Happy Valentine's Day

Valentine’s Day is more than just a day to celebrate love. It’s a celebration of who we are as people. As humans we thrive because of our relationships with other people. We work together in groups to solve problems. We have teams to accomplish goals. We have friends to spend time with. We learn from others of all ages. 

The people around us make a difference to us every day.

Which is why February 14th is a great day to write letters and cards to friends and family members we appreciate. 

Valentine’s Day has a long history and there are many different traditions celebrated around the world. The United Kingdom began the tradition of sending flowers, chocolates and cards. In the area of Slovenia (in Europe near Austria and Hungary) February 14th is a celebration of spring. Men and women go out into the fields to being their work. In some countries in Central America February 14th is a traditional day to do acts of kindness for friends. 

Let's keep the kindness going this week whole week. Here are a few things that you can do:

Monday: Read about the traditions of Valentine's Day on Pebble Go.   
               If you need the user name and password, please email me. Please
               make sure you mention who your student is, because this log in is
               only for HES students. Once in the database, go in 
               to Social Studies, and then Holidays. 

Tuesday: Do like puzzles? Do this interactive word search from National 
                Geographic Kids. 

Wednesday: Do a Random Act of Kindness for someone. 
                     Here are some ideas for people of all ages.

Thursday: Make a card for a friend or relative. Follow these directions at 
                 Instructables for a simple card or for a more challenging card.

Friday: Watch a Valentine-themed video from PBS Kids.  

Check back tomorrow for a post about how some of our HES students filled in the following sentence starter:

"I LOVE my Media Center because ..."

Happy Reading!!

Miss Hazuda (@HESMediaCenter)

Happy Chinese New Year!

Calendars are an invention of people. Time passes from day to day with the cycle of the sun rising and setting. Centuries ago people tried to measure time. They created the calendar as a measurement tool to keep track of how fast time was moving. However, just like there is more than one kind of pencil, or one kind of television, or gaming system, there is also more than one kind of calendar. 

The Chinese New Year begins this year on February 8, 2016. Just like our New Year is always on January 1st, the Chinese New Year is always on the first day of their calendar. One of the most interesting things about the Chinese calendar is that they identify each year with an animal. In simple terms, it’s like a mascot for the year. 

This year will be the Year of the Monkey. The Chinese say that people who are born during a Year of the Monkey are enthusiastic, cheerful, quick-witted and creative!

The Chinese people celebrate their culture in a 15-day celebration of the New Year. They celebrate with fireworks, parades, special rituals and foods.  Click here to watch a Youtube clip to see how some Chinese people celebrate the New Year.

To celebrate Chinese New Year, skip the fortune cookies, which are really an American invention, and try out a tangram puzzle. Tangrams are ancient Chinese puzzles. See below for printable Tangrams.  If you’re in the mood for something with a more artistic flair, download and color this Year of the Monkey page. Click here for a link to a coloring page.

Below are some really great books about Chinese New Year. Some can be found at the HES library, and the Public Library.

Happy Chinese New Year!

Miss Hazuda (@HESMediaCenter)

Have I Got A BOOK For You!!

At the beginning of February I read to all students the book Have I Got a Book For You! by Melanie Watt. In this book the salesman, Mr. Al Foxword, is trying to his book. If you haven’t read the book, it is a must read! I picked this book, because I wanted students to try and “sell” books to their classmates. I have found that many students are more likely to read books suggested by their classmates. All students have to do is fill out the online form and submit it. Click here for the online form. Kindergarten and First Grade students can have help from parents filling out the form.

Once the form is read and checked for spelling errors, I will take a picture of the student and the book. The review will be printed out and will be displayed in the hallway for about a week. Then it will be placed in a binder for students to look through. Also with parent permission the book review or book review and picture will be placed on the HES Media Center Blog. Students can do more than one and it can either be a fiction or nonfiction book.

I can't wait to see what books get reviewed! Keep checking back for some great book suggestions! Sometimes I have actually had some authors respond with a comment for the student about his/her book review.

Happy Reading!!

Miss Hazuda (@HESMediaCenter)