Try “Magic Books” to Get Kids Interested in Writing

This is a cool idea that I haven’t seen before. Tried & True Teaching Tools has a great tutorial and explanation for making “magic” books, which really do look a little magical.

They’re made by folding, cutting and weaving two pieces of paper together (check her post for all the details), which makes a book that is sort of two books in one, so it’s great for writing about a before and after or cause and effect kind of situation. You could also use it for a problem and a solution, looking at how someone or something changes from the beginning of a story to its end, or any number of other things.

I love that there’s a crafty component, too, so it becomes an art project and a language arts/writing project. And depending on the subject of the book it could be a social studies, history or science project, too!

My daughter loves making her own books so this is something we’re going to have to try soon.

Do you have any favorite book-making methods? I’d love to hear about them!

[Photo via Tried & True Teaching Tools.]

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Weaving Projects to Make With Kids

Learning about Hanukkah is important for people of all faiths as a reminder that December isn’t just about Christmas and that their are many other important holidays that happen during this time. Hanukkah unit studies can give you ideas for incorporating the holiday into your holiday studies that happen in December, or to use at home for learning about people of different faiths.

Homeschool Superfreak has a lot of basic ideas for how to build a Hanukkah unit study, as well as FAQs about what Hanukkah is and why it is celebrated. This list is a good stargint point but doesn’t include all the details you’ll need. For example it says you can play the dreidel game but doesn’t explain how to do that or why it’s important. (If you need that information, this post from Mama Smiles is a good source.)

Teachers Pay Teachers has lots of great lesson plans and activities if you’re willing to pay a little bit to get some good content. Two I really like are this Hanukkah PowerPoint presentation from Shelia Melton, which provides a good overview of traditions, food and the history of Hanukkah; and a virtual field trip to Jerusalem from MagiCore, which includes lots of videos showing the city and activities like playing dreidel, drawing a menorah and making latkes. It’s a Google Drive folder and also includes writing activities and more for kids in second to fifth grade.

Kids Activities Blog has some simple printables with facts about Hanukkah and things kids can color in like a Star of David, sufganiyots (jelly doughnuts) and a menorah. These are great for learning the basics.

Homeschool Giveaways has a printable ebook about Hanukkah complete with questions kids can answer after they read. This would be a good one for older kids with good reading comprehension.

NurtureStore’s Hanukkah unit study includes a printable mini book, tons of crafts, as well as math and writing activities. I love the dominoes game that’s part of the unit.

And check out our previous posts for more Hanukkah crafts and learning activities!

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