President's Day

This week begins with President’s Day. President’s Day is always the third Monday in February because it is a day very close to the birthdays of both President George Washington and President Abraham Lincoln. 

Have you ever wondered how some of our presidential heroes got the job in the first place? Do you ever dream of being President? Maybe you’ve got what it takes! 

You can read about the achievements of many presidents at Amazing Americans. What kinds of qualities did our past leaders have? 

Would you be a good President? Do you have the right skills, ability to make decisions, and a positive personality? Find out in these two interactive games: If You Were President and President for a Day! 

If you discover that you would be a great President, you should check out your future residence. The White House offers an online tour. Learn about the history of the house through maps, photos, and videos. 

Finally, listen to what other kids would do if they were Kid President:

You can see more videos of Kid President and a learn all about him on his website. He has some great videos! I just love watching them!

Also if you want to access some great information about the presidents you can always use our online databases:  World Book Online (for our older students) and PebbleGo (for our younger students).  Both sites require a user name and password. If you need the user name and password, please email Mrs. Bulvin or myself.  Please make sure you mention who your student is, because this log in is only for HES students.

Happy Reading!

Miss Hazuda (@HESMediaCenter)

Valentine's Day

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. 

To celebrate this week of kindness and the people we love here are a few things 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 Mrs. Bulvin 
              or myself.  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.  

Happy Reading!!

Miss Hazuda (@HESMediaCenter)

Winter Olympics

Winter Olympics in Sochi

Every two years countries come together to celebrate athletes, culture, and team spirit during Olympic Games. The modern Olympics began in 1896 and have seen many milestones since then. There are now summer Olympics and winter Olympics to celebrate many different kinds of sports. Most countries in the world participate, even when there are disagreements and difficulties. 

I hope that during the days in February you have time to watch some of your favorite sports and discover new ones! All of the events will be held in Russia around the town of Sochi. (Click here to hear how the name “Sochi” is pronounced!) Winter Olympics are usually held in a city where there is enough snow for athletes to be able to ski, skate, and slide. 

There are many sources to read about the Sochi Olympics. Start at Time For Kids to learn how much work happened to get ready for the variety of sporting events being held in Sochi. There needs to be rinks ready for speed skating, ice skating, and hockey. Outdoor events of skiing and snowboarding need to have courses prepared. The bobsled, luge, and skeleton races have special tracks that are built. Many more buildings are needed to hold event and to provide places for people to live and eat. If you are art-smart and like to draw, you might want to follow these steps to draw some of your favorite winter events. You’ll see that each event requires different skills, equipment and teamwork! Click here to go to the drawing directions.

Athletes participate in the games as individuals, groups and teams. Click here for some information about the different events. They practice their sport for many years before being accomplished enough to attend the games. Each athlete must compete in their country to qualify for their Olympic Team. Each country is allowed to send only a few athletes in each sport to the Olympics. They gathered together on February 7th at the Opening Ceremonies where it all began! 

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 January 31st. 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 Horse. The Chinese say that people who are born during a Year of the Horse are cheerful and fun, talented and independent. A wonderful combination of traits!

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 Horse page.  Click here for the coloring page.

There are some great books at the public library about The Chinese New Year. Click here to be taken to the list.

Happy Chinese New Year!

Miss Hazuda (@HESMediaCenter)

Animals in Winter

Animals in Winter

As students learn about animal adaptations for winter including hibernation, migration and survival there are many great resources out there for animal lovers!



One of my favorites is the Bear Cam from the North American Bear Center. Here you can watch real bears in their dens. In the past years these cameras have recorded the miracle of birth as mothers give birth to cubs and care for them in the den.  You can see different Bear Cams and learn lots of interesting bear facts at www.bear.org.  Just a sidenote that before you get taken to the webcams, there is a short advertisment.  

For something really interesting take a look at this fox hunting in several feet of snow. Foxes are master listeners as they are tuned to what is happening under the snow. Watch and then run to your library to check out Over and Under the Snow by Kate Messner.  

You can read more books about animals in winter at your library! A few of these titles can be found at our school library, but most can be found at the public library.

Animals in Winter

Happy Reading!!

Miss Hazuda (@HESMediaCenter)