own up to this one). I've found it's usually because we are afraid that we have let someone down. That WE are failures. And being the great imitators they are, kids learn that they are failures in turn.

BUT and this is a big but (small LOL) if we model patience, ingenuity and sangfroid in the face of what looks like catastrophe, guess who else will learn to do that? Yep, your students/kids. I witnessed an example of this making gingerbread houses with some of my grandkids. Now if you've ever put together one of those kits with kids you'll know that they are a fail in themselves, especially the little village ones. They never turn out like the picture. Particularly when made by young kids. And that is NOT the fault of the kids or adults. (I believe they're made to fail so we have to buy more 😅) But I digress. 

What impressed me was how mom handled this. When she saw they weren't working, she didn't get upset. She just did her best, let the children decorate as they wished and complimented them on their designs. The kids had a ball, which was actually the point of the exercise. What fun is making replicas that thousands have made before? Much better to use creativity. So what it ends up a gingerbread yurt?  Uzbeks deserve holiday trimming too! Which would be a great craft to life connection in itself--who lives in what shaped houses and why?

And what else did we learn? One thing was to read directions closely. I broke a few because I didn't trust that the score lines would work and used a knife. And some lines didn't work and broke anyway. We also learned that because we missed the part about decorating the rooves first, it was hard to do it when constructed. But then, the rooves were too heavy for the house structure even without decorations. This taught us some vital STEM and designs concepts of load bearing walls, weight displacement etc. I actually recommend using gingerbread kits as lesson plans with older students to learn engineering, construction and more. 

Best of all, we learned that oh-so-critical thinking skill of improvising. One of my favorite things to explore with kids is improv and workarounds. When you don't have this, use that kind of thing (no buttermilk, add vinegar to milk). This is not something you drill into students but rather help them find resources to do. And Google is a great friend here. You'll find countless ideas to substitute for about anything you could need. We made litmus test strips from paper and red cabbage, for example. 

And back to staying calm in crisis. #1 very few things are real crises. Having said that, the best way to avoid lesson plan fail is to prepare, prepare, prepare. Gather materials and know your content. But even then,  I've done science experiments in front of large groups of students that fell flat. And my first response is what can we learn from this? So first I make a joke to show it's okay. Next we go back to the directions to see if we missed anything. 

After that we try to find out what went wrong. Was something too cold, out of date, etc. This is where your science journals are invaluable. In the case of the gingerbread houses, I would have kids note that the rooves usually can't handle as much decoration as the picture shows. And an extrapolation from that is snow and ice on a real roof and why too much weakens them. I like to get as much practical wisdom out of lesson plans as possible. That's the whole point of education. 

Now for the best part. Have the students brainstorm on workarounds, alternate ideas, what to do differently, what we can take away from this, etc. List on the board all the ideas. You might even break them up into small focus groups to experiment. Using the gingerbread house example, one group might compare results of different size houses. Another might explore different configurations. Yet another might test decorating the roof before and after. Another, methods of breaking up the pieces. Another, alternate gingerbread and icing recipes. One simple workaround is to forego gingerbread altogether and use cardboard or paper. You can't eat it anyway. 

It took Thomas Edison 3,000 (!!) tries to find the right material for the lightbulb filament. But finally perseverance paid off. I honestly think the fails are so much more educational and fun than the successes. And a lot of my students have agreed. 

Winter Snow Party with games, crafts, activities and free Disney Frozen printables

Raise your hand if you’ve had it with winter. You parents and teachers must be especially tired of dealing with bored kids stuck inside. Well, teacher Omi has a winter blues buster first aid kit for you! Here are easy, safe games and activities to throw a Snowtastic party! And I'm nothing if not frugal so these activities are cheap or free, require no fancy equipment and are endlessly adaptable! Oh and value added, I've included winter themed literature tie-ins and free printables to make your winter activities multitask. I'll list those at the end.

Boot skating:  Sweep off an icy patch of pavement, or hose it down to make a rink. Demonstrate how to speed or figure “skate” by sliding in boots. I remember in second grade, teachers letting us “skate” down the halls after we watched a figure skating documentary. I really thought I was Janet Lynn. Have kids bundle up so if they fall they won’t get hurt. Here are some clips from figure skating history. 

Sonja Henie (1945) 

Janet Lynn (1972)

Torvill and Dean (1984, Sarajevo) 

Broom Hockey Use boot skating and play with old brooms or shovels. Use any old playground (basketball, 4-square, volley) balls. Allow no fighting. No need to imitate pro hockey that closely. 

Shovel Races: See who can shovel snow the fastest or make the neatest, clearest walks. Use snow shovels like shuffle board. Push playground ball toward a goal. 

Snow Golf: Use old brooms as in hockey. Dig holes in the snow and sweep tennis ball toward holes. 

Snowball Skeeball: Kids love to make and throw snowballs, but getting hit can really hurt. So have kids aim at a target instead of each other. Paint water color initials on snowballs so kids know whose ball landed where. Mark four concentric rings in the snow, like Skeeball. Have kids aim for the center.  Award more points depending on which ring it lands in nearest target. 

Snow Sculpture Walk: Have kids create 3D snow sculptures along a sidewalk or pathway. Have them design placards. Allow them to spray with food colored water if desired. Encourage visitors to view the art walk, comment on the pieces. No need for competition. This gives less athletic kids a niche at which to shine.  Do text-to-life literature tie-ins, using Children’s Books as a theme.

Cardboard sleds : Have kids design sleds from recycled cardboard boxes, markers, scissors, box cutters and duct tape. Provide paraffin (sealing wax). Show kids how to apply wax to waterproof and make the sled go faster.

Literature Tie-In Have students design sleds after famous vehicles from literature. Wikipedia lists fictional vehicles and sailing vessels with images. Edupics has free printable vintage vehicle coloring pages to use as models. Do a library treasure hunt. List vehicles/vessels and have kids research what book each comes from. Here are examples: Dawn Treader, Trojan Horse, Nautilus, Pequod, HMS Pinafore, Millennium Falcon, Polar Express, TARDIS, African Queen. 

Sled run: Simulate a luge or bobsled run. Pile up snow and make a hill or use an existing tree-free hill.  Rate kids on style, landing, distance, speed. Assign group sledding to help kids learn to work as a team. Or just freestyle. 

Snow-robics: Have children pretend to be different animals. Make butterflies (snow angels), snow snakes, snow alligators, snow fish, snow dolphins.  Have them make footprints trails and “track” each other by identifying individual print. Have them “walk” letters in the snow to write their names. Let the imagination run. This will occupy the youngest children for a long time. 

End with cocoa and sandwiches! Or  here are recipes from my Disney Frozen Winter Party Planner. 

Bully busting children's literature: bibliotherapy books for kids to deal with bullies

Hello my friends! Teacher Omi of the Omschool, here. Today I'm thinking of ways we can address bullying with students. When I was a kid, many moon ago, the concept of a bully was pretty stereotypical. I always think of the Charles Atlas bodybuilding ads on the backs of comic books. A big guy is featured kicking sand in the little guy's face while the dismayed girl looks on. 

Bullying prevention was stereotypical too. The Charles Atlas ad exhorted "Frail, puny" boys to build up their muscles, take on the bully and impress the girl. Dubious motive and overall cringyness aside, it wrongly implies that "might makes right." But neither brute strength nor two wrongs make a right. Coping with aggressive, coercive or intimidating behavior is about inner fortitude, self-esteem and brains, not brawn. 

Even the term bullying prevention can be misleading. It suggests that the bullied are responsible for making bullies stop bullying. And that only "shrimps" get picked on. But bullying happens to people in all sizes, colors, creeds and orientations. People don't do anything to make themselves targets. And bullies aren't' born that way. They are grown. Bullies bully because they can and/or were taught to. And often they were bullied themselves. True bullying prevention gets inside the bully's head, addresses his/her back experience, tells bullies they can't and punishes them when they do. And helps children develop empathy but also interpersonal and self-care skills. 

And it helps the "bully" (who are actually kind of frail emotionally themselves). Children need to develop empathy and insight into how and why people act this way. Best outcome is that the person behaving in hurtful ways will get his or her needs met in healthier ways and be able to be part of the group of friends instead of an outsider fighting his way in. 

Here's a list of bully buster children's literature books on bullying to teach kids what bullying is, what it feels like and what to do if they are bullied. Bullying prevention happens in clever, avant-garde ways. Through gentle bibliotherapy for kids, children see bullying for the weak cowardice it is. These children's literature books on bullying help kids use humor to diffuse the pain and get past victimization to the find the chutzpah they need to deal with their bullies. And in some stories, the bully becomes the friend. 

 "Hooway for Wodney Wat" by Helen Lester. Poor timid Wodney Wat (Rodney Rat) can barely "squeak clearly" to his friends, let alone to big mean Camilla Capybara. But when our hero is forced to take on Camilla, rodent to rodent, everyone at P.S.182 School for Rodents hears the mouse-sized bully buster loud and clear. This is one of the most endearing children's literature books on bullying ever. 

 "The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig" by Eugene Trivizas. This fractured fairy tale flips our preconceived notion of bully vs. victim on its ear. And therein lies the bibliotherapy for kids as they cheer on three gentle, peace-loving little wolves who teach one pyromaniac pig bully to dance. 

 "A Bargain for Francis" by Russel and Lillian Hoban. The redoubtable Francis the badger brings off a scathingly brilliant coup against her devious, double-dealing sometime-friend often-times bully Thelma. Bully buster Francis gets the prize for best plot twist in children's literature books on bullying.

"Ira Sleeps Over" by Bernard Waber. Ira loves his teddy bear Ta-Ta. When he's invited stay the night at his friend Reggie's house, his bullying big sister convinces him that "Reggie will laugh" at boys with bears. But Ira and Ta-Ta have the last laugh on sister. 

 "The Bully of Barkham Street" by Mary Stolz is a tender, heart-jerking look at how a bully is grown. It's bullying prevention from the roots up. In this bibliotherapy for kids, children may find themselves sympathizing with the bully as they see him as he really is, a hurt kid. 

 "Mouse Soup" by Arnold Lobel. Fox wants to make soup out of Mouse, but Mouse pulls a Scheherazade and makes mental mincemeat of Fox. Children will howl as the bully gets his comeuppance. 

 "The House on East 88th Street" by Bernard Waber teaches people not to judge a bully or a bully buster by his cover. You couldn't ask for a nicer crocodile than Lyle, but the neighbor cat Loretta is terrified he's a bully. Read how Lyle befriends the fractious feline. For more bibliotherapy for kids, read Lyle's other adventures in diplomacy too. 

 "Thomas the Tank Engine" by Rev. W. Awdry. A little engine is alternately the bullied then the bully. Will rascally Thomas ever learn that bigger isn't always better? Kids learn many important lessons watching cheeky Thomas fail and rethink his choices. 

"Emil and the Detectives" by Erich Kastner. Young Emil is stalked by some very fierce men with nasty intentions, but this sensible, prescient boy takes them on and saves the day. 

 "Go Away Big Green Monster" by Ed Emberley. In what might be the most interactive bibliotherapy for kids, children take down a monster of a bully one piece at at time! 

Read these books for kids to explore creative bully buster ideas. As always, talk about what you're reading. Help kids build empathy and tolerance for all people regardless of behavior. But also heathy self-respect that sets boundaries and feels okay about that. Tolerances doesn't mean tolerating hurtful acts.