How To Celebrate Winter Solstice
on Goodreads (10)
What’s inside...
'How To Celebrate Winter Solstice' is a comprehensive guide for families to learn about and celebrate the astronomical event, Winter Solstice. The book explains the science and nature behind the event, emphasizing personal growth and the connection between the Earth and our lives. It provides secular winter holiday activities suitable for families, fun winter activities, PDF downloads, and a class curriculum for grades 3 and up aligned with common core standards. Additional resources including a book trailer video are available at HeartandMindPress.com.
Age
0-12
Length
36 pages
Text complexity
Discussion points
What are some ways people around the world celebrate the Winter Solstice? How do they differ from our traditions?
Why do you think the Winter Solstice is an important time for many cultures?
What did you like best about the traditions described in the book? Is there one you’d like to try?
How do the illustrations in the book help you understand the way different cultures celebrate the Winter Solstice?
How does celebrating the Winter Solstice help bring people together, according to the book?
Tip: Role play these questions
Encourage your child to relate the different traditions in the book to your own family celebrations, linking familiar with new concepts.
Ask your child to imagine and describe their own Winter Solstice festival, incorporating elements from the book.
While discussing the book, help your child identify the geographical locations of each tradition mentioned using a map to combine learning with fun.
Use the illustrations in the book to spark visual recognition and ask your child what they notice about the colors, styles, and elements used to represent different cultures.
After reading, suggest creating a simple Winter Solstice craft or recipe from the book together to deepen understanding and make learning interactive.
Key lessons
Example Lesson: Understanding Cultural Traditions
Explanation: The book 'How To Celebrate Winter Solstice' illustrates the diverse ways various cultures celebrate the shortest day of the year, providing children with a broad cultural perspective.
Real-World Application: Children can apply this understanding by respecting and showing curiosity about different cultural traditions they encounter in their daily interactions at school or in their community.
Example Lesson: Importance of Family Bonding
Explanation: Through engaging storytelling, the book highlights how families come together to celebrate the Winter Solstice, emphasizing the warmth and bonding such occasions foster.
Real-World Application: Children can recognize the value of spending quality time with their family during festivals and other gatherings, strengthening their family ties.
Example Lesson: Connecting with Nature
Explanation: This book ties the celebration of Winter Solstice with natural phenomena, encouraging children to observe and appreciate the natural world.
Real-World Application: Kids can be more observant of their natural surroundings, understanding seasonal changes and developing a stronger connection with the environment.
Example Lesson: Creativity and Imagination
Explanation: The story encourages children to use their creativity in crafting their unique ways of celebrating, using imagination in decorating and choosing how to mark the occasion.
Real-World Application: This lesson helps children apply creativity in solving problems, expressing themselves through art and craft, and thinking of innovative ways to celebrate other events.
Example Lesson: Historical Significance
Explanation: The book provides insights into how Winter Solstice has been historically significant for various civilizations, instilling a sense of history in young readers.
Real-World Application: Children learn to appreciate and be curious about history and might be inspired to learn more about other historical events and their significance.