Holidays & Seasons

SEPTEMBER

Labor Day

September 11 - Patriot's Day

Library Card Sign Up Month

Quick! Hurry on down to the Montauk Library to sign up for or renew your library card. And while you're there, check out a book or two!

Hispanic American Heritage Month (Sept. 15 - Oct. 15)

OCTOBER

National Computer Learning Month

The Computer Learning Foundation website provides information and activities to help celebrate computer learning month.

Computer Learning Month by Kim Carter brought to you by TechLearning.com

Fire Prevention Week - October 3rd - 9th, 2004

"Test Your Smoke Alarms!" is this year's Fire Prevention Week theme.

Sparky the Fire Dog has his very own website with fun and games that help kids learn about fire prevention.

The NFPA Online provides fire safety information and products.

The Firewise Home Page was created for people who live or vacation in fire prone areas of North America. It provides information to help people to become a firewise individuals, and acquaint themselves with the challenges of living around interface/intermix wildfire. These pages provide information that may lessen the risk of wildfire loss for individuals, families and neighbors. It provides online wildfire protection information designed to help avoid unnecessary fire loss. Also included is a list of offline wildfire protection information as well as links to off-site fire resources.

Oct 30 is Cyber Safety Day!

Through its Internet Safety Web site the SBC family of companies aim to empower you with information about some of the most common issues surrounding safety, privacy and security on the Internet including identity theft, spam and sniffing; Internet cookies; and fraudulent emails. Check out the glossary for some terms you may not have heard of before. There is even an interactive Internet Safety Game for Kids!

Halloween - October 31

Carve the Pumpkin! http://www.toilette-humor.com/flash/carve_pumpkin.swf

http://www.halloweenkids.com/

http://www.kidsdomain.com/holiday/halloween/

http://everythinghalloween.com/kids/index.html

NOVEMBER

Native American Heritage Month

Canku Ota (Many Paths) is and online newsletter celebrating Native America

Election Day - November 2

Electing a President for Kids from Pocantico Hills Schools in Sleepy Hollow, NY - includes "All About Electing a President" slide show, glossary, lists of cabinet positions, etc. Also includes links to other helpful sites about elections for kids

BrainPOP has a great ELECTION MOVIE (you will need speakers or earphones)

(see Ms. K for username and password if you want to watch more than 2 movies per computer per day)

The Democracy Project from PBS Kids!

By the People: Election 2004 for Kids, Parents & Teachers (includes lesson plans!) from PBS

Time For Kids - Election '04

AND

Time For Kids - Latest News

Scholastic Countdown to Election 2004

Meet the Candidates
Your students will learn about candidates and elections as they
participate in this timely project by working in teams to research
platforms and policies, develop marketing plans, or plan for public
awareness campaigns. All links are included and teacher planning
materials are available for convenience. Grades 5 and up.

Vote: The Machinery of Democracy (Smithsonian Institute)
Vote: The Machinery of Democracy looks at the history of voting methods
in the United States, which are as varied as the individual states and
their local election districts. This site explores how ballots and
voting systems have evolved over the years as a response to political,
social, and technological change, transforming the ways in which
Americans vote. Sections include: Introduction, America's Voting
Patchwork, Paper Ballots, The Acme of Reform, The Gear & Lever Voting
Machine, Punch Card Democracy, Florida 2000, Design for Democracy, The
Present and Future Ballot.

Election News and Issues from The New York Times Learning Network

Public Agenda: A nonpartisan opinion research organization helping Americans explore and understand critical issues since 1975.

The White House for Kids

Veteran's Day - November 11

Veteran's Day Teacher Resources

Ramadan

Holidays on the Net's Ramadan page provides links to information, stories, etc. for this Muslim holiday.

Thanksgiving

IT IS THE SEASON OF GIVING THANKS!

DECEMBER

International Human Rights Month

The United Nations Human Rights Website provides information and documentation relating to human rights around the world, including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

YouthWEBonline - where parents, teachers and kids can get information to address hate crimes.

JANUARY

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Scavenger Hunt

National Civil Rights Museum The Montgomery Bus Boycott, Brown v. Board of Education, Student Sit-Ins - it's all here!

Kindness and Justice Challenge The Do Something Kindness & Justice Challenge invites students to honor the dream of Martin Luther King, Jr. by performing Acts of Kindness (helping others) and Acts of Justice (standing up for what's right) for two weeks beginning on the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Holiday.

Planet Tolerance from Teaching Tolerance provides resources and fun activities for kids to help promote tolerance in our world. Also includes parent and teacher resources.

Follett Webpath Express Martin Luther King Jr. Links

Chinese New Year

Kids Domain Holiday Fun Chinese New Year Page has links to information, crafts, printables, recipes, etc. to help everyone celebrate!

China the Beautiful website has all the resources you need to ring in the year of the monkey!

Southwest Airlines Chinese New Year Festival and Parade Fun & Games - Here you can have fun making traditional crafts, playing traditional games, coloring in the coloring book, or even making your very own fortune cookies. Click on a link above to get started!

Snow?

Snow Activities

FEBRUARY

Black/African-American History Month

Patchwork of African American Life from Tom March provides links, questions and issues to consider as we commemorate the lives, struggle and contributions of African-Amerians.

Black History Month from the History Channel

Celebrating Black History Month from Family Education Network

Black History Month Resources from Education World

Groundhog Day - February 2

Project Groundhog 6 week weather project from Canada (slow to load).

Punxsutawney Phil The official site of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club

Woodchuck Biological information about that cute little creature, the groundhog.

Groundhog Links!

100th Day of School

The 100th Day of School Website Created by Joan Holub to encourage and enhance 100th Day celebrations in schools, includes celebration ideas, book lists, links and more.

Valentine's Day

Follett Webpath Express Valentine's Day Links

Presidents' Day

Presidents of the United States - "The most comprehensive site on the Internet for presidential resources."

Follett Webpath Express Presidents Links

Dental Health Month

Health and Nutrition
(National Nutrition Month® is actually in March, but there is a big carrot on 4M, so here are some links to go with it!)

The ADA (American Dietetic Association) has issued new Dietary Guidelines for 2005 - you'll find info and resources here

Nutrition Explorations for Kids

Nutrition for Kids

Don't forget to check out the Greenhouse links at the Information Station!

MARCH

Read Across America Day: Dr. Seuss' Birthday! - March 2

P.A.R.P. Guest Reader Day!

A Guide for Parents as Reading Partners from Story House Bound Books Publishers http://www.story-house.com/read/_read3.html

Women's History Month

Vietnam Women's Memorial Project
http://www.vietnamwomensmemorial.org/

St. Patrick's Day

http://www.billybear4kids.com/holidays/stpatty/fun.htm

Health and Nutrition

The ADA (American Dietetic Association) has issued new Dietary Guidelines for 2005 - you'll find info and resources here

Nutrition Explorations for Kids

Nutrition for Kids

Don't forget to check out the Greenhouse links at the Information Station!

APRIL

APRIL IS NATIONAL POETRY MONTH!!

Daylight Savings Time Begins

Come learn the history of daylight saving, from Benjamin Franklin to the present... http://webexhibits.org/daylightsaving/index.html

Great New York Read Aloud Day

Check out the official read aloud page from the New York State Library for information and resources including links to ideas for celebrating the day http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/libdev/readaloud/racover.htm

This is a great time to visit the official site of Read Aloud Guru Jim Trelease http://www.trelease-on-reading.com/home.html

Earth Day

Earth Day Network is the nonprofit coordinating body of worldwide Earth Day activities. http://www.earthday.net/

Earth Day Groceries Project is one of the oldest and largest educational efforts coordinated on the Internet! http://www.earthdaybags.org/

Kids Planet was created by the Defenders of Wildlife, an organization dedicated to the protection of all native wild animals and plants in their natural communities. This interdisciplinary site has wonderful animation, color and sound. It contains a variety activities and lessons that are appropriate for grades K-12. http://www.kidsplanet.org/

Rainforest Penny Drive -

Earth's Birthday Project is a non-profit, educational organization whose purpose is to ignite children's wonder and inspire them to care for the natural world. Montauk Public School participates in this organization's "Adopt a Rainforest Acre" program. In addition, each year we buy EBP's bugs - butterflies and ladybugs - to raise in celebration of Earth Day. Check out the online resources for teachers and the "Critter Club" for kids! http://www.earthsbirthday.org/

The Butterfly Farm site, selected by the SciLinks Program sponsored by the National Science Teachers Association, is a wonderful resource for learning about butterflies. It contains a photo gallery and a student resource guide containing units such as butterfly physiology, pupa stage and the difference between moths and butterflies. The site can be used in English or in Spanish.
http://www.butterflyfarm.co.cr/ed/index.htm

The Children's Butterfly Site http://www.mesc.usgs.gov/resources/education/butterfly/bfly_start.asp